Help with 3.5 year old sleep schedule

[Anonymous]

DD wakes up at 6am. She takes a 45 minute nap each day (1:15-2pm, I think — it’s at school). They have longer to nap but that’s all she sleeps. What time should I be putting her down to bed at night? This is a new schedule for her and I’m not sure I’m hitting her ideal bedtime right now.

[Anonymous]

Depends. How many hours of sleep does she typically need in a 24-hour period? What time does she go to bed now?

[Anonymous]

This is OP. I’ve tried putting her to bed any time between 7pm and 8:30. She falls asleep anywhere from immediately to 9:15. That’s why I’m asking. I can’t tell how much she needs at the moment, and I’m wondering what others find that their 3.5 year old needs.

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old is also an early riser. We put her down at 7:30 and she usually plays in bed until 8:30 before falling asleep. She does not sleep during her “nap”, though she will usually lie down for the first 10-20 minutes, so that’s something.

I think she needs more sleep as she clearly show signs of being tired by late afternoon. But we can’t force her to fall asleep, just try to create opportunities for it. We sometimes plan outings in the car or stroller on weekend afternoons, which we know will almost always lead to her passing out, just so she gets a little caught up on her sleep.

I think this is a tough age because there are lots of changes in brain development and it makes it hard for them to relax. My approach is to maintain her schedule best we can and hope she settles a bit in the next year or so. Or she’s just doesn’t need much sleep and she gets used to playing on her own in her room every morning until we get up.

[Anonymous]

My DS who isn't quite 3.5 seems to need about 11 hours a day. I think that's on the lower end, but that's generally what I try to work with.

Try to figure out roughly how many hours your DD likes to sleep, and work from there.

[Anonymous]

My 3.5 year old sleeps 7pm-7am and has for a long time. Sometimes we adjust bedtime one way or the other by 30 minutes depending on how the day went and her mood. She napped daily for 2 hours up until a month ago. Now she takes a nap once, maybe twice a week—but it never impacts bedtime by more than 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

My 3.5 year old sleeps 730pm - 7/715am. No nap.

When my now 6YO was that age, he slept from 830pm - 630am (no nap). He has always needed less sleep.

It varies by child.

[Anonymous]

I'd aim for a 7pm bedtime. Kids have different sleep needs for sure. At 3.5 my first was sleeping 7:30-6:30 with a 2 hour nap; my second, 7pm-8am with no nap.