3 Hours Nap

I wouldnt wake him, My son took 2-3 hr naps until he was 3.5, It did not matter if i woke him early from his nap, he still went to bed at same time. Was more cranky if i woke him.

My daughter (1 1/2)naps for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, her doctor says that they'll sleep as much as they need just as they'll eat when/if they're hungry. (We had issues with her not eating too!) I believe that now, because if I have to wake her, she is not a happy girl!

I would not let him sleep for 3 hours although nice for you but he needs to develop a schedule. When they go to bed at 11 PM they most likely will sleep until 9 or 10 AM. If he were to go to bed say 8 PM he would probably get up around 7 or 8 AM need a nap around 12 or 1 pm then would be ready for bed at 8 PM. Of course there will always be days when the schedule won't work will need to be fluctuated. Besides that it gives you and your husband or boyfriend or signifcant other some quality time too. I have raised 4 children. They now range in age from 25 to 33 years.

If these hours work for you and both of you get enough sleep I think that they're OK. Each one of us are different including when we like to sleep. When it's closer to school attendance you'll want to get him on a more usual schedule and if that means waking him up from a nap and putting him to bed around 7 he'll slowly get on that schedule.

Some parents prefer for their children to be in bed around 7 or 8 so that they have some adult time and time to themselves. If you'd like him to go to bed earler then do wake him up from the nap and start an earlier bed time routine.

I think a 2-3 hour nap sounds very healthy for a 2 year old.
1) Perhaps you could give him his nap earlier in the day, and then he would be willing to go to bed at night earlier. 2) Or if you just insist that 8 p.m. is bedtime and he needs to stay in bed no matter what, then he will accept that that is his bedtime, and will go to bed earlier. He may be staying up later because you allow it. 3) Or if it works with your schedule for him to stay up that late, there's no rule that children have to go to bed at 8.
At that age, both my children slept 12 hours at night AND took a nap. But I was very strict about making them stay in their beds, so they didn't have other distractions to keep them awake. Quality sleep is very important for keeping children from getting sick and allowing their brains to develop, etc.

I wish my kid would take a 3 hour nap during the day! I might actually get something done, even if she stayed up late! Is the late night an issue for you? I wouldn't change a thing if it isn't.Sometimes kids do this so they can spend more "quality" time with parents. How smart!

I would wake him after 2 hours. 1 hour will just make him crabby. 2 hours should make him refreshed but not keep him up as late. besides look at what you can get done in 2 hours versus 1!

M.

When are you putting him down for a nap?

My rule is up by 4PM ... so if he needs 3 hours, maybe he's actually tired earlier than when you are putting him down.

If you're putting him down at 2pm, and he's sleeping until 5pm, then maybe putting him down at 1pm means he'll be up by 3:30 or so...that should help.

Or, if he needs 3 hours, he needs 3 hours. Put him down at 1pm and see if that helps? Or if you're already doing 1pm, try 12:30pm, then 12noon...etc.

Hi Kim,

I'm a stay at home mom too and I always wake my kids up after an hour because of that problem. I felt bad at first, however, it really has helped me to get time at night with my husband or with other things like cleaning the house. Now my children are begging me to go to sleep exactly at 8pm or sometimes 7:30pm. My children's ages are 5 and 18 months.

Don't feel bad, it will pay off!!!

We had that same problem with napping when our son was younger. We would wake him up after an hour and it helped, but sometimes we just couldn't wake him. It's a hard call, either you let him sleep and then he'll most likely be happier but be wake later or wake him up and you'll have a cranky child but can be put to bed earlier?? Hard call for sure. Good luck.

Kimberly--
I have a 17 month old who was taking 3 2hour naps a day. He was growing at such a rate that his body needed the nap. However, I needed to get to bed before 11 or so at night. I talked with my doc and then a few girlfriends and this is what I came up with. Children are very smart and they know how to work their parents but they are also very easy to manipulate. A 3 hour nap is not a bad thing, between growth and play time kids are tired. You might want to consider getting him up earlier in the morning and then he will be tired earlier in the day. 3 Hours starting at noon isn't so bad. I also take my little guy out with me on errands earlier in the day so he is really tired when we get home and that helps with nap time too. There are ways to have your son get what he needs as well as you. I feel you should never wake a sleeping child because they sleep long periods for a reason, but it will only take about three days of a new schedule to make it stick. The only part that stinks is you have to be willing to put up with a tantrum here or there (tiredness) and maybe tears when he think he doesn't need to be down for a nap. I have faith because I did it and it worked really well. My son is in bed at 9 and up around 7:30 - 8 and he naps from 12 - 3ish. It is not always so picturesque but it works. I wish you the best of luck.
C. G.