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Sleep

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Original poster

Toddler nap length

20 replies

hrp2020 · 09/07/2021 13:09

How long do your toddlers nap for? I thought 2 hours was about right for my 16 month old so wake him after that but he cries and cries when woken. He has recently transitioned to one nap. He wakes early in the mornings and is taking a while to settle at night so I thought cutting it at two hours would be the right thing but he is so grizzly when woken (and also in the mornings where he is used to having a nap).

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Original poster

hrp2020 · 09/07/2021 13:10

He also always sits up after an hour of the nap and soon lays back down. So I'm not sure how deep his sleep really is.

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Purple21 · 09/07/2021 13:15

I just let him sleep tbh and adjust bedtime depending how long he's had.

Time does he wake and go to bed?

Original poster

hrp2020 · 09/07/2021 13:18

@Purple21 bedtime is 7pm and we always aim for that. Although quite often he lays in his cot happily for ages sucking his thumb before actually going to sleep. Unsure if he is overtired at this point and therefore needs longer to relax or perhaps not tired enough. Impossible to know. I was quite keen to keep bedtime at 7 as that's what he has always known.

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Findahouse21 · 09/07/2021 13:19

Dd is 18 months and likes as close to 3 hours as she can get. I put her down as soon as possible after lunch, aim for 12:30-12:45 and wake her by 3:15.

Purple21 · 09/07/2021 13:22

If he's happy just lying in his cot then that's fine he's just winding down!

LakeShoreD · 09/07/2021 13:27

Have you tried leaving him to see when he wakes on his own? Mine would be so grumpy if we woke her but left to her own devices she never went much past 2.5 hours with closer to 2 hours being the usual. I understand wanting to be consistent with bedtime so I’d aim to do bed 4 hours after waking from the nap, sometimes that might mean bed at 7, other times it might be closer to 8. I know that may seem inconsistent but for your DS’s perspective it probably makes more sense as he only knows how long it’s been since he woke, not what time it is on a clock!

LakeShoreD · 09/07/2021 13:29

Wind down in the cot is fine though - both of mine do this! If he wasn’t happy to be in bed I’m sure he’d make sure you knew about it.

Original poster

hrp2020 · 09/07/2021 14:09

@Findahouse21 how does your little one then sleep at night? He has been doing 4-5 hours awake before bedtime but sometimes still doesn't settle. Mornings he is awake for hours until his nap as he wakes at 5.30am and then naps at 12.

@LakeShoreD he had 2.5 hours the other day but then took even longer to settle at night. Was wide awake in his cot for 1.5 hours before falling asleep.

Doesn't seem to matter what time he falls asleep at bedtime he always wakes at 5.30am.

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Purple21 · 09/07/2021 14:50

Is it crying at 5:30?
Can you leave him to potter in his cot for abit if he's happy?

Original poster

hrp2020 · 09/07/2021 14:51

Today he fell asleep at 12.10 (after a very grizzly morning) and has just woken up naturally at 14.45 so 2 and a half hours. He has woken happy. My worry is he will take over an hour to go to sleep tonight but we shall see 🤞

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Original poster

hrp2020 · 09/07/2021 14:51

@Purple21 he stays happy in his cot until nearer 7 but then gets grumpy at 8.30am!

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Purple21 · 09/07/2021 14:53

He could probably do with an earlier nap if he's waking 530 and I would normally push bedtime back half hour or so

Findahouse21 · 09/07/2021 19:03

She goes to bed at 7, I feed her to sleep. She usually wakes at 10:30sih and then may wake at1 for a brief feed before sleeping through til 7:30ish

Original poster

hrp2020 · 09/07/2021 19:45

@Purple21 he was having a 30 minute nap at 9 and had started refusing it hence it has been dropped.

Wish I had woken him up after 2 hours today as he is still wide awake in his cot after being put down an hour ago!

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Purple21 · 09/07/2021 20:28

Yeah but by earlier I meant 11, doesn't have to be early morning.
If he's not crying just leave him, if he was unhappy he'd let you know.

Original poster

hrp2020 · 10/07/2021 08:52

@Purple21 oh I see. 11am he is normally ok as that's when we have lunch before putting him down at 12. It's the fact he is non stop grizzly/crying from 8am which is the problem! It's making me quite upset as literally nothing makes him happy.

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Scubalubs87 · 14/07/2021 07:55

My son used to rise early at that age. He always napped around 11ish as he just couldn't make it any longer - he fell asleep in his lunch a few times at nursery when they tried to keep him up. He slept got roughly 2.5 - 3 hours and has always been grumpy if woken but fine if left to wake up naturally. I just used to give him a decent mid morning snack and lunch when he woke up.

Caspianberg · 14/07/2021 08:01

I just wake mine by 4pm if still asleep. I aim for roughly 1-3pm napping, but sometimes it’s delayed or he fell asleep late morning in car so then if he falls asleep at 3pm I wake at 4pm

Bedtime is around 8pm

Pissinthepottyplease · 14/07/2021 08:04

Is there a particular reason for a 7 o’clock bed time? In my experience that’s to early for a child who still naps.

Original poster

hrp2020 · 17/07/2021 15:54

Quite honestly it's become even more disastrous. Only 20 mins nap all day on Thursday when we drove to my in laws. Therefore early nights and even earlier wake ups! Today only 30 minute nap at 9am as he was so tired after waking at 5am and refused a nap all afternoon! Bedtime will be interesting....! I now know why I have moved to one nap.

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