How much your kid sleeps has nothing to do with their development. I have a profoundly gifted kid who sleeps so much I call him sleepyboy as a nickname. |
We put our 2.5 yo to bed around 8-8:30 so she will keep her 2 hour nap. |
If you want to keep the nap, do bedtime 8-9. When my kids start going to bed 9ish, I know i need to drop the nap. Then they’re back to 7 bedtime, no battle. |
My 3 year old’s bedtime is 8 but he often chats to himself for a half an hour before he falls asleep. Wakes up 7/730, naps or has quiet time 2-4. He naps about 70% of the time, but the other times just happily talks to himself. |
I have some good sleepers, just how they are, nothing we did to make it so. Both 5.5 yr old and 3 yr old sleep 7-7. 3 yr old naps 1-3, but is showing signs of dropping soon. |
What about transitioning to quiet time? |
OP, do whatever schedule works best for you |
My dd turned 3 in March and she sleeps 7:30pm-7am most nights and naps for 2 hours most days. I think flexibility is key. You never know when a behavior change is a phase and when it’s a new normal so just roll with it day to day but always err on the side of more sleep over less because it’s good for all involved. |
My 3 yo sleeps slightly less than this (13.5 hours, usually). At least for him, the key is making sure he gets lots of physical activity (hard in our row house during covid!). This is a slightly new requirement (he just turned 3). If we don’t really make a point of wearing him out physically, he will wake really early in the morning.
Short version: don’t give up that 2 hour nap yet! |
11 to 13 hours/24 period is average for 3 to 5 year olds. Try 10 to 11 hours at night and keep the 2 hour nap. Try to have nap finished before 3 pm. This works for most kids this age. |