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!

At that age my dd went up to bed at 6 for a 6.30 bedtime shes now nearly 5 we go up at 6.30 for a 7.30 bedtime 🥱

I have a 3.5 year old. She dropped her nap just before Christmas - previously 8:30pm- 6:30am with a 90 min nap, now 8-7/7:30am. Has never been one for an early bedtime and always in the lower-middle of the recommended sleep requirements, if it’s 10-13 hours, she’ll be on the 11 hour mark.

I think this sounds lovely! All those hours stretching before you to relax!

I reckon once she fully moves beyond needing a nap that she will start to go to bed later, though may always need an early-ish bedtime.

I had one like this - off to sleep in minutes, was still having 2 hour naps at 3. The other 2 dropped all naps before 2 & were always later than other babies going to bed.

My daughter was just over 2 when she dropped her nap (I mourned it 🤣) amd I remember having difficulties trying to get her to make it to 6pm some evenings. She's 4.5 now and is usually asleep by 7pm which seems early compared to her peers but she sleeps through the night until 6.30 at the earliest so I'm happy with that.

I had this phase with eldest.

We had two choices:

1. No nap. Shattered by 5.45, would wake at 5.45 the next day.
2. Nap, but would not fall asleep until 4pm. Even a 30 min nap would result in him not going to bed until 9.30pm or later. He would wake no later than 6.30am, no matter what time he went to bed.

We took the hit of the early wakimg for few weeks. He got far more sleep overall that way and we were all happier.

One of mine was like that. Was still napping at 2 but started a preschool where no nap was possible so on those nights she'd go to be 5-5.30 and wake at 7. Other days she napped 2 hours and went to bed at 7. Continued until she got to about 2 and 8 months then dropped the nap and bedtime got later.

As long as you're happy with wake time it's all good. Children are all different. My second child would wake at 4 am if she went to bed that early

Why's it too early and what's the point of keeping an exhausted child awake for an hour?

DS had always slept 11 hours in a 24 hour period. When he dropped naps, his nighttime sleep became longer, but still always the same number of hours in a 24 hour period.

Hope this makes sense.

My DD is almost 3 and I asked nursery stop her naps as she was staying up too late when she got home. Now I pick her up at 5.30, she has just enough energy for me to brush teeth and change into PJs and then she's in bed by 6pm. Wakes at 6.30am, gets dropped at nursery at 7am. Works well for us as I can get work done/do exercise now in the evenings - make the most of your child free time!