Mamas & Papas-
We put our DS to bed at 8ish, and some nights he is asleep by 8:15, others, 9, others 9:30 or later. He stays in his bed, and talks to himself, or sings songs, or reads the numbers off the clock, etc. It is no trouble for us either way as he is content to stay in bed. My question is, should he be getting more sleep, and is there anything we could do to foster a bed = sleep connection? He wakes between 6:30 and 7 most mornings.
Thanks a bunch,
F. B.
If he's not tired then he can't just close his eyes and be asleep. At least he's staying in bed and entertaining himself!
I would not worry and be happy he can entertain himself with his own quiet time in his room!
My oldest is the same. Actually, 2of3 will also do this. (they're 2.5 and 1)
After everything is said and done - you can only lead a horse to water.
I read books for years as a kid at bedtime. I have no problem, and do, put both my boys to bed with books. And even the occasional iPad.
They don't seem to be damaged in any way. Plus I'm hoping that they get really good at computers so they can help daddy fix ours.
My younger one does this - unless he's really physically wiped out from something out of the ordinary, he needs some time to wind down and he does it on his own. He heads to his room at 8:30, and I turn out lights at 9:00. After that, he needs to stay in his bed but what time he actually falls asleep - I don't worry about it.
I think it's fine.
If it's not broken, don't fix it.
If you've removed all distractions (light, noisy toys, music, TV, etc.), he's just not tired yet. He sounds like he's excellent at winding himself down with your intervention. I'd just ignore it completely and let him go to sleep.
I'd let him be. If he isn't giving you a hard time, let him relax in his room. Maybe he just isn't tired until 930. It's fine :).
My kids are older and we have done this for YEARS. They are 17 (special needs), 14 and 11. They are all showered and in their rooms at 8:30. They don't have to go to sleep, but they have to STAY in their rooms. They will listen to music, read, write, play with toys, whatever, but they stay in there and go to sleep when they are tired. I have never had to fight to get them to sleep, nor have I had to fight to wake them in the mornings. Sometimes they fall asleep right away, other times they are still up at 10:30 when I go to bed and check on all of them, but that is VERY rare. I like it like this because then hubby and I have time to ourselves, which is very nice. =0)
How old is he?
My kids are 6, and are in bed by 7:30, awake between 6:30 - 7. They don't nap. Some nights they fall asleep almost instantly, but usually it takes them about 1/2 hour to fall asleep. There are rare nights when they're awake past 8, but not many.
As long as your son seems happy and healthy, I wouldn't worry about the amount of sleep he's getting. If he's cranky or whiny, though, perhaps it's something to work on.
It sound perfectly fine. My son had a long period (maybe when he was about 3? - hard to remember) when he did this. Now he is 7 and he is asleep within 60 seconds of being tucked in. We used to love to listen to him talk to his stuffed animals or sing to himself.
He's fine, but make sure you are reading to him before bed! It's the best thing you can do for his future education. And as he gets older, read him more complex books.
I am not sure the age of your son, but my kids go to bed at 830 with lights out around 9 or 915, they both usually read a book to help them settle in before lights out to help them fall asleep.
