Too early a bedtime for 3 year old?

[iamstrugglingalot]

Posted in Parenting but no replies so apologies posting here for traffic!

DD turns 3 in a couple months. She has started to drop her daytime nap, sometimes has it and sometimes doesn't, it's probably a 50/50 split. On a no nap day she can start to flag for bedtime as early as 5-5.30pm. For example she's had no nap today and is already snoring her head off for the evening.

On a nap day, her bedtime is more in the 7-8pm bracket.

Is 5/5.30pm normal for an almost 3 year old who is dropping their nap?! Seems so early to be asleep for the evening so just checking if any others people's toddlers are similar!

Our DS turned 3 in November. He dropped naps entirely about 5 or 6 weeks ago. He goes up for his bath at 7.30pm. He's asleep between 8.15-8.30pm. He wakes up at around 7.30-7.45am. It depends what time you want him up!
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It’s early but they often need an extra early bedtime while the adjust to no nap.

Depends how long she sleeps for and when she wakes up surely? If a 5.30 bedtime results in a 5.30 wake up because she’s never going to sleep more than 12 hours and you don’t actually want to be up at that time then yes, it’s too early.

Is she sleeping through? If she is, she must née the sleep!

Honestly I’m not sure - surely it’s less about what time they fall asleep at and the more general picture of what they’ve been used to getting over the course of 24 hours? But I’m a poor source of advice as mine tended to stop napping (unless in the car/unwell) at 18/20 months. Bedtime here for a nearly 4 year old and 2.5 year old is 8:30 ish, no naps, wake at 7am ish (sometimes 7:30). Which I know is on the more limited side but mine don’t seem to need any more!

Need*

She wakes between 6-7am no matter her bedtime. It doesn't seem to affect the morning wake up time.

My oldest (6yrs old now) used to go to bed at 5.30/6.00 when she dropped her nap, around age three. She would sleep through until 7. She and her brother (4yrs old now) kept this bedtime up until about six months ago and they now go up to bed around 6.30 and fall asleep by 7.30.

Then it’s fine then! Not sure I really understand what you’re asking? If she is tired then and it doesn’t result in an early wake then there’s clearly no issue. FWIW my youngest is about the same age and goes to bed about 6.30 on a no nap day. But they’re all different!

My son is 2 and he goes to bed at 6 on nursery days as he doesn't nap at nursery. He wakes about 7.

Non nursery days he naps for 2 hours and goes to bed about 7:30, asleep by 8 and still wakes at 7.

My DD was always in bed by 6pm as was not a napper. Don’t worry about it being too early, just do what works for them.
She’s nearly 7 now and is in bed for 7pm and can read, do activities until about 7.30 pm then story before lights out at 7.45.

@InTheRainOnATrain

I'm just trying to gauge how usual this is I suppose, as needing to go asleep so early might indicate a health problem? I don't know. Just want to know if my child is normal 😂

I have a 3 year old son ( born august) he dropped his naps shortly before turning 3, he didn't have a consistent bedtime but has always been an early riser..think 5/6am.
His bedtime is now 6/6.30. He's asleep within minutes of being put in to bed and sleeps so much better and very rarely wakes up before 6.30 some days after 7.
Sleep promotes sleep.

It seems a lot of sleep to me. 5pm-7am is 14hrs straight!

As a comparison my 3 year old hasn’t napped regularly since turning 2. On a good day he sleeps 8.30pm-6.30am. Most days he sleeps even less ie can go 9-9.30pm and wake 6am.
He doesn’t sit still all the hours he’s awake. He woke this morning at 6.30am, been out and about all day, 4hrs forest nursery and he’s bouncing around now at 7pm here full of beans

Oh! I wouldn’t be thinking along those lines at all. From what you’re saying it sounds like total amount of sleep in a 24 hour period is always about the same eg sometimes it’s 12 hours overnight + a 1 hour nap and sometimes it’s 13 hours all at night. So I definitely wouldn’t be thinking medical problem! When they’re dropping a nap I think it’s pretty standard to go to bed earlier for a bit- if DS sleeps in the day we usually have to push bedtime back 30-60 minutes.

Ah yes, this makes sense, thank you! Her overall sleep in a 24 hr period is pretty much consistent I guess, just spaced out differently.

My dd is always in bed by 6.45pm and naps between 1-2 hours still. She’s napped longer/ better since she’s had an earlier bedtime and is much happier for it!

My son is nearly 4. He doesn’t have naps but on an especially long and tiering day he can be asleep by 5:30 & wakes around 5:30am. He’s always awake between 5-6 no matter what time he goes to bed. His normal bedtime is around 7:30

Just try it out. If they get up early then readjust.

My lo is almost 2.5. He has no nap, goes down at 7.30pm and we wake him up at 6.30am.

My dc went to bed 7-7.30 at that age, and had dropped naps, but all dc are different. If they sleep through, I wouldn't worry.

7:30 -8pm would be a typical routine from the books I’ve read.

5:30 is too early imo

I do think 5.30 is much too early can you stretch it until 6.30 then after bed and stories they’ll be getting down for 7?

My 2yo (3 in april) dropped naps around 3/4 months ago. In bed at 5:30 asleep by 5:40 wakes up between 6:30/7. It works for us 😊

I honestly don't think she'd make it to 7 on a no nap day. She's been known to fall asleep literally sitting up at 5.30pm as I've been drying her hair after a bath, poor thing 🙁

So now if it's a no nap day I have to move bath time forward so she can be in bed for that point where she starts to really flag between 5.30-6

There’s no problem at all then. Let her go up early when she needs it.