What does your 2-2.5yo's day look like?

[~Sarah~]

Title pretty much says it.

We have had some wonky sleep and I cut his nap and it got better sort of but he is still sleeping no more than 12.5hrs in 24 and more like 11hrs in 24.  Not enough.  He is normally an avg sleep needs to avg+ a little.

He has all of his teeth in and we are PTing but still have diaper at nap and BT.

TIA
Sarah

[shivi]

We have dropped or almost dropped the nap here due to major singing sessions in the cot till 9.30pm some nights.

Right now Emma is up anywhere around 8/8.30am, brekkie, dress up and playtime.
She goes out for 10am to playground or musical group or smth with childminder,
Lunch at 12
quiet time is 1-2pm, on the couch if a crazier Emma or in the cot if she is willing - only problem is, she falls asleep some days if left alone. If so, she sleeps till 2pm no later. If not, she gets up for more fun, snack at 2pm

She leave the house with the childminder at 4pm, I collect her and then we go get Ozzie from preschool for 4.30pm, play there in their playground, then some more in ours, with a small snack on the way back usually.

We have a big tea around 5.30, bath and bed for 7 on no nap days and more like 8pm when she manages the 30 mins (she goes at the same time, just spends up to 45 mins singing to herself, the darling).

S x

[SammyNik]

My twins just turned 2 and they are quite different in their sleep needs.
F wakes 6.30 naps 1hr 20 mins max around 12.30 and bedtime 7pm but he usually chatters for 20-30 mins before sleeping.

T wakes 7am sleeps 2-2.5hrs around 12 and bedtime 7pm straight to sleep despite his brothers not so quiet chattering

[squeakersmum]

Ben's ideal day is -
Wake - 7.10am
Nap - 12.30/1pm - 2.30pm
Bed - 7.30/8pm

We are having pretty rough bed times at the mommy with me and DH having to return him to bed numerous times, but with his new sister in the picture I figure it's to be expected.

He's also only just starting to get his first 2yo molar so he's super tired come nap time.

[Mum-of-Two]

Well, my guy goes to bed somewhere between 7 and 8 p.m. and wakes up somewhere between 7 and 8 a.m.  Typically 7 a.m. but the random 7:30 or 8 a.m. is dreamy.  During the week we'll wake him to keep him on schedule, during the weekend he wakes himself.  Funny how he never sleeps in on the weekends... .

Nap is usually somewhere around Noon and we wake him at 2 p.m.

I've noticed though, that if he's really well rested he'll skip a nap here or there.  Sometimes once a week.  He will still wake at night and be up randomly, although lately its been because he has to potty (he's not potty training but poop will wake him for hours).

He is also still in his crib.  I have ever expectation that when he gets to his big boy bed we won't sleep again until he's at least 7.  

[~Sarah~]

Thanks so much!

Lately we just can't shake these EW.  When they started he was naturally napping 2-3hrs still so I have cut his nap down to 1.5 hrs so he falls asleep quicker, but he really isn't tacking his sleep onto his day.

He is crying out sometime between 1-4a.m. and getting out of bed.  I go to him and tell him it is still night and to go back to bed, which he does.  Then he wakes at 5-530 and comes to our room and will not go back to his bed.  Sometimes I can get him back to sleep in our bed until 6 or *maybe* 630 (very unlikely)
So our day looks like this

W 545
nap 1200-130
in bed at 7 falls asleep between 715-730

This is a good day.  Today we went to the zoo and he is refusing to nap as his sister is awake (she fell asleep in the car)  I planned on letting him take as long of a nap as he wanted bc last night he did not fall asleep until 845!  (needing to poo and couldn't get it out sooner ggrrrr!!) and he woke at 4 and then up for the day at 544.  It is 100 now and I am going to try to get a nap of some sort in him, just not sure when that will happen.

Thanks girls!

Those of you with the naps, is this their natural sleep rhythm, or do you wake them at that nap time?

[Mum-of-Two]

I have to wake my guy by 2 p.m. or he is up later at bedtime.  I really expect a similar pattern (that you have with your LO) when we move to the big boy bed, dreading it actually.  Have you tried moving his bedtime back an hour for any extended amount of time (more then a day or two)?  That is the only thing I can think of.  The odd night wakings, happen here too.  Usually around poop but not always.  If I really think about it, we're still up once a night to at least resettle him (DH can sometimes resettle, if its me, it becomes a longer wake time).

[SammyNik]

Have you tried a groclock or lights on a timer? We got a groclock for DS1 at about 2yrs 3mo and it really helped with the ews, even if he didn't go back to sleep he wouldn't come out of his room so i could still sleep

With my 2 napping F we wake at 1hr 20 if he goes that long, any longer and he is a total grump all pm until bedtime when he turns hyper and takes forever to fall asleep.

T we leave to wake naturally unless it's getting close to 3pm then we start making lots of noise to hopefully disturb him naturally if that makes sense? He is a total bear if we go into the room to wake him but much better if we disturb him then give him a few mins to wake himself.

[~Sarah~]

T we leave to wake naturally unless it's getting close to 3pm then we start making lots of noise to hopefully disturb him naturally if that makes sense? He is a total bear if we go into the room to wake him but much better if we disturb him then give him a few mins to wake himself.

This is  what we had been doing for Ry.

I also think I am going to get a groclock (or the US version, still trying to find one)

Have you tried moving his bedtime back an hour for any extended amount of time (more then a day or two)?

I have actually tried all sorts of variations with nothing standing out as working better or worse.  Except every few days he only sleeps 9hrs in a 24hr time frame.  I have tried putting him in bed earlier, but that does not seem to make a difference he will just fall asleep at about the same time.  Although it used to be closer to 8 now it is more like 730-745

Up until a month ago he was sleeping 10hr nights and taking a 3hr nap, or an 11hr night and 2hr nap which he was naturally waking from. Things got out of sorts when he was taking forever to fall asleep at night.  I thought it meant I should cut his nap and that was confirmed on a previous thread.   BUT, I keep getting to a point where he is OT again.  Which is today for sure.  On the way home fromt he zoo he so wanted to sleep but would not and right now I can tell he is on a second wind and will not nap.  I will most likely give up on the nap now as it is after 130.  I will have him in bed by 6 which I have had to do before and he drops off like a log.  He has only nap refused twice.  I don't think he needs less sleep in fact I am back to thinking he needs more!

The good news his spirits are pretty good, but I know that most likely won't last.  Good news is I have to be gone at BT tonight so DH will get to deal with`this one!

[Nauvoo]

WOW Niki- I am stunned at the difference in your twins sleep needs.  I've never heard of this but I don't have twins. (I am a twin and have been told we were similar)

DD is 27 months and gets about 12.5hours sleep in 24 hour period.  rarely more and often less.
wake 8am
nap 2-3:30 (I wake her)
bed 8:30pm (takes about 20-30min to fall asleep if I take the time needed to wind her down.  Otherwise it can take 45min-1hr for her to fall asleep)

[Tweakster]

We're just starting capping, he wasn't ready before but hitting 2 meant a huge change I'm his sleep.  He started tacking, fighting bedtime and then fighting nap.  I'd say he can survive on 12 hrs but does much better with 12.5/13.  Right now his nap fluctuates between 1 hr to 1 hr 30.  It's at 1ish.

So looking like:
Awake 6:30/7
Nap 1 - 2:30
Bedtime is based on nap length and cues, typically no earlier than 7:30, no later than 8

We've also had a couple of no nap days that went better than expected but cannot do them consecutively or it's mess.

It's a work in progress :-)

[~Sarah~]

Navoo06 and Wendy- your routines are similar and our kids are pretty much exactly the same age.  This IS the routine that seems to work best; having a 600 or later wake time.  The problem seems to be this 5am thing he has going on and I just am not sure what to do about it.
Growclock it is I guess or light on a timer

[Tweakster]

We've had the Groclock since 15 mths I think it was lol. It does help, give it a go!

I'm pretty sure that F needs more sleep but with this precarious balance between the nap and the bedtime and keeping OT at bay, it's a challenge to even get what we are getting.  I know that earlier bedtime is going to be key to getting through this, for sure any EW or NW these days are totally from OT.

[Mom to M&M]

Sarah - here is something similar to the Gro Clock that my friend uses with her 2.25 year old and LOVES!

http://www.amazon.com/KidSleep-KSCLB-Classic-Blue/dp/B000VVIHPS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305066856&sr=8-2

[~Sarah~]

Thanks Karen!  That is the exact one I was thinking of getting so glad that there is someone who approves for that price

Well, this may bite me in the bottom, but I did get him to fall asleep around 215 (when I took his sister down I told him he had to nap)  In a perfect world, this will allow him to stay up until 8pm which he had been doing and then he slept until 7-8am.  I am *hoping* that this might shake up his body clock a bit and *maybe* he will skip the 5am WU??  A girl can hope!!  Cross your fingers for me if you could please