How long should a 20 month olds daytime nap be?

Question

I have a 20 month old son and he naps daily from about 1:30 til 3:30 or 4:00. I am trying to get him to go to sleep at 9:00pm for the night and he is just not tired. He wakes daily at 8:30am. Can I get some help so that me and my husband can get some more time together. Oh! Now I have a 3 wk old that is also demanding attention.

Answer 1

Most kids this age would go down much earlier in the day. You are the parent; you decide when the nap is going to be. I would put him down at 12:30 instead of 1:30. Even if he doesn't go to sleep right away the first couple days (because he got up at 8:30) do it anyway, and teach him that THIS IS NAPTIME. Wake him up at 3:00 no matter how long he has been asleep. This is necessary to adjust his new cycle of awake/sleep. If you consistently put him down and get him up earlier, he will be more ready to go to bed, he will get up a little earlier, he will be ready for his nap at 12:30, etc etc etc. You can make this work but don't expect him to do it for you.

Answer 2

Try making his nap time earlier.My 15mth old goes to bed at 8 wakes up at 8 & i put him down for his nap around 10-11 & he sleeps until 12:30-1.If he stays up for the rest of the day he goes right to bed at 8.If he takes a nap later on in the afternoon he wants to stay up till 10.Normally unless he is extremely over tired & cranky i keep him up until 8.I know how u feel about getting no time together.I also have a 5yr old & my husband works from 4pm-2am & sleeps during the day.I pretty much feel like i am raising 2 kids by myself.Sometimes i just want a break.But that does'nt happen.My family lives 4hours away,my husband is always working & when he isnt his schedule is full.Good Luck to you & your family.I really hope you can spend well needed time together!!

Answer 3

HAHAHAHAHAHA! I am not laughing AT you, but WITH you! Being a Father of 2 (5 and 4) I can tell you right now that I feel your PAIN! I'll give you the same advice that my Doctor gave me. He said that for the first 2 years, you are on your childs schedule. Don't try and change it or design it around your life. Your life is around their schedule. Eventually they will go to bed, nap and wake up just like you. In the mean time, you at their mercy. My kids were 15 weeks apart and I am just getting back to a normal sleep pattern. It has been 5 years since I have slept like I do now.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

My 2 year old is pretty regular at her sleeping times too. try to slowly get her into a new sleeping pattern that fits your life better. My daughter wakes up between 7:30-8 every day, I put her down for her nap at 12:30, and she wakes between 2 and 3 normally and she goes to bed at 8:30. Is she tired when we put her to bed? No not usually, but we just look at the clock and ask her "do you know what time it is? its bet time". And we usually get a few no's but by the time we put a diaper on and put her in her PJ's she is happy to collect her favorite toys and go to bed. She may talk and babble for a bit, but always goes to sleep by herself. It took a little tweeking here and there to get her on the hours that I wanted which sometimes means I have to wake her if she sleeps too long, but that seems to work for us and she does not fuss at bed time for the most part. So I guess about 2 hours is her average day time nap.

Answer 5

I've had seven children and each one was different, even in sleep patterns. Remember this above all else, EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY. He will change his sleep pattern on his own at some point. If you can't wait, you can wake him up earlier, let him nap only two hours, and he'll be tired earlier. BUT you are at risk for having a cranky child all day, so be prepared with patience, activities, and favorite foods.
Try convincing yourself and your husband that these early childhood years will be hard, but rewarding and short, so you can spend time alone together later.

Answer 6

hey good luck
my daughter is 18 months she still likes her 2 naps and with out them she is real cranky... she rests for about an hr in the morning and another hr in afternoon...she goes to bed around 830 pm(have tried keeping her up till 9 pm but just don't work) and up around 4 am.
all you can do is try to keep to a schedule ...keep his afternoon nap to no more than 1 1/2 hour and do a night time ritual of bath story ect.. you may be able to get him to bed by 9pm that way also try to keep him active during day put the baby in the stroller and take a walk if nice after dinner to tire him out.

Answer 7

Number one 9:00 is too late for a child that age to be going to bed, number two cut out the nap, or at least shorten it, he will be tired before 9:00

Answer 8

A 2 hour nap is sufficient. May I suggest laying him down for his nap at 11:30 or 12:00 instead of 1:30. (It may help at bedtime)

Answer 9

Lucky you -- He wakes at 8:30 in the morning and takes a good long nap. You will miss this later. I heartily endorse Dr. Marc Weissbluth's philosophy and method,which is based on your child's ability to learn. Weissbluth recommends consistent and early bedtimes and putting the child to bed in a drowsy state. If parents allow the baby to pass this critical point, the infant will become irritable and/or overly alert and active. Parents soothe the baby and reduce stimulation as bedtime approaches.

Good luck.

Answer 10

You really need to keep doing what you're doing. That's about how long an almost 2-yr.-old should sleep. And about the 3-wk-old, babies do demand attention.