2 year old how long to nap for?

[Lemons8519]

My son turned 2 last month and we've been battling early wakes for months. Today he was up at 4:30am! 😭he is not happy about being awake this early. Usually it is more like 5-5:30am but again he isn't happy and won't go back to sleep.
The sleep guide I follow says he should be napping for 1.5 hrs between 12:30 - 2pm even with the early waking. I really do feel that he is massively overtired from all this early waking so a 1.5hr nap at this time just isn't going to cut it.
How long do your toddlers nap for and how do they do overnight ?

Mine had a 3 hour nap at that age. It was bloody lovely!

My little girl is 28 months, at nursery she naps from 11.30/12 for around 1-2 hours. At the weekends, I put her down 1-3.

She goes to bed around 7.30, sometimes 8 at the weekends. She only started sleeping through the night at 20 months 😑
She missed her nap yesterday so we stuck to our normal routine but she woke up at 2.30 and again at 4.30 so was a bad night for us.

I would trust your instinct. If he's been awake super early, but him down earlier. Then go back to normal bed time etc for the rest of the day.

I don't think my little girl is ready to drop her nap yet as her night sleep is awful when she's overtired. When we stick to her routine she tends to sleep better. We have a blackout blind to help us with early mornings and we change bedding for blankets based on temperature. These are all things that help her sleep for longer. X

I think it’s probably more to do with what time you put them to bed than naps. Mine easily napped for 2 hours or more at that age. What time does he go to bed at night? Is the room dark? I’m awake now myself because the light is streaming in. 4.30 is sun up at the moment. Is it to do with that?

My little girl has just turned two. She naps at about 11.30. She used to have 2 hours but we found bedtime becoming a real battle. So have cut down to 1hr15/30 and that seems to have helped. I can’t imagine keeping her awake any longer in the morning at the moment, she is usually out like a light at 11.30!

my niece at this age used to nap 11-2 and also sleep through the night. I guess they all have different sleep requirements.

Naps are such a balancing act it is so difficult! I would suggest experimenting…try an earlier nap, try a longer nap, try a shorter nap, try a later nap and see what seems to help him sleep through the night.

My girl seems to like to be awake approx 5 hours in the morning and approx 6 hours before bedtime. I’m sure that will all change though! 😅

Also try white noise and blackout. I do really think it helps.

Do you wake him up after 1.5 hours? Just let him sleep as long as he wants and see what happens. Sometimes mine would build up a sleep deficit and be overtired, they would have a really long 3.5 hour nap one day and it would sort of "reset" them to normal sleep patterns.

Unfortunately the question of how long to nap at 2 is not a one size fits all answer. Some have dropped naps completely by that age, others still have 2.5 hours. Following a sleep guide doesn't work, kids don't read the guidebook!

@ChickpeaPie that sounds amazing! Did your little one still do ok at night?

@Pip231018 my gut instinct is that he does need a longer nap whilst he's so overtired, and bed at normal time like you say. I think if he was waking at a decent time he would probably be ok with a nap closer to 1.5 hr

@EV117 he goes to bed around 7pm. He has a blackout blind and blackout curtain but light still comes in around the edges. I may have to spend some money on the ones that are exact made to measure

@Youweremybrotheranakin naps definitely are a balancing act! I find it all quite stressful so in some ways I'll be glad once the nap is gone but I think I'm a long way from there. He's a very active boy always on the go and has always had higher sleep needs to others of the same age. I think I'll try an earlier nap for longer today, see how he does overnight. He used to have white noise but stopped it a while ago. I think I will reintroduce to see if this helps
X

Mine is 26 months, and I'm sorry to say he doesn't nap anymore 😭
If he does, it's only for max 20 mins, otherwise he won't go down at night until about 10. He usually sleeps til 7ish in the morning though, and I'd rather he slept in the morning than during the day.

@DockOTheBay I've been waking him after 1hr45 - 2 hrs. I think I may try what you suggested and let him sleep for how long he wants and see if this resets him like you say.
I started following a guide when he was about 3 months old as his sleep was horrendous and he couldn't self settle. The guide helped a lot with this and he was a much happier baby. I don't feel like it's working for us right now though so think it may be time to ditch!

My DD is 26 months. She usually naps 11-1 and sleeps 7/7:30-6:30/7 at night.

I much prefer her to nap before lunch as it’s easier to get her down at bedtime plus I can let her nap as long as she wants without it impacting bedtime; if she naps after lunch, I have to wake her by 2:30 then she’s moody and still won’t go to sleep until 8:30 and then wakes at 6!