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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

2 year old sleep routine

22 replies

nichan · 08/10/2013 06:26

Hello my lil one is 2 and a half. She has never been a great sleeper especially as she was a reflux baby and until diagnosed and on the correct medications just couldn't be led down to sleep for long at all. No matter her routine she always gets up between 5 and 6 am, closer to the 5. Her current routine is up at 520am, breakfast at 7am snack at around 9am lunch at 12 (1 on nursery days) sometimes a snack at 230pm depending on how hungry she is, dinner at 5pm, bath at 6pm, cup of milk stories and bed by 7pm. Usually asleep just after 730 latest. Any advice? She used to have a day time sleep in the am but refuses to now which is fine as it cause bedtime problems if she does.

OP posts:

ZuleikaD · 08/10/2013 09:46

That all sounds fine - what's the problem?

Original poster

nichan · 08/10/2013 12:19

Um the 5am wake up and the fact she's only getting 10 he's at best............

OP posts:

Original poster

nichan · 08/10/2013 12:19

Hours not he's

OP posts:

ZuleikaD · 08/10/2013 15:43

Well, 5-5.30am is completely normal for toddlers, and at 2-3 years old they need a total of around 10-11 hours so she's not that far off that. A daytime nap at this age is still useful but plenty of 2.5 year olds give theirs up around now. You could try putting her to bed half an hour earlier but it probably won't make any difference to her wakeup time.

nickelbabe · 08/10/2013 15:46

if you're worried about the 5am wake-up, would you consider putting her to bed later?
it might not make any difference, but dd goes to bed at 9ish and wakes up at about 8 (she's 21months)

Original poster

nichan · 08/10/2013 16:35

Lol I'm not worried about her 5am wake up that really doesn't concern me I'm more trying to get her to get more sleep as she clearly needs it as she struggles. However putting her to bed earlier really doesn't make a difference and she will not day time sleep. Wouldn't want her going to bed later especially as her older sister is at school now so would disturbed her plus we need to be up early. According to Nhs and health professionals she should be getting 11hrs plus a 1 and a half hour sleep. That's a total of 12 and a half hours. She definitely needs more sleep otherwise I wouldn't be concerned.

OP posts:

nickelbabe · 08/10/2013 22:11

does she have a time during the day where she flags and then gets hyper?
if so, it might be worth trying to get her to nap then.

FredFredGeorge · 08/10/2013 22:23

nichan 10 hours is well within the normal range for a 2.5 year old. Do you have any other reason to think she needs more?

ZuleikaD · 09/10/2013 07:33

Yes, although the NHS website suggest that amount of sleep it also says that two hours either way is normal.

Original poster

nichan · 09/10/2013 11:18

Yes she does need more sleep otherwise I wouldn't of posted this I am after advice from anyone in the SAME situation who may have found a solution for their little one. I am not after ridicule from people who think they know my daughter better than me so just to clarify she is struggling through the day she is definitely tired I can not get her to nap have tried everything. She struggles first thing as she clearly has woken too early for her needs. She also struggles at dinner, laying her down at this time 5pm would not be wise. I think maybe this is just a phase we need to ride out and hopefully she will get the required sleep soon. 10 hours may well be the average for all toddlers but I can actively see everyday that this is not enough for my lil one.

OP posts:

ZuleikaD · 09/10/2013 12:29

I think what everyone's trying to convey is that although she may be tired, developmentally she's not short of sleep, so although it's going to be tough to deal with it is just a case of waiting it out. All children go through phases (particularly when dropping naps or - on many other threads - starting school) when they're shattered and extra patience is needed. It's just one of those things.

Original poster

nichan · 09/10/2013 17:29

Mmmm pretty much what I just said it seems people are replying thinking that my issue is her waking at 5 (it's not) or that I have no patients (I have bucket loads) plus all my time is dedicated to the well being of my children 24/7 they are my world. I'm not going to post any further as this really isn't helpful at all, if anyone reads my posts and actually has a decent surgestion as they've been in a similar position I would love to hear from you thank you.

OP posts:

nickelbabe · 10/10/2013 11:00

sorry, nichan.
because you said that she was tired, I made the assumption that her waking at 5 was one of the causes.

If she won't sleep when you think she's tired, then she is probably okay with it.
I have an Incredible Non-Sleeping Baby, and she copes fine with it.
when she's really, really tired, she sleeps. When she's not and it's just a normal day, she doesn't.

It really does sound like she's coping on the amount of sleep she's getting.
(unless she's walking round all day crying or tantrumming, then you might conclude that she needs extra sleep), but if she has chosen to drop her nap, then I think she's just developmentally at that stage and doesn't need it anymore

CrazyAlien06 · 12/10/2013 03:25

My daughters just turned 2 and some days she doesn't nap and others she has up to 2 hrs.
Her night sleeping is not great. So be thankful your daughter sleeps through. Mine is so loud I've had about 25 full uninterrupted nights sleep in 2 years :( latest trick is waking up and throwing her duvet etc out of the cot

Original poster

nichan · 01/11/2013 05:45

Lol I love that you all assume she's coping. I wouldn't of posted on here if she was coping fine on the sleep she has would I. And crazy alien it's very rare we get a night where she sleeps through. Love that you all guess my answers for me.

OP posts:

ZuleikaD · 01/11/2013 06:15

There's no need to be rude. People are taking time out to try and help/reassure you - if your best response is to be sarcastic then you may find that people become less helpful.

crochetcircle · 01/11/2013 06:35

Have you tried giving her quiet time after lunch instead of a nap? Either in cot with bottle and books, or on the sofa watching telly having a cuddle, or go for a walk in the pram all wrapped up. This seems to help our 2.5 year old even if she doesn't sleep.

The other night I put her to bed at 5:30 she was so tired. I couldn't believe it but she slept right through.

This stage is hard and unpredictable so I find being flexible helps. (Not saying you're not being flexible, just that I've found routine isn't always helpful.)

JollyScaryGiant · 01/11/2013 06:47

How does she fall asleep? Does she settle herself or does she require you to be in the room?

Have you tried a gro clock?

Locketjuice · 01/11/2013 06:55

Maybe if you weren't so rude or sarcastic people would want to help! Jesus, angry woman!

Seb101 · 01/11/2013 08:36

You sound rude and unpleasant; people are trying to help you! Just cause people aren't giving the answers you want...

Normantheseagull · 01/11/2013 09:18

My first post on mumsnet so please be nice...

If she will sleep in the car in the day and you can fit it in to your schedule try going for a drive after lunch (or at the same time every day). It worked for us as once she learnt that that was nap time I could then try for a nap at home at that time. I kept everything routine exactly the same as proper bedtime (same stories, pjs, blackout blinds) and she now usually has that nap when we are at home....

Hope this helps and good luck

SleepRefugee · 01/11/2013 09:44

Sounds similar to my DD. We eliminated dairy from her diet and she now sleeps about 11 hours a night. She's nearly 3 and also used to sleep 9-10 hours max a night, but she wasn't well-rested, whatever we tried. She had stopped napping (of her own accord) at around 19 months.
It's definitely worth looking into possible food intolerances, even if there are no "obvious" signs for them. Be prepared to be fobbed off by GPs, we were at first.

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