None tired children.

[Mrsphilmiller]

My children are all under 5. So on a day to day basis we do loads of activities together. We are out for around 2-4 hours a day in local playgrounds (there’s about 6 +) so there is no way of getting bored. BUT on the day we do all this they don’t sleep till 10-11pm. And I swear to god they don’t have any sugary treats after 2-3pm and they have no naps at all. But they have enough energy to last them from 7am-11pm and then wake up at 7am the next day .

And now onto the most weirdest part. On the days they watch tv all day and just potter around the house they go to sleep at 8pm.

so for my own sanity I give them these tv/iPad days so I actually get some time to myself.

yes DH is around but works 9-5 and so he gets no rest or downtime either when he’s home.

today they woke up at 7:30 and I started bedtime around 7:30, we got into bed, story read and then said good night.
and they were out 10 mins later. Laughing and playing.

so I have tried staying consistent and put them back to bed every single time they are out but that can go on for 2+ hours.

I’ve tried sleeping them in different rooms as well.

but the link i see is the fresh air and fun activities. They somehow gain more energy instead of less.

so any ideas what we can try or where we are going wrong?

the children are 4 and 2 by the way.

thank you 😊

My DS is 2, we go out maybe for an hour a day, running around a field, looking at trees etc. But majority of the time we potter about the house and our garden.
He sleeps 8pm-7am, and naps for 90 mins each day.
I think you're doing too much, they don't need 2-4 hours a day at multiple playgrounds?

Are they happy or sad when they refuse bed? I’m inclined to say they’re overtired but not if they’re excitable I wouldn’t have thought.

No, I don’t do this every day. So some days it’s 1-2 hours and about once a week we go out for around 4 hours.
And if we are at home we paint or I take their dolls and doctor kits etc out and they have 30-90 mins playing various games. Then we break for lunch and they can watch bit of tv and then they start playing again.
we are not on the go all day but we do a fair amount of playing.

They are happy and playing @ReeseWitherfork and seem very energised. If they were overtired there would be a lot of crying and tantrums I assume. It’s nothing like that.

But what do you mean they are ‘up laughing and playing.’ Don’t let them!

also i work longer than 9-5 and as a single mum I cope just fine so get your OH to pull his weight.

4 hours in multiple playgrounds sound ridiculous. Just do an hour out morning and chill

Can't help, but I can offer support - mine was (is) the same!

Starting school helped, but even so, at 5 she's only ever asleep before 8:45 pm if she's unwell. I've tried waking her up earlier, but it has no effect. She wakes up badly and ready to start the day on around 9 hrs sleep.

I was exactly the same and as an adult, I've never needed the fabled 8 hrs of sleep and function best on 6hrs. Some people are just built that way.

It's totally exhausting when you get little or no child free time and severely limited what you can get done - you have my sympathy!

happy not badly!

Thank you @BeautifulWar for your kind words. So it seems some of you think I’m doing too much…. I will tone it down this week and see what happens.
This weekend was a busy one because my plan is to keep them in during the hot weather.

And I’m sorry I wasn’t clear on the fact my DH when home is very hands on. He doesn’t relax when he gets home. He helps me with the kids/cooking and housework.

My 2 year old is the same but it doesn’t matter what we do. I’m sick of it and totally fed up. 😭

Mine is the exact same. My theory is that being outside after the morning is messing with their circadian rhythm. E.g playing out in the bright sunny daylight at 5pm makes their body think it's morning, and they then don't sleep until significantly later

My children are the same age and we start the bedtime routine much earlier, IMO 7.30pm is ridiculously late.

5pm - Dinner
5.30/6pm - Bath
6.30pm - Upstairs, PJ's on, let them run around/play with toys etc.
7/7.15pm - Youngest gets his 3 books and goes into his cot in one room. Then eldest gets his 3 books read to him in bed.
7.30/7.45pm - Lights out.

Occasionally it's slightly earlier or later but they are very rarely in bed any later than 8.15pm.

I think the amount of outdoor activities that you do with the is great btw

@PopItLockIt you maybe right

@woody87 hmm so this is interesting, because I feed them early, dinner is around 5pm and I don’t give them an evening bath because that hypes them up even more so after dinner they get pjs on and so bedtime routine is really just going into the bedroom and reading books and ocean sounds on.

I think the more they do, the more it takes them to get tired. My dd's fit ess has improved loads since doing more exercise clubs so she is fitter and it takes more to tire her out .
If she has a lazy day doing not much at all, guaranteed she will be tired all day - honestly think exercise gives them more energy.
I am the same though - if l have a lazy day l have no energy to do anything.

Mine would be like this if I let them (and we have previously rather than battle it, but was not good) and also if we start bedtime too late, there seems to be a window of opportunity around 6pm to get them to bed earlier and if we miss it means they are up for hours later. They never really seem tired, they would play and play and play and play all night if we weren’t firm on getting them to bed- but they are kids and are so much better if we help them get more sleep

Your bedtime routine sounds a bit short, maybe need more of a wind-down. Can they have some quieter playtime in their room once in pjs (puzzles worked for us) and before stories.

I totally get your comment about baths making them more hyper, we’ve had that sends them wild, I now shower them mostly if evening and separately one at a time whilst other one plays in their room!!

Oh yes, we have a jigsaw addict in the house. She loves doing them. and yes until a couple of months ago she was doing a few puzzles before bed. But it never worked.

My children are 5 and 3, they don’t go to bed until 9-9.30 each night and get up at 6 everyday. They’ve always been this way, I’ve tried all sorts. My 3 year old hasn’t napped since 18months as well. I think some children just don’t need as much sleep.

Dd is like this she just wont settle. Mum always said if they miss a nap when very young get ready to be up late with them as they get restless and more energetic and have tantrums. I don’t let dd nap now she is 3 as she wont sleep until 2am if she sleeps at all during the day. I go out a lot to keep her busy. However, I have to make the house dead quiet after 9 pm and rock her to sleep for a good half an hour singing to get her to sleep. Like yours she just stays awake a long time. Oh and any time on her ipad in the evening and she won’t sleep til 12am. I have to really restrict it even though she has a tantrum.