3 yr old - how much sleep?

[LoveCake]

My DC has just turned 3 and sleeps for approx 12 hours per night. 7pm to 7am.

But he seems to be tired a lot of the time, sucking his thumb and lying on the sofa. He also says he feels tired a lot too.

I have tried to bring forward his bed time but regardless of when he goes to bed, 7pm seems to be the time he falls asleep.

My gut feel tells me that 12 hours should be fine for a 3 yr old, and I am worried why he is always so tired...

Please talk to me about your 3 yr olds. Thanks.

When DD was 3 she still had the occasional afternoon nap, esp if she'd been to preschool in the morning. Slept 7-7 at night.

If you're worried about it, may be worth checking iron levels, but some children just need more sleep than others.

Ds2 is nearly 4 now, he sleeps roughly 7-7. But until about 6 months ago he would have a nap mid afternoon for bout an hour. Will your ds nap?

My DD turned 3 a couple of weeks ago and sleeps 7-7. She hasn't had a nap for over a year now except for a couple of times in the car for 10-15 mins. She sometimes seems or says she is tired, but I can generally work out why that might be like at the start and end of term she seems more tired, or after a busy family weekend she seems more tired for a couple of days. I think to myself that there are times I feel tired and just need some quiet time, and it is no different for her, and also she has to learn to deal with it and if she is sitting watching a film or something then it is no bad thing.

Thank you for your quick responses.

He will nap, but I find that if he has, say, a 2 hour nap in the day then he won't go to sleep until 9pm at night, so his body still only wants the 12hours. I could try a shorter 'power' nap maybe...

Quite often he will watch a film or sit quietly doing jigsaws in the afternoon to replace the nap, but that seems to make him more lethargic for the rest of the day. If we stay active, he seems better...

Thanks again.