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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

Reducing toddler nap time?

14 replies

Emma2803 · 01/05/2017 07:14

Hi all just wondering if anyone has experience or advice on reducing toddler nap length?
My ds is currently 25 months. He is a great sleeper, goes to bed about 8 (sometimes closer to 8.30 by the time he is actually asleep) but he always wakes before 7 (usually 6.30 occasionally before)

He doesn't cry but he calls for me. I try to leave it as close to 7 before I go in to him.

His daytime nap is usually about 1pm and he can sleep around 2.5 hours when at home with me. (I work 5 days a week) The childminder says that he usually sleeps 1.5hours at her house (more noise and he is a very light sleeper) I don't know that I notice much difference but maybe I'm not being consistent enough with his bedtime?

I would like to put him on a bed in the summer (I am pregnant with number two so we will soon need the cot and I can imagine it will be hard bending into cot with a big bump) and don't want him running round the house at that time of the morning.

Was also considering a gro clock?

Thank (sorry for long post!)

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Timetogrowup2016 · 01/05/2017 07:57

I don't think 6:30 is really that early tbh and i probably wouldn't reduce nap either

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TeaBelle · 01/05/2017 08:00

Dd was recently getting up between 6/6:30 and transitioned to a bed. We have a gate on her door so she can't get out (town house, so easier than gating the stairs) and we have reduced her nap to an hour Max during the day. She now does 12 hours overnight, usually 7 -7

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choochooo · 01/05/2017 08:04

I've just reduced my DS's nap to 1 hour from 2 as he's started being harder to put down at bedtime and was waking early. It's totally made a difference. Now goes down straight away at bedtime and sleeps until 7am

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Emma2803 · 01/05/2017 09:10

Thank you for the tips, I think I will give the nap reduction a go and try to be more consistent with his bedtime.

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FATEdestiny · 01/05/2017 11:52

Early waking is more likely to be a sign of being over-tired that under tired. Messing around at bedtime/naptime is a more usual sign of needing to reduce daytime sleep.

For comparison, my 2y7m old sleeps 7.30/8pm to 7/7.30am her daytime nap is 12-3pm. I wake her at 3pm for the school run. At the weekend she will sleep for longer at lunchtime.

At 21 months (so not much younger than yours) my DD was sleeping 9-11am, 1-3pm and 8pm-7am

I accept my DD is on the more-sleep end of the scale, but I would say that 10h+1h is on the very lowest end of the scale. A middle-ground might be healthier for your child.

In your situation I would make bedtime earlier, set nap time at 12.30pm as a set time and wake at 2.30pm if not already awake.

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Emma2803 · 01/05/2017 12:31

I was thinking more of a hour and a half nap? And hopefully he would sleep 8-7? So 12 and a half hours a day.
He has always been on the lower end of the sleep need having dropped to one sleep just after he turned one.
It's so hard to know what to do and I know for sure I really don't have it that bad. It's also very had when I have no control over his nap during the week as he is with the childminders. I thought maybe it would be best to work around what I can't change?

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FATEdestiny · 01/05/2017 13:53

I don't think 6.30am is that unreasonable s time to wake up, really. In our house DH is getting up around then. Even if he's as silent as he can be, I would be being unreasonable if I expected my baby to stay asleep once someone is up.

I'd suggest your toddler is likely to improve the quality of sleep with an earlier bedtime, especially in child minder days from the sound of it.

What happens to get him from awake to asleep at bedtime and naptime?

Is he drinking enough fluids in the daytime?

Have you got blackouts in his bedroom? I find blackout curtains better than blinds - no light bleeding around the edges with well fitted curtains.

Could he be too hot/cold in the morning?

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Emma2803 · 01/05/2017 14:05

I know i am probably asking a bit much of him!! I'm just being lazy I think!
He has got both blackout blinds and curtains.
At bed and nap time we read a story (more at night time) I put him in the cot kiss him and leave. He has a little chat to himself and then falls asleep.
Yes I think he drinks plenty he gets drinks whenever he wants.
Could be that the weather is getting warmer he is too warm?

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FATEdestiny · 01/05/2017 14:33

Sounds like a healthy manner of getting to sleep. Is he alright going to sleep at the only-just-tired point or does he have to be completely exhausted or he won't go to sleep?

He could be too hot in the morning. Or conversely too cold. If he's under blankets or similar, he may kick them off and feel cold in the morning. If he's in a sleeping bag and especially if he doesn't move much, he may over heat in there.

(One of my children is a very, very deep sleeper. He bearly moves from the position he falls to sleep in. He has a tendancy to overheat because if he snuggled down into his duvet when first going to sleep, most other people would kick the duvet off when warm but he doesn't. He just lies there and swelters until he wakes up feeling ill.)

But I think you would know if this is happening. My toddler wakes with sweaty hair if she's too hot - it's very obvious that she needs fewer layers on.

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Emma2803 · 01/05/2017 14:48

No he will go to sleep easily even if not completely exhausted. He might lie in bed talking a bit longer before he drops off. To br honest he is very very rarely exhausted.

He is a very light sleeper, you couldn't move him in the bed or he would wake up. We have recently got him a toddler duvet (4tog) although he tends to end up lying on top of the duvet, head at the bottom of the cot, on his belly. So I have been putting his blanket over him as if I tried to move him he would wake up. And cry. I did put his sleeping bag (1 tog) back on him again as it has been cold lately and I didn't want him getting cold with just the blanket over him perhaps I shouldn't put the sleeping bag on him too?

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FATEdestiny · 01/05/2017 16:04

More likely to be cold, from what you describe. Do you have a 2.5tog sleeping bag? He won't kick that off then.

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Emma2803 · 01/05/2017 18:23

Yes but he wakes up when that's on him!! Lol

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FATEdestiny · 01/05/2017 20:40

Just turned two might be a bit young to keep pulling covers on and off himself to manage his night time temprature. It might be the temperature changes that cause the problem? Going from too hot to just right to to cold and back to too hot, and so on.

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Emma2803 · 01/05/2017 20:56

I might just take the duvet out of the cot and go back to the sleeping bag and blanket over him that we had before. He slept for 2hrs 15 min after lunch today and asleep by 8.15 tonight. He has no sleeping bag on tonight as it's warm and I have a doubled over fleece blanket on him now that he is asleep as he is doing his usual flip over head at foot of cot and lying on the duvet.
I know it's really not even really a major issue or barely an issue at all as there is never a peep out of him once he goes to bed. Even if he is sick or cutting teeth.