Hi ladies! My husband says i am over thinking this sleep thing but it really has me stressed out. My 2 1/2 little girl is not sleeping well. It has been around 3 weeks into this "phase". This was last night. Bed at 8:30p, she was up when i went to bed after 10pm. She was up for over an hour around 5:30am. She finally fell back asleep and i am letting her sleep and taking her late to preschool. This past summer she was in bed usually right after 9pm. This may sound late but she doesnt fall asleep until bt 930-10 anyway, but at least she would sleep until 8am. If she sleeps 10 hours, from 10p-8a then i'm fine with that. But lately she is up at 6 or 7 and not asleep until closer to 1030p! She does usually take a nap anywhere from 1.5-3hrs long. And it is not unusual for her to be awake a couple times a week at 3,4,or 5am for a little while. But all these things together almost every night for weeks has got me worried. She is a happy well behaved little girl for the most part, aside from normal age appropiate annoyances like picky eating or seeing what she can get away with. I have been on here recently with concerns so sorry if you are reading this again! I have read healthy sleep habits and am struggling with an earlier bedtime because she already sits in her crib for 1-2 hours or more now awake. How can i put her up there even earlier? During this time she is usually playing or singing or talking to herself but last nite she was yelling alot and i had to go in there and remind her to be quiet. Am i worried over nothing? I mean that is not enough sleep for a toddler, right? HELP!
Thank you for all your responses here and in the past reguarding this sleep issue with my toddler. It made sense to cut back on her nap. I just felt bad doing this when she was already loosing so much night sleep. Anyway starting this past monday i put her up for a nap at 1 and made sure she was awake by 3. Whether she slept or not. She fell asleep several nights this week by 930 which i am happy with. She still woke up one night but only for a moment i think. She slept until b/t 7-8am which if fine. Well yesterday my hubby was with her and he said she napped from 1-215 and woke on her own. I am thinking this is good, she will surely fall asleep well tonite. Well she fought bedtime , screaming and pitching a fit. maybe she was over tired but it's so hard to tell. She fell asleep by 10 which was ok. Well she was WIDE awake from 1230am until sometime after 4am!!! I let her fuss off and on for a while. Went in to get her and make sure she was ok. Brought her to my bed which we never do so i could see if she was hurting or breathing funny. She seemed fine and laid there with eyes open for like 45 min before i put her back to bed, took out her crib soother with lights and music and she was still up for a while!! So i took her to the doc today to be sure she didn't have a earache or something. Doc says she if fine. So i don't know what to think but that is not normal!!! Will keep nap time shorter and possibly eliminate it and hope for some solid sleep for her, and me!! My 6 month old is finally sleeping sometimes 11 hours at night but i;m up with my toddler who usually is a good sleeper, grrrrrrrr
Her sleep habits are changing - this happens as they get older - and will change many more times. You may need to adjust the length of her naps. Like all of us, sleep habits change periodically - just adjust nap times/length and bedtimes as you see fit. She will get back into a better sleep groove...
A 3 hr nap is way too long for her age. 1 1/2 to 2 hrs is plenty. Cut back on the length of the nap and she will make up for it at night.
I was going through this too with my almost three year old daughter. I had stopped her nap as she was staying up way too late at night. Then she started waking up & staying up ( often for more than an hour) in the middle of the night. I finally figured out she was over tired and wasn't able to fall back asleep. Now I put her down for a nap & get her up an hour or so after she goes to sleep. Some days she doesn't ever get to sleep, so I put her into bed for the night about a half hour earlier on those days. Seems to be working so far - I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck!
It is a phase... We are going through the same thing with my 2 1/2 yr old baby girl. We are towards the end of it (I hope). She was not wanting to go to bed and then waking in the middle of the night screaming - or waking at 5:00 am saying she was all done sleeping. I would send her downstairs where her daddy was studying for an upcoming test and then she would fall back asleep around 6:30. Her sleep schedule is just off and no sleep yields more no sleep which yields more no sleep- vicious cycle. You are right to go with your gut and know that she is not getting enough sleep for her little body. Melatonin is a naturally produced in the body. It is what keeps the body's sleep regulated. When sleep is interrupted for many nights in a row, the body doesn't produce as much assuming it doesn't need to. It is the reason people suffer from insomnia. You can kick start your body production by taking melatonin and it is perfectly safe for kids. I keep 3mg tablets for my 2nd and 4th grader and 5mg liquid for my 2 and 4 yr. old. My daughter loves the liquid taste as it is a little lemony but not overly so. I give her 1 tsp 30 min before I put her to bed... 7:30. @ 8 we go through our routine and then I put her in bed with a few books and a small light over her bed so she can see to read a little. (We all get sleepy reading in bed). When I go in to check on her she is fast asleep and will stay that way all night! Her body gets good restful sleep and she is refreshed in the morning and her body clock is reset. With a little help you can get her in bed a little earlier without her sitting forever and get her a little great sleep in the process. Good luck!
Children the age of your daughter are recommended 12 to 13 hours of sleep each day. This day is a 24 hour day...not consecutively. Keep in mind that every child is different and that all children will experience changes in sleeping patterns as they grow. If your daughter seems healthy and happy with the sleep she's getting, then I think you have nothing to worry about.
M.,
My son also changed his sleep habits at around this time. I have to admit he was never a great sleeper, but night time did get better when we eliminated the nap. It was awful for mom to let go of the nap, but he was sleepy earlier and slept better through the night. You may just want to try reducing it and making sure that it does not go too late into the afternoon. I know everyone is going to post a lot of stuff about how much sleep a child needs, but we all have different natural rhythyms. If your daughter is getting a 3 hour nap, then 10 hours at night might just be too much for her.
Good luck,
C.
