how much naptime for a toddler?

[Rienn]

Hi,
Im looking after a little child who has his nap from 12.30-2.30pm
He used to go to bed in the evening at 7pm.Parents found it hard he wakes up so early so tried to put him down later,7.30pm/8pm
Now for about 1 week the child doesnt fall a sleep in the evening until 9pm and is exhausted the next day.(still early awakening)
Mum suggested I should take half an h away from his naptime.I did but he still didnt sleep in the evening.
Now mum thinks he should only sleep 1h after lunch.
He is 2y and I think he does need 2h nap,I always have to wake him up he sleeps very deeply.
In my point of view in the evening he should go to bed at 7pm ,because if he goes later he might be overtired.
What do you think?
thx

My DD is 1, her routine is:

get up at 7 - 7.30
sleep for an hour at 11
sleep for two hours at 2.30 to 3
bath at 7
bottle and bed at 7.30

I personally think that at these ages they definately need their sleep. It's all about finding a routine that works for them and trying not to disrupt it too often. Easier said than done sometimes I know.

my ds is 2 (just!), he wakes around 7:15am (Ihave to wake him as dd goes to school). he is very happy to be awake however and has his nap at 1pm till 2:30 (or thereabouts). he then goes to bed at 8pm. Happy all day but he does chatter sometimes fo rup to 45mins at bedtime . Again, he is very happy and jsut seems to be disecting the day in his cot iyswm. When he goes for his nap he does the same thing for around 15 mins. It does bug me but he is perfectly happy and never needs any company, just likes to chatter on to himself. Sounds similar to your young one.

to run down then
wake 7:15ish
nap 1pm (ish) for at least 90mins
bed at 8pm and sometimes chats for 15 - 45mins

My ds is 2.2 months, he is normally in bed and asleep by 7.30. He has a nap between 12.30 and 1pm for about an hour. He would have longer but I normally wake him as he sleeps very deeply aswell.

He wakes up between 6am and 7am. He goes to an activity in the morning eg:swimming or gym, and I try to get him to be active in the afternoon so he is tired and then he has his bath at 6pm and wind down time.

Maybe if his parents are at work all day he is wanting to spend time with them in the evening so he is reluctant to go to bed.

ds2 has just had his 2nd birthday

he wakes about 7.15-7.45
he sleeps 1-3 (ish)
goes to bed at 7pm falls asleep almost immediately

DS is 2, will occ go without a nap ie if out all day and busy but will then go to bed early 6/6.30. On the whole routine something like this.

Wake between 7 and 8 (has been known to go till 10)
Nap 12.30/1 for 2-3 hours (longer if no nap day b4)
Bed 7pm

"my" one wakes up at 6am or 6.30am!I do think it is possible to teach him to stay in bed or even fall back to sleep

my ds (just turned 2) wakes anytime from 6am (5.30am the other day!) but I dont go and get him till nearer 7am as he is happy enough rearranging his cot, playing with soft toys and removing his sleeping bag. He has a nap from 12.30/1pm till I have to wake him to get his sister from school (if he hasnt woken already). He is in bed between 7.15 and 7.30pm but can crash about a bit before going to sleep. So:

wake - 6am onwards
nap - 12.30/1pm till 2.40pm
bed - 7.15/7.30pm

My DS aged 2 has naps at the same time you say. He goes to bed at 8 pm sharp and wakes about 7. I have to say that how well he sleeps has a lot to do with lots of physical play and running about during the day. If he really runs about a lot, or especially goes swimming, he is knackered and sleeps longer at night. You can try also cutting the nap by half and hour but not reduce it too much if he needs it, because if they have no nap they can sometimes sleep much worse at night!

best of luck!

sounds liek we are all running on pretty similar schedules. that's a comfort! Dreadingthe day ds no longer needs that nap. It is a lifesaver some days!

Rienn,

I think you are right about him being overtired, it's a myth that cutting naps or later bedtimes gets them to sleep longer - it's the opposite (IMHO).

If my 21 month old DD gets a good nap during the day (1½ - 2hrs) she will sleep great from 7 - 7 ish - If she won't have a nap (she is fighting it at the moment) then you can guarentee that she will be up a few times in the night and very early in the morning the next day.

It's so frustrating when she doesn't sleep in the day because it kind of sets the mood for the rest of the day as you know you are going to be in for a rough ride that night, plus it becomes a vicious circle with the early morning start the next day. Good luck

I recently cut out my ds afternoon nap (he's nearly 3) as we were having issues getting him to bed. He loved his nap time and suffered for a couple of weeks without it. The days were getting tiring for both of us as he was tearful and moody. He would end up falling asleep on the sofa by 6pm. We have gone back to the the nap. I now give him an earlier nap time by half hour and let him have 1.5 hrs and he will go to bed for 7.30 without an issue.

My dd is nearly 2 and hasn't slept in the day for months (except perhaps once a fortnight when she has an hour or so). But she doesn't need it, and when she does, she sleeps. Your little chap obviously does need it and I would agree with your 7pm bedtime suggestion. Maybe he's just an early riser.

Ds1 (2.5) still needs a nap, imo, but doesn't have one everyday (maybe has them 5 days out of 7). When he doesn't he is unbearable by 4pm (as today) and sleeps badly (is overtired).

cruisemum I'm very of your ds still napping, dd has just dropped hers!

In my experience, the time they go to bed has no effect on the time they wake up.
Rotine for dd (2.4) -
7.30 - wakes up
1-3pm nap
7pm - bed (always asleep by 7.30)
She hasn't always woken up so late - I think it's the darker mornings (light doesn't wake her up earlier but if she comes to and it's light she thinks it's time to get up, whereas if it's dark, she'll fall back asleep).(I used to have tin foil on her windows to keep it dark enough!!)
She went through a stage of taking a long time to settle for bed, not falling alseep until 8.30/9. I started keeping her calm from teatime onwards - left table to tidy up, bath, milk and then quiet stories - worked wonders.
It partly depends on how old the toddler is but I also thing some children just need more sleep than others.

No point having a later bedtime - how's that going to work when he drops his nap and later preschool etc- allthey've done is upset his routine if he's an early riser he will always be - nothing they can do to change that it comes with the territory... - but they could try giving him something to occupy him in the early mornings etc... I'd say worth trying adjusting his sleep in the day (mine is younger but would sleep all afternoon if you let him and has a good 1to 2 hours )but def suggest they go back to the 7 pm bedtime as it sounds like they changed a bit too much at either end of the day. personnally i like an evening so i wouldn't mess with a 7 pm bedtime!.