how much sleep does your two year old get?

[BettyFriedansLoveChild]

DD nearly 2, and is currently sleeping only about 9 hours at night (although she does generally sleep right through, which is something to be grateful for). In the last few months she has started putting up a lot of resistance to going to bed (which seems to be normal for this age), meaning that by the time we have got her down it is around 8.30 -9pm. We thought that this later bedtimes might help her sleep later that her usual 4 or 5 am, but she is still waking between five and six. She generally naps for about an hour a day, and when we have tried to drop the nap she basically passes out around three or four.

This means DP and I NEVER get to spend any time alone together. I'm five months pregnant and exhausted, so end up going to bed within half an hour of DD. DP is currently doing most of the bedtimes and early starts, but I still can't seem to get enough sleep, and we're BOTH run down and constantly ill.

Am I expecting too much from DD? Should a just-turned two-year-old be able to sleep for more than nine hours? And should a pregnant women be able to cope on 8.5 hours sleep without feeling as if she is about to keel over?

[schmalex]

My 22mo DS sleeps about 12 hrs at night and naps for 1-2 hrs in the day. If he misses his nap he can cope til bedtime, but is quite tired.

Just wondering if you've tried putting her to bed earlier rather than later? Could she be overtired by bedtime and fighting sleep?

We moved DS's bedtime forward to 6.30pm from 7pm as he was waking up at 6.30am when DH gets up. I thought it might make him wake earlier but he just slept longer.

They are all different though...

[schmalex]

Oh, and being pregnant with a toddler is utterly exhausting! Even if they sleep 12 hrs at night! You have my sympathy.

[Bonkerz]

Ds is 32 months but sleeps 6pm-7am most nights and sleeps an hour in the day. If he wakes early he tends to sleep longer in day.

[MyNameIsKenAdams]

Dd is 2.1. She goes to bed at seven and wakes at 6.30. We have recently introduced a Gro Clock which we have set for seven am. If she wakes before seven she just lays in her cot nattering til the sun comes up in her clock then she shouts for us.

Some days she will nap 12-2. Other days she doesnt nap at all.

[LoveBeingCantThinkOfAName]

It's really hard when they drop naps, which my 2 yr old has done. The flip side he goes down at 7am and wakes between 5-7am. If I bring him into bed with me he will go off again if it's very early.

Is she still in a cot? Mine fought everynight till he went into a bed and it was much easier.

[BearsInMotion]

DD is just 2 and goes to sleep between 8 and 9 and gets up about half six (waking or twice in between so I guess that's about the same. She seems as if she is getting enough sleep, it seems to be all she needs, so I know how you feel (except the pregnancy bit) :(

[charitymum]

Sleep??? He doesn't. Goes down at 10. Wakes go a couple of times. Wakes up for good at six.

And then when he is asleep his 1 year old brother wakes up!

[milkysmum]

my 2 year old goes to bed about 8 and get up around 7. a while back was getting up about 5. sometimes wakes a couple of times in the night and usually has an hour nap in the day. they are so diffrent though. my older child slept through for 12 hours from about 2 months!

[BettyFriedansLoveChild]

Thanks everyone - it's good to know that there are some people in the same boat as us. Very jealous of those of you whose children sleep twelve hours a night though!

[Fruli]

2.4...usually gets 9 hours (interrupted) each night - 9-6. Co-sleeps from the first wake up. Only naps at nursery

[saffstel]

Mine dropped naps at 22months and then slept around 10/11 hours at night.

She was much, much happier and slept later when we moved her to a bed.

[sharond101]

DS does 7.30pm - 6.30am, naps for 90mins in daytime and I wake him up from that or else he would sleep 2hrs+. He is 20mo.

[irishe]

Dd is 2.3, sleeps from 7/7.30pm until 7am on the days she goes to nursery. On the days when there is no rush, she regularly sleeps to 8 or 9am, having gone down at 7ish. Won't nap at nursery, too much going on, naps for 2-3 hours on days at home. Today DH woke her up at 9.30am to go to swimming class, she had been asleep for 14 hours, then this afternoon, napped from 1-4, asleep again tonight at 7.30pm. Loves her cot and duvet, we often bring her duvet downstairs in the morning, and when she gets tired in the afternoon, she grabs it, wraps herself in it and lies on the floor. This is my cue to take her up for a nap. Obviously I am not complaining but sometimes I wonder if she is sleeping too much, is that possible?

[GoodnessIsThatTheTime]

wow that is a lot, Irishe. I'm kinda jealous.

Is she active in herself in between/ parks/running/playing all that kind of thing?

[nickelbabe]

2.1 here.

she refuses to sleep any earlier than about 11o'clock, no matter what happens in the evening (she'll sometimes "nap" from 8o'clock, but will always, always wake up before 10. If she doesn't have her 8o'clock "nap", she'll go to sleep at about 11, but then wake again at 1 or 2 o'clock.)
She won't sleep for any more than 3 hours at a stretch.
she's a mardy shitbag when she's tired, but won't sleep any longer, no matter how exhausted she is.
she has a nap in the afternoon for at least an hour (normally 2 hours, and sometimes even 3)
the time of her nap has no bearing on when she'll sleep at night.

so, if she sleeps from 2 or 3 in the morning, she'll usually wake either before DH gets up at 5, or while he's getting dressed and stuff.
then she'll sleep from about 6 until at least 9 o'clock.
If I wake her earlier (like when we have playgroup tomorrow), she'll still go until 1 or 2 for her nap, and will keep the same nighttime pattern.

[irishe]

Goodness - yes she is very active, I wonder if that is part of the mega sleeping. Also since she started nursery, at around 18 months (3 days a week) I have noticed her afternoon naps have got longer. So she used to sleep for max 1.5 hours, now it is 2 to 3 hours. Nursery have told us, she is on the go, the whole day, only stops to eat! I think if she would nap at nursery, it would help her, but she is too inquisitive and obviously plays catch up on her sleep on the other 4 days. They are very active at nursery, play outside twice a day, do dancing and general mucking about, much more active than the days we are together.
Don't want to hijack thread, but dd is our first and reading above posts has made me realise how wildly different 2 year old sleeping patterns can be. Unfortunately I have no tips to pass on to those who are struggling with broken sleep and can take zero credit for the marathon sleeping, I just have a daughter who loves to sleep. Also no matter what the children are doing, parenting is a tricky business, are they getting too much, too little, it goes on and on.

[Pumpkinnose]

Hello 2.5 here and sleeps about 11/ 11.5 hours at night and about 1.5 hours at lunchtime. Unless he's very tired / not slept the day before then max daytime sleep is 1hr30. I know it's controversial in these boards but I've always believed in waking up babies - even to feed when he was tiny. If he gets lots more sleep at lunch then will affect night time sleep.

[BettyFriedansLoveChild]

Those of you who said that your toddlers slept better once they went into a bed, do you think that the thing that made the difference was having more space to sleep in, or feeling like a big girl / boy and knowing that they could get out if they wanted to? DD is in a cot bed with the side off, side like a bed in all but size. I'm wondering if transferring to a proper sized bed would make any difference?

And nickelbabe - OMG, you have my sympathy, that sounds tough.

[saffstel]

Sorry Betty, not sure why the bed suited her more! Actually she didn't get out of it by herself till v recently (she's 3.5) so don't think it was the sense of freedom!

[LoveBeingCantThinkOfAName]

Ds is in a cotbed made in a bed. Thinks it the not being closed in

[CockD0dger]

Mines nearly two and sleeps from 8pm. She wakes up every 1.5 hours until 6am. I don't know how many hours she sleeps for at night as she spends some time awake between her night-time sleeps, iyswim.

In the day, she sleeps for between 40mins - 2hours, depending on how many times I can resettle her.

[nickelbabe]

thanks betty
tbh it's not too bad to deal with. she does drive me to my last nerve when she's being whiny though, and her eczema means she'll scratch to bleeding rather than attempt to sleep.
I need to work onnmy patience (and translation skills!)

[nickelbabe]

we were out this evening from 3 until.7. then we came to bed. sge'd been rubbing and scratching while we were out (but still playing) cos she was tired.
she sat on dh and fell asleep about 20 mins ago.

as we co-sleep we decided to spend the evening in bed

[nickelbabe]

she woke scratching at 20 to 9.
she's still awake, but not scratching as much because after 2-odd hours of rubbing cream on.and bfing, we've put her in the pyjamas with enclosed hands.