What is a "typical" sleep pattern for a 4 1/2 yr old? Does he still need naps? If so, how long?

Question

My 4 1/2 year old is really struggling with sleep lately. He can't seem to make it through the day without a nap, so I let him take one. Then, he wants to sleep too long, like 3 hours. Of course, then he wants to stay up late at night.

When I wake him up from his nap sooner he is super crabby and tired the rest of the day. Other days, he fights taking a nap at all, then he's really tired at night (and crabby too). His preschool teacher has mentioned that he is often tired or drowsy at school.

What is an appropriate amount of sleep for his age?

Please help! I don't know what to do.

Thanks,
Becky

Answer 1

my son is 3.5 and does not have a nap anymore.....i put him to bed at 8pm and thats it.......he should be having 12hours sleep....is his diet good....you may want to consider a multi vitamin......or could be going through another growth spurt....

Answer 2

This is going to be different for every child. My son stopped taking naps before his first birthday, because if I gave him one, he'd surely be up til midnight. If I didn't give him one, he was in bed by 8:30 and slept all night. He'd run full-tilt all day long, and by the time bedtime came around, he was exhausted and ready to crash.

I would think, at 4 1/2 years old, he probably doesn't NEED a nap anymore. Instead, if you're able, lay down with him for about 30 minutes and have quiet time where you read to him or color but don't let him sleep...just let him wind down for a bit. If he DOES take a nap, make it a short one (no more than an hour at the very latest), and have it be early enough in the afternoon that he won't be supercharged right before it's bedtime.

At night, at his age, he really should be going to bed around 8pm, especially if he's in school. Put on his jammies, give him something to drink, let him to go the bathroom, tuck him in and say goodnight. Then leave. Don't linger or let him stall. Once he's in bed at a regular time every night and knows what to expect, he should be sleeping all night and waking up refreshed for school.

Sometimes you might just have to put up with him being crabby, and let him know that certain behavior will result in him being sent to bed.

He could also be going through a growth spurt, which would throw him off balance. See if he's eating more than usual.

Answer 3

I think usually by 4 1/2 they don't want or need to have a nap. Although occasionally if it has been super busy then they may need one or if they get sick. 1st make sure that you have a day when he doesn't take a nap then get him into bed at 8 and see what time he goes to sleep and what time he wakes up. He should sleep b//w 11 and 12 hours. Try to always keep the same bedtime and wake up time even on weekends. Once he adjusts to the schedule it will be much easier. If still tired during the day check his eating habit and add a multi vitamin.

Answer 4

By that age my son did not have naps as I found he did not sleep well at night if he did ,then if he did not sleep well a t night he was tired and cranky through out the day and needed a nap. It was a horrible cycle so what we started to do was instead have A one hour "quiet time" where he could read, watch t.v ,or just listen to quiet music. That way he still got to rest without effecting his sleep at night.It took a few days to get everything sorted out but in the end this worked well for us. Hope this helps you some.

Answer 5

Hi Becky,

I have a daughter who is 4 years old. She wakes up in the morning around 6 or 7 and then around 12:30 or 1 she takes a nap for a couple of hours I try not to let her sleep any longer than that and then she goes to bed around 8. Sometimes she doesn't want to take a nap but then she is grumpy the rest of the day. Most of the time however I don't even have to tell her it is naptime she just goes and climbs into bed. Sometimes (not very often) I even just let her lay in bed and watch one of her movies as long as she stays in bed and is quiet for awhile that helps to.

Heather

Answer 6

I have a four year old too. He fights sleep as well. Some days he will lay down and take a nap and then other days he will make it super difficult and not take one. Then of course I put him to bed early. I lay him down every day cause he still needs a nap but only let him lay in there for an hour or so. If he doesnt go to sleep I will let him get up, but then its an early bed time. If he does sleep I will only let him sleep an hour or so and go to bed at the normal time. I know its hard but its normal. He might just be transitioning as well. You never know. His body might be trying to not take a nap anymore.

Answer 7

i have a 4 year old and i teach a 4 year old pre k class. i believe the key to the sleep problem is routine. find out what works for you and your child and do it each day. most 4 year olds that go to school do need a nap during the day. fighting sleep at 4 is very common too.

i would suggest that you get up at a reasonable time everyday, have lunch and then a quiet time from 12:30 till 2:00 or 2:30. get up, have a snack then normal dinner, bath, bed around 8:30 or 9:00.

good luck.

Answer 8

maybe hes being fed too many sugar products
i would advise reading the nutrition labels for any:

fructose, glucose, dextrose, maltrose, corn syrup,
partially hydrogenated corn syrup, honey, sugar,
brown sugar or artificial flavors

these things give temporary energy and then drains
more energy than it gave, it is reccommended for all
ages to have at least 8 1/2 hours of sleep but, at his
age probably 11-12 hours and 1-2 naps during the day
although i have a 4 year old niece that can go without
a nap all day, of course shes tired by the end of the
day since she doesnt like naps but because shes
happily worn out she sleeps through the night, so try
to get your son on a healthy diet, remove any night-
time distractions, get him to try to go without a nap all
day, make sure he uses the bathroom before bed and see
if hes having any restless issues because of nightmares.

If the problems occur even after these steps contact
your pediatrician immediately.

Answer 9

It just depends on the child. My daughter stopped taking naps around that time, but we always had quiet time during the day. I would put a movie in and she had to lay down. If she fell asleep, that was fine, but i would wake her up at the end, if she stayed awake then at least she let her body rest for a while. I don't know how correct this sort of parenting is with all the anti TV people out there now, but it worked.
Just a suggestion

Answer 10

My four year old sometimes takes naps, and sometimes he just has quiet time. They say that children this age need like 13-15 hours of sleep. Yeah right!! If my son seems to be sleeping for to long I open his door, and do stuff in his room, so that he kinda wakes up on his own, this way he tends to not be in such a bad mood. I have just moved his bed time (gradually), from 9pm to 8pm, so he can get more sleep. It's worked out pretty well. Good Luck!!

Answer 11

first off, i have a friend who is in the medical profession and her specialty is children...listen up-you DO NOT want to wake your child from sleep. your chile needs approx. 12 hours of sleep. i also have a 31/2 year old. i put him down somewhere between 7-7:30 at night. he wakes up at about 7a.m. then his naps are about 12-12:30. i let him sleep until he wakes. when he is going through growth spurts, he will sleep up to 31/2 hours. i know this sounds like a lot, but if you consult your doctor or do research, you will find data to back this up. it is important that you child gets excercise, running, riding their bike, going to the park, taking a walk, anything, at some point before their nap and preferably before bedtime. they need to get out all that extra energy.
also, know that t.v. is a stimulant, which means that if you let your child watch it all day, they are going to be wired. that is why you might have problems before nap/bedtime. do not leave the t.v. on if you have one in their room-which you really shouldn't because it is hard for them to reach r.e.m. sleep with a distraction like t.v. or even a light. try to ween your child off of night lights or sleeping with a regular light.
keep their bedtime the same, do not give them drinks an hour or so before bedtime, becuase it will disturbe their sleeping pattern if they have to get up and pee. have them pee/poo, brush their teeth, change into their p.j.s and then read or sing to them before bed. keep the same ritual and eventually they will fall into that pattern too. keep the time within a half an hour.
if my son still has problems going to bed, then i tell him that he has to get rest so that he will have the energy to do fun stuff the next day, but if he doesn't sleep, then we can't do any of that fun stuff. good luck , it is hard and may take a couple weeks, but it will great when it pays off....:)