How many hours should a 3 year old sleep at night?

[jenkins88]

My DS (3.6 yrs) is being assessed by a developmental paediatrician as he has some problems with communication/attention. We have been asked to keep a sleep diary as lately he sleeps less and less. He is still awake now after being up for 18 hours and showing no signs of getting tired.

Could any mums of 3-4 year olds tell me how long their little one's sleep for at night, and whether they have a daytime nap. I'm just interested to find out what he should be doing.

TIA

DD is 3.6 also. She sleeps 11.5 hours in the evening (from 9pm til 8:30am). She takes a 1-2 hour nap usually around 2-3pm.

my DS (3.10) sleeps around 11 hours a night with no nap in the day. I think he needs 12 hours though as he's frequently tired. He just gets up too early and there isn't much we can do about it.

katierockets's DS is obviously mine as well
Was going to say - about 11 hours, no nap but obviously needs one sometimes! When we were on holiday and goign out in the car on trips etc, he was having a little nap every day and it made a huge difference to his bahaviour although not, alas, to the time he woke up (6am)

At this age DS1 slept 12 hours at night and rarely napped during the day.

dd sleeps about 10.5 hours at night (8 till 6.30). Doesn't nap during the day if at nursery, but does if we are out in the car early afternoon!

doesn't it though Tommy? (nap make a difference to behaviour I mean). On the rare occasion that DS does sleep later than 6am or if he has a nap in the car, he is such a nicer child to be with!

DS is 3.6 years and sleeps 10-11 hrs at night. Very rarely a nap in the day and when he does it causes riots at bedtime cos he could go on playing for another couple of hours. HTH

Mine is 3.1 and sleeps 10 hours, but still crashes for lunch time kip for an hour. Am trying desperately to cut lunch time sleep so he sleeps later than 5.30am every day - I'm exhausted!

DD sleeps 8pm to 7am - 11 hours, she has afternoon naps for 1-2 hours every 3 days or so.
She has started waking in the night to use the toilet - she is trying to go without a nappy at night just now.

my ds (3.6) sleeps for about 12 hours from 7 til 7. can't put him to bed any earlier even if hes really tired as he will wake up in 12 hours still. discovered this to my horror when a few times he had fell asleep on the sofa or the playroom floor at about 5.45 so put him to bed and he was up at 5.30 in the morning!

DD (just 4) sleeps 11 hrs a night & is @ full time nursery, so come Friday/Sat. needs a power nap in the pm (don't we all!) Can definately tell if she has had less sleep - like her mum she likes her bed and even asks if she can go to bed sometimes!

Thanks everyone

At his next review DS will probably be prescribed melatonin so hopefully I can look forward to a good nights sleep soon.

Grace goes to bed about 7.30 and wakes around 6.

Ellie hasn't slept through since being v ill at 8 months!

both nearly 4

sleep pllllease!!!!!

My dd (nearly 4) usually sleeps 7.30 'till 7.00 although increasingly seems less tired and able to go to sleep at 7.30, so more like 8pm. It is true what you say about a little nap during the day works wonders however if dd has a nap it is more likely to be 9/9.30 before she'll go to bed...no thank you!

My dd seems to have tired/grouchy spells during the day which quite often turn out to be hunger although she very rarely tells me that she is hungry. I try to have regular periods of 'quiet time' where she reads, watches TV, does drawing etc. Although these only ever last for 15 mins or so...not a great one for sitting still!

Dd is 3y 4m. She hasn't had a regular day time now for many months - well over a year and more. After a big day out though, and if in car, she will nap then - meses up her night time though.

Her bedtime is generally between 7:30 and 8pm, and, if left to wake up on her own, she wakes between 7am and 7:30am. Very rarely is it earlier, other than when I have to wake her at 6:30am on a Tuesday.

We are not o good on keeping to routines though and weekends are especially messed up - with late nights, etc. luckily she dleeps late - and will always try to get in between 10 and 12 hours.

ds (3y 8mo) sleeps for about 11 hours on a good night. I think he needs a bit more than this but he wakes up early and then he wants to start the day! The reason I think he needs more is that he will often fall alseep in the car, but we try to wake him quite quickly if he does because he won't go off till much later in the evening if he has even a short nap during the day (and he then still wakes early).

10.5 hours in a 24 hour period. For every half hour she might nap in the day (I try hard to not let her nap!) you can take 1-1.5 hours off that.

I would say that a 3-4 year olds that I have cared for- am and ex nanny and now a mummy should sleep from around 6:30-7pm and wake at around 6-7am. With no afternoon naps, they are going to school next year and can't nap then- I would try to knock afternoon naps on the head at around two and a half to three and just have a quiet time where they can read a book or relax.

DS had pretty much stopped naps by 3.6 and was sleeping 7.30 until 7.00 so 11.5 hours which he is still doing a year later. He will still fall asleep in the car sometimes but generally it doesn't affect his ability to go to sleep at night.