Please can you run me through your 2 yo's daily routine?

[DitaVonCheese]

DD is two and a bit (stopped counting ). She has recently gone from being quite good at going to sleep by herself at night to being a Total Fricking Nightmare who takes hours to settle and needs someone with her while she does it. I am not sure whether this is normal two yo behaviour or a separation anxiety thing (she started pre-school a couple of mornings a week recently) or because I tried to change her routine and have buggered up her sleep patterns in some way.

DD wakes up around 6.30 and we get up around 7.30 (nursing/dozing). She tends to get sleepy again around 11.30-noon but since most toddler activities don't finish until 12 or so wouldn't get to nap until about 12.30. She used to sleep for a good solid 2-3 hours, which meant we were then eating lunch at about 3 which buggered up the rest of the afternoon as we wouldn't be ready to go anywhere until 4-4.30.

I therefore started giving her lunch at around 12-12.30 which means she doesn't go down for her nap until 1.30, so she now only gets 90 min nap at the most, often less depending on how long it takes her to get to sleep (I don't like to let her sleep beyond 3).

I am so utterly confused and have no idea whether she isn't settling because she has too much sleep during the day so isn't tired or has too little so is over-tired

She then has dinner/bath/etc from about 6 pm, gets into bed around 7.30 and then we have tears until she conks out about half nine.

Please can you give me a quick run-down of your 2yo's routine? How long do they sleep for during the day? How do you fit in naps and other activities? I really just need another two hours in the day and then everything would be fine!

My DD is three in March but here is what we do...

8am wake up
morning activity
12noon lunch
12:30 nap (no more than 45 mins or she will not go to sleep properly, some days she doesn't sleep at all!)
afternoon activity
4:30pm dinner
6pm hot choc/milk with a light supper
bath
bit of tv
7pm couple of stories and bed

If she has slept too much in the day she messes about once we have put her down but is generally asleep within about 20-30mins of us leaving the room.

I was gutted when I realised that she would need to sleep less/not at all but it has improved bedtime x100000.

Maybe give less naps a try if you can? You can always get them back if they don't help.

Thanks FSS (not FFS ). DD still co-sleeps with DH but not me as the only way we could nightwean her was for me to move to the spare room

Sounds as though your DD has a lot more sleep at night and less during the day than mine, though mine is getting a lot less sleep in total at the moment as she ends up going to sleep so late. Perhaps she is just overtired.

DD (26months) wakes around 7, if we do an activity in the morning, we do one that ends by 11 so we can have lunch by 12 at the latest and she naps from 1-130ish for a couple of hours. I never bother to try going anywhere in the afternoons, it's just too much of a rush what with snack-time and getting tea ready for 5. Bath is at 6, stories at 7, and she's almost always asleep by 730.

630 to 130 seems a long time to go without a nap. If DD gets over tired she doesn't sleep well. Today was a perfect example of this. We had a pretend "Christmas Day" for the Grandparents. Lunch was 1-2, I put DD down for her nap at 230. She didn't sleep at all.. By the time we got home it was 6, and she was crying at everything (I get the same when sleep deprived!). Thankfully, lots of cuddles at bedtime calmed her down & she was asleep by 8, so hopefully she won't be too tired tomorrow!

Oops, x-post

Thanks Ewe. Sounds as though your DD is getting about 13 hours total sleep as well, but again a much shorter nap. Perhaps that is the way forward. I will really miss the break but perhaps we should give it a go. I just thought if she was sleeping 2-3 hours she might need it.

She still wakes several times a night for cuddles according to DH, despite nightweaning a few months ago (but goes back to sleep easily in the night, thank god).

DD is 2.2.

Wake up around 8am
Lunch around 12:30
Nap from 1pm - 3pm (although she doesn't get that much on nursery days)
Tea at 5:30
Bath / bedtime routine at 6:30
Bed by 7:30, but she often hollers / mucks about for an hour before deciding that sleep is actually ok after all.

X-post again sorry!

Thanks all, these are really helpful.

A few of the morning things we do are the kind where everyone helps tidy up in the last 30 min, so I would feel a bit bad leaving early but perhaps I just need to move everything forward a bit. I am also really bad at staying out all afternoon then getting back late - I find it hard being stuck in the house, really do need to get out.

DD is almost 23 mo

Wakes up around 7.30-8
Play, go out etc
Lunch 12.30-1
Nap 2-4
Play, go out
Dinner 7
Bath, bf
Bedtime 8.45-9

She still plays in her cot for a good half an hour before falling asleep, but without any protests (mostly)

dita Do you walk back from playgroups? Can you take sandwiches, snacks for her to eat on the way home in the pushchair so she can get straight down for a nap when you get in?

Also means the crumbs aren't under the dining room table . (they're usually in the pushchair). Sandwiches, apples, bananas, fromage frais / fruity pouches, chunks of cheese are pushchair friendly IME.

My dc's are 4 and 2 and while we have a pretty regular routine I have started doing more eating on the move if we're busy, it saves having to get home and fanny about making lunch then rush around doing nappies / naps.

my ds2 is nearly three and still has a daytime nap of 2 hours. not long ago i tried to change this and totally messed up nightime sleep for him - longer to settle, waking more in the night etc. i've gone back to the daytime naps as he obviously still needs them. two days a week he goes to a childminder and doesn't tend to nap on these days. when he gets home he is a nightmare - tantruming at the slightest thing and although knackered impossible at bedtime. so - in my case sleep breeds sleep IFYSWIM. On a good night he sleeps through from 7-7.
His nap is from 11 -1pm and then he has lunch as soon as he wakes up. This does avoid the 'where to put lunch/ too late sleep' problem, but tricky with kids groups etc....

DD is 2.6 years old. She is in daycare all day but activities at daycare and when home with us is usually the same although with us we tend to go out alot as a family. Typical day:

6.30am/7am Wake up and get ready
7.30am Milk and breakfast then she potters around and plays and has a little TV
9.30am-ish We go out and about if weather is okay or else she plays all morning - either by herself or some kind of activity eg painting, singing, dancing
10.30am Snack then play/out
12.30am Lunch with a little TV if in
No naps - she hasn't napped since she was 2.3 years old and certainly now sleeps more deeply at night
Afternoon play/out/activities plus mid afternoon snack
5pm Dinner then a little TV
6.15pm Bath
7pm-ish Get ready for bed, milk and teeth then stories
7.15/30pm In bed usually out for the count.

2.6 yr old DD.

7am wake up.
Morning playgroups etc
12am - lunch
afternoon stuff in the house
3:15 - pick up older sister from school
5pm - teatime
6:30-6:45pm - bedtime.

Stopped having a nap at 17 months. If she does happen to nap in the afternoon she gets 10 mins only.

Goes to bed very easily and asleep within 5-10 mins normally.

I'd cut back the nap times - it makes them a bit grumpy in the evenings, but makes bedtime a dream.

My DS is 2y 9m. His is:

6.30am - wake and play (hopefully quietly)
7.00am - breakfast
8.00am - dressed and out house on school/nursery run
11.30/12md - lunch
1-2.45pm - afternoon activity
2.45-3.30pm - school run
3.30pm-snack, play with brother
5pm - dinner
6.00pm - wind down bedtime routine, cuddles/bath/upstairs with aim of being in bed and having story read around 6.30pm
asleep by 6.45pm

I dropped his day nap when he just turned 2 as he wasnt sleeping at night. Killed me, as DS1 would still nap now (at 4y 4m) if I let him!!

DD is almost 2.1

6am wake
6.30am breakfast then play/get dressed etc
9/10am out/toddler groups
12 noon lunch
12.30 nap for 1.5-2 hours
3-5 afternoon activity or play at home
5.30pm tea
6.30 bath, books etc
7pm Bed

Goes straight to sleep if it's been a nursery day so had only 1 hour nap. If been at home and had 2 hours then we get treated to singing and talking to toys for anything up to 1.5 hours!!

DD sometimes falls asleep on way home from toddlers in the mornings but I have always woken her up and given her lunch before puting her to bed.

Has recently started asking to go to sleep in Daddys bed (never slept there before) and protesting about going in her cot. Think this is a 2yo thing. We have stayed firm and calmly place her in her cot anyway. She soon realises we mean business and wants her usual cuddle & kiss before being tucked in (got out her sleeping bag and tossed it on the floor a few nights ago so we've swapped to blankets. We found her asleep in just her PJ's! It's -8 outside FFS!

Im just wondering if she is sleeping too late in the pm?

My DD is only 18 months so not direct comparison, but she

gets up 7.30
breakfast 8.30
nap 11.30 to 1pm or 12 to 1.30pm
Lunch 1 / 1.30

Then supper 6 - 6.30, bath 7.15 to 8, story ,bed.

She is actually never asleep before 8.30.

If i let her sleep later in the pm she is literally bright and cheery still at 8! My cut off for pm sleep is 2pm (and even then it is usually 8.30 before she is out for the count!)

Thanks so much for all the replies, they are really useful.

Meglet I am really lazy and don't walk to any groups/activities though in my favour most of them are quite a long way away (we are fairly rural out here). She does quite often snack in her carseat though I've recently had to get it professionally cleaned because it was so revolting

moflee the clashing with groups thing is a bit of a pain but maybe I will just have to bite the bullet. There is only one that actually goes on to 12 (and has a tidy-up at the end) but I guess I could just make sure I have lunch ready that day.

Yesterday I woke her up after 45 minutes napping in the hopes she'd make up for it during the night but DH reports she was more restless than usual last night (though she did sleep later - no good to me though as had to wake her for pre-school). Today she refused to nap at all (argh! how good/patient a parent am is directly proportional to how well she naps ) though did conk out relatively fast/early. I am leaning towards her being overtired and having to move her naps forward again, though will try short naps for a couple more days (bugger Christmas for coming along and screwing everything up!).

Thanks again :)

• Up at 7.15.
• Activity toddler group/catch up with friends with kids/food shop
• Early lunch on the go about 11.30 (a pack up i made the night b4)
• sleep 12 till 1.30
• fruit snack after sleep. prep for evening meal or craft at home usually.
• School run and then play date/clubs/chill out for oldest child.
• Tea at 5
• Bed at 6.30 or 7 depending on how exhausted they are

Is it worth you giving lunch earlier while at your activity group and then having a sleep at 12.30 and waking her at 1.30?

DS is almost 2.5.

Wakes up between 6-7
7-8 Give him breakfast that he doesn't eat
8-11 Depends on weather could be walk/food shopping/playing at home.
11-1 Watch cbeebies. Lunch
1.30-4 Play at home, get dinner ready. Probably more cbebbies
5ish Give him dinner he won't eat
6 onwards, try to calm him down before bed, doesn't work.
7- bath, milk, book, sleep.
12-3am- awake

cbeebies even.

DS almost 3

Wakes anytime from 7am
Breakfast 8am
Generally out of the house by 9.30
Baby groups, park etc
lunch 12.00
nap 1-3pm
play/ inside/ outside depends on weather
Tea 5pm
bath /tv
bed 7.30

Lots of walking/ running. (no car)

He sometimes can nap shorter, depending on how noisy the house /dog is, he def needs lots of sleep, & sleep does breed sleep in his case.