My son is 3, I get him up at about 630 am for daycare, since I work full time. He is having trouble at naptime, but shows that he IS tired. A friend of mine says that I put him down too early in the evening. But I don't think so...I put him down between 730 and 8 pm and I was told that he needs 11-12 hours of sleep. What are your opinions???????
2006-08-04 07:00:07 · 36 answers · asked by mcnees79 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Your doing nothing wrong. He is getting a perfect amount of sleep at night. Maybe he is just having a hard time falling asleep at daycare? Try bringing something from home that reminds him of bedtime like a blanket or an animal. You sound like a great mom.
2006-08-04 07:04:35 · answer #1 · answered by chlobug26 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Unfortunately I don't think a lot of these people read you entire question because some info they are giving you is a bit odd. But anyway ... all 3 years are different but the "average" is 11-12 hours a night. My son goes to bed around 8:30 every night and wakes up at 7:00 or so. I think you have him on a good schedule. Often at 3-4 years old kids start to give up their naps. I would say I get my son to take a nap about 85% of the time right now, but I can tell he is on his way to giving them up completely. I can go with how my son feels because I stay at home with him so if at 1:00 I can tell there is no way he is going down I can hold off until 1:30-2:00 - it depends on his activity level that morning (I have a daughter 1 1/2 whose routine is everyday at 1:00). At daycare there is a set time for him to sleep and if he is just not feeling it that day he's not going to sleep, especially if he is on his way to saying goodbye to naps all together. Only you know your child and maybe you can get a feel for when he needs a nap on the weekends or maybe no nap at all.
I think the bedtime you have set for him is great considering he needs to get up at 6:30 and I definitely don't think it's to early if you have to wake him up rather than him waking himself up. He would be more likely to not get enough sleep at night rather than too much, he would just wake himself up earlier.
Also about 2 or so months ago my son was only napping maybe 2-3 times a week and that lasted for about two weeks, I really thought I was done for and that he was giving them up at that time but then the next week he went back to taking a nap everyday. So maybe it's just a "phase" he is going though like my son did. I know I given a lot more information than asked for but personal experiences sometimes help.
I would also talk to the daycare workers and find out if there have been any changes - a new child that is noisier at naptime, maybe he's not playing as hard as usual in the morning, etc...
GOOD LUCK !
2006-08-04 07:26:43 · answer #2 · answered by Courtney 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3 and 4 year olds need between 10 and 13 hours of sleep a night, it could be that your son is tired at naptime, but not enough to take a nap. Both of my children stopped taking naps a majority of the time at around 2&1/2. It really depends on your child and how active he is.
2006-08-04 07:49:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
At the age of three, your son needs more sleep than an adult needs. Your bedtimes sound about right. Not only do your bedtimes provide him with the sleep he needs, it gives you a few hours for you each day. As for problems getting him to take a nap, that is a matter of mind-over-matter for the adult. Have him get in his bed and tell him it is naptime. If he fusses about having to take a nap, tell him to read or look at a book or play quietly (stress quietly) in his bed. I strongly suspect he will fall asleep in short order. If he cries or pitches a fit, ignore it. Turn up the TV or stereo so to keep the noise from grating on your nerves. Some people claim that negotiating or reasoning with a child causes problems; I disagree. When you put your son in bed for a nap, tell him you need him to sleep so that you can get some chores done, get dinner ready, take your own nap, etc. Most kids the age of your son respond well to the process of logic. Some may use logic better than some adults may, but that is a topic for anther time. :)
Good luck!
Will D
Enterprise AL
http://www.notagz.com
2006-08-04 07:15:28 · answer #4 · answered by Will D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a 4yr old and take care of a few other kids between 3 and 4. I think it just varies with the child. You may want to try putting him to bed a little later in the evening to see if this helps. Is the daycare situation new to him, or has he been going for awhile? If its new, then it might just take him a bit to get used to the routine. Otherwise, I would try not letting him get quite as much sleep at night. My son doesnt go to bed until about 11pm, then I wake him up at 8am when the other kids get here. And he takes a nap from about 1-1:30pm until about 4pm. Hope this helps.
2006-08-04 07:08:46 · answer #5 · answered by jjclewell 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My daughter gets up between 5 and 5:30 in the mornings, takes a nap at school, and then goes to bed about 8:30. If she goes to bed at 10:00, she still gets up at 5:30. But she's really crabby. My daughter is almost 4. Sounds like you have a good schedule. Might push back bedtime until 8 or 8:15.
2006-08-04 07:03:41 · answer #6 · answered by Tamara C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My 3 year old daughter's pediatrician said 12 hours in a 24 hour period. Meaning if he is only sleeping 10 hours at night then he should be taking a two hour nap. Of course it varies as does everything with regards to kids. But this is a pretty good average.
2006-08-05 19:04:29 · answer #7 · answered by justntime 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think that it is too early to put him to bed considering that he gets up so early. He maybe just fighting naptime because there is so much other things he wants to be doing, but i would still insist that he take a nap during the day. Kids need alot of sleep.
2006-08-04 07:04:51 · answer #8 · answered by sea_sher 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
SOunds like your son is having a hard time adjusting to the fact that he is playing and then he is to take a nap, why don't you suggest that he look at books quitely while the other kids nap. My 3 year old son gets about 10-12 hours depending on the day. He has forgone naps although I know he is sleepy, he fights it, so i choose my battles and tell him TO PLAY quietly for about 1 hour and he does that. Not all kids need naps, sometimes the downtime is enough for them, don't change his schedule unless he is trying to stay awake, maybe he needs more time with you. Goodluck!
2006-08-04 08:25:17 · answer #9 · answered by JOJO 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you are correct 11-12 hours of sleep is required. But at this age some children do not require sleep at nap time, but instead quiet time at nap time.
Move back his bed time to 8 or 8:30 and he may sleep at nap time, but I think any later and if he does not nap he will be sleep deprived.
As long as he is laying quietly at nap time, I say the situation is normal. Or at least as normal as anything a 3 year old does.
2006-08-04 07:15:32 · answer #10 · answered by cmagee74 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mine sleeps 10 hours every night. No naps during the day. He's 3 months shy of 3 years old. Hasn't really napped for about 2 months now.
2006-08-04 07:05:30 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋