Are your kids sleeping more than ever?

[Anonymous]

We had to wake up our 5YO at 9 a.m. because he had a school Zoom thing he didn't want to miss (he slept 12 hours, 9pm-9am). This is the child who only slept 9-10 hours as a baby, dropped the nap at age 2.5 and had never slept for 12 hours before. I do think he's going through a growth spurt but this seems crazy! I know it's common for other kids (his younger brother typically needs 11-12 hours), but not him.

[Anonymous]

No, no mine are not... Still up at the freaking buttcrack of dawn every.damn.day!!

[Anonymous]

A child (of any age) may be sleeping more due to stress or depression. Remember that their routine and sense of "normal" has been turned completely upside down. When a child is unable to express themselves or cope, their bodies literally shut down, resulting in more sleep. Check in with your child, plan some fun activities or distractions, and be gentle during this crazy time.

[Anonymous]

Ours is sleeping less than usual, lying in bed "reading" later and then getting up at the same time as always, plus no daycare nap.

[Anonymous]

Nope, but they are eating more than ever.

[Anonymous]

I WISH! Still getting up early. But she's going to bed at the same time, too. She's always been an early bird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A child (of any age) may be sleeping more due to stress or depression. Remember that their routine and sense of "normal" has been turned completely upside down. When a child is unable to express themselves or cope, their bodies literally shut down, resulting in more sleep. Check in with your child, plan some fun activities or distractions, and be gentle during this crazy time.

OP here and this is a good point! He does well with a routine so we have worked to establish a new one for him. We do a lot of check-ins, have lots of fun activities/distractions going on, and honestly, he seems to be doing okay. He can be a bit of a homebody and I think he's enjoying the extra time as a family. We also have a play structure being installed on Friday, which he's going to be super happy about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, no mine are not... Still up at the freaking buttcrack of dawn every.damn.day!!

This was my 5YO for a long time. We had a lot of 5.a.m. mornings (every day for a while). It seemed like it would never end. After he dropped the nap he started sleeping until 6/615, which felt like heaven. The older he has gotten, the later he sleeps. We try to do lights-out by 8:30, but it's been more like 9 for him lately.

[Anonymous]

Not all. An early riser since birth...is now 10 and sleeping till 645am is a good day.

[Anonymous]

Much less. Everything is off. Won’t sleep at night, has never been a napper, early riser. We are a mess.

[Anonymous]

We've been putting our 4 year old down to bed earlier, around 7pm instead of the usual 8pm. But he still wakes up at 6am.

[Anonymous]

My 4 year old is sleeping like crazy. She slept until 10:15am this weekend. I had to wake her up to make sure she was okay. She had 12 hours of sleep.

[Anonymous]

Yes, mercifully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 4 year old is sleeping like crazy. She slept until 10:15am this weekend. I had to wake her up to make sure she was okay. She had 12 hours of sleep.

Your 4 year old went to bed at 10:15? That’s my bedtime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope, but they are eating more than ever.

yes this.