what time to put to 2.5yr old bed.

[cep]

To the other mothers of toddlers out there what time do you tend to put them to bed?? My ds goes up at 7.30 and then i get him changed and read to him so he's generally left to go to sleep around 8. But he started waking up in the early hours a few months ago and am wondering if i should make the bed time a bit later, maybe taking him up at 8 instead.

Does anyone else have this problem?

we had this problemwith dd1 who is 2yrs 9 months, we were putting both dd's to bed at 7pm and dd1 jept waking anytime between 5am and 7am. have recently started putting them both to bed at 6.30pm and they are both sleeping until 7.30am. strange eh??!!

7 - 7.30pm here. Does your DS still have a nap because it was around that age that it did affect what time DS1 got up in the morning, until then it hadn't affected his night time sleep. If so it may be time to cut it down to a shorter one. I do find that they go through phases of waking early or late.

7.00pm here too...my DD does not hav a nap and sleeps till around 7.30am

No he doesn't have a nap anymore. Even if he gets really exhausted i try to keep him awake if he's dosing off on the sofa or at the table. but he still wakes up. It's at any time during the night as well, last night was about 1:45, but it's been 12:45, 3:00 well you get the point. He never slept through till 7:30 though was always about 6:30, but i don't mind that just want unbroken night.

rdmommy - that is really strange is it just the bedtime you changed or the whole routine?

usually between 5pm and 6pm. he sleeps until 7am. dh is putting him to bed now.

ds was a terrible sleeper and in desperation i bought a sleep book, 'healthy sleep habits' or something by some american auther. awful book and i wouldn't recommend it but there was one bit of advice which worked and that was to make bedtime earlier to make them sleep longer. we've been doing early bedtimes since ds was about 16mo when he dropped his naps.

i heard that was good for when they were babies didn't realise it would still be good. Just seems to go against sense. will try earlier tonight and let you know tomorrow.

I agree with the earlier thing. I have heard it explained which is that if they are very tired they go into a deep sleep quicker and wake up earlier.

Mine have gone to bed at 7 from when they had a bedtime and my 5 year old still goes at seven.

My DDs (3.6 and 2.4) share a room, depending on if DD2 has a sleep they are in bed between 5.45 and 6.30, normally sleep through till 7ish. Normally find that the earlier they go to bed the later they sleep in.

ok, took him up at 7 i was back down by 7:15 all is quiet, can only keep fingers crossed now.

Thanks everyone for your advice will let you know how it goes.

it is strange but i think sleep promotes sleep. my dd's go down for a nap at 10.30am every morning and get up about 12.30pm then we have lunch and go out, they sometimes miss a nap if they aren't tired but its been that way since they were babies (2.9yrs and 17 months old). I think children sometimes get tired but then get a second wind which makes them power through... my eldest has always been a good sleeper my youngest has had to be trained!!!

He never really used to be a problem always went to sleep fine (still does) and used to sleep through, but for some reason started waking up a few months ago. Can't remember if it was about the time we took the side of his cot off or not, but don't want to backtrack and put it back on. (the dh wants it back on)

see what he is like with the earlier bedtime, it really miffed me and dh but it worked, we had to do something because we live ina 3 storey house and both dd's are on one floor and we are in the loft and before she would come up to us she would go and wake her sister up- killer! - altho i did panic when i wke up before having my forehead knocked by her as usual- i was like ;shit! has someone stolen them!!!"

i want that feeling. was it instant or did it take a few days?? I really need this to be sorted by the time #2 gets here.

7 pm definately - even more so if #2 on the way - don't go later - big mistake! No harm lying in bed and as get older reading books by self etc - just stick with the routine - the early morning waking will sort itself out.

Yep - 2.9yo DD goes up for bath etc 6pm with her younger brother. Then he goes to bed about 6.40, and she then has a song/book and i'm usually walking downstairs by 6.50.

DS wakes anywhere between 5.30-6.15 but he's only 11m (and sleeps easily/uninterrupted) so I forgive him for early waking. I TRY not to let DD get up at the same time as him as she won't nap unless out in the car. (whereas the little guy has morning and afternoon naps).

It's not perfect but I have my evenings all to myself (DH works), and they do both sleep through the night.

drum roll please...........straight through till about 6:30 which is what it used to be as that's when our alarm goes off. yeah

ofcourse the dh just said "yeah but he was knackered." i refrained from saying that he'd woken up every other time he'd been knackered.

Fingers crossed that this is it. Thank you all so much, strange to thing it was so
simple.

Woo hoo!

forgot to add i still didn't sleep cause i was listening for him.

My 3.5 year old goes to bed at 7pm, sometimes earlier as she quite often asks to go to bed. She is at nursery though and I think that tires her out quite a bit. On her days off nursery she has a nap for an hour or two.

Good news about sleeping through! You'll get used to it and not feel the need to check so much lol

my ds goes to nursery as well half days he's always exhausted especially not sleeping all night :) never really asks for bed unless he's not well.

hooray!!! its so strange, my two had a little bit of late night last night- in bed for 7.30pm and they woke an hour earlier this morning, they are both having naps at the moment so early to bed again tonight!!!

who said having kids was simple eh!!!

Have to admit i'm getting my hopes up now.
I know. But we love it. bless him we've entered the "why?" stage now. and he's started singing and dancing with the wiggles rather than just watching it, which is really cute.

Mine will go to bed anytime from 6.30pm and generally sleeps until at least 7.30pm (and don't hate me but she often naps for 2 hours in the afternoon).

You can go off people really quickly tassisssss.

he's weaned himself off his naps but used to sleep for hours. see how 7:00 goes. as long as he sleeps through i don't mind.