My Son Talks to Himself for over an Hour After Putting to Bed

I think he is fine. My son did the same thing at night at right around the same age. We used to listen in on his 'conversations' with his stuffed animals - they were hysterical. It lasted for a couple of months and then all of a sudden he was passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Their habits change. I would not cut his naps at all - if he is taking them, he needs them. If he is babbling happily to himself, I would just leave him alone. Maybe just remind him to go to sleep when you tuck him in.

Some kids just take longer to wind down and fall asleep.
Both of my kids talked, sang, hummed, jabbered, giggled.
They weren't crying....I just figured they were talking themselves through the day they had. My son had a little stuffed puppy that he sang to and rocked and covered up with a little blanket to put him nigh-nigh. That was just his thing he did.
Neither of my kids were day nappers although I layed them down for quiet time. Other than the little jabber rituals, they slept great at night....all night.
You can try shortening his nap time, but if he's happy lullabying himself to sleep at night, it's not the worst thing in the world.

Best wishes.

Okay this is funny b/c I've been sitting at my computer listening to my own son (19 mos) babbling for over 30 minutes too! I keep thinking why isn't he asleep??! Honestly, I think it's a phase. It might be that he's napping too long, but I think it may have more to do with it being lighter outside, playing harder, being really really active and then going to bed. He probably just needs some time to wind down and if he isn't crying and your daughter isn't being affected, at least consciously, then I'd let it go. I also agree that you should stop going in there. That obviously isn't working for you and it probably just continues to stimulate him when he sees you, waits for you, whatever.

Personally, I'd wait it out a while and not really mess with his naps. If it doesn't get better in a few weeks, then maybe I'd start waking him up from naps a bit earlier.

He might be thinking he's talking to his sister. You really should consider putting them back in their own rooms, so they can have privacy when they need it. You're going to have to move them back later on anyway,especially since she's already 4 yr. old. Kids need their space just as much as adults. You can always keep theire toys in their own rooms, if you don't want lots of toys in the livingroom. The disruptions on the children is not worth putting them together. She wants him to go to bed the same time as her, because it will interupt her sleep when you bring him up to bed later. If they are in separate rooms, you won't be disturbing her. Another plus to the kids having their own room is that she can have her friends come over and play with her alone. Most older children do not want a little toddler interupting their playtime with their friends. If they share a room/play room, this can not be done. Sleep and private time is very important for a child's physical and mental development. If they were used to sleeping alone, then it's going to take them a long time to adjust to sleeping together.

As the others have said, don't keep going in there. He may have realized that if he "talks", you will come in.

If you feel he needs to be covered with the blanket as he sleeps, wait until he is asleep to cover him again.

You might want to try waking him from his nap about 30 minutes earlier, and see if that helps.

.

Ok, my suggestion is to not go in there to tell him to sleep, he is getting attention from you. He wants that attention. If you give it two or three weeks (takes 21 times to form a habit) and NOT talk to him after you have said "Good Nite" and left the room, I am assured that he will talk for a shorter period of time or that he will stop talking all together.

ooh man....

my son is almost 9 and he's a night owl like his daddy....lays in bed reading and talking to himself....sometimes up until 11PM and they have bed time at 9PM.

Yes, I believe that a 2.5 hour is WAY to long for a 2 year old or for ANY kid for that matter unless they are sick.

At 2, it's great that he is "self-pacifying' himself by talking, etc. but it's affecting his sister....try cutting back on his afternoon nap...do it for at least ONE week and see if that helps....

GOOD LUCK!!

i suggest cutting down the afternoon nap. Maybe wake him up after 1.5 hours and then see if he goes to sleep easier at 7:45. 2.5 hours is a really long nap for his age

Hi L.,
You could try shortening his nap just to see.
If his "babbling" is not keeping your daughter awake, I say, let it be.
But, don't keep going in the room - that may be his impetus to stay awake, knowing that you are coming in to "visit".

Good Luck
God Bless

This sound very similar to my daughter's routine, and she's 3.75 so I would not say he is napping too long, especially given his age. Maybe just too late. My daughter does EXACTLY the same things and always has - babbles to herself before falling asleep. Well, now that she's older, you can actually understand what she is saying but a lot of times it's still nonsense - it's hilarious.

Anyway, I like for her to be asleep by 8:30 but often it's closer to 9 or 9:30. I start stories between 7 & 7:30pm and get her in the bed by 7:30-8 or so then it takes anywhere up until about 9:45 for her to fall asleep. We only go in if she specifically calls for us or to go to the bathroom (which is a frequent request I might add). She sleeps until about 7:15am as well, and then is in for a nap by 12 - and no matter how long it takes her to fall asleep we wake her at 2:30. I figure if I want her to go to sleep by 7:30 (which is in my head what should happen), she needs about 5 hrs of wake time, just like in the AM when she gets up by 7 or 7:30 and is in for nap by 12 or 12:30. She can easily sleep 2.5 hrs during nap time.

So, I agree that you should just let it be, since it doesn't sound like your daughter is really being disturbed by it. She might be tired because she is growing or something other than your son's habits bothering her.

Good luck!

Do you fall asleep the minute your head hits the pillow?
You can't expect children to conk immediately. He has to relax.
Leave it be.
LBC

So, BOTH kids seem, to get lack of sleep... and interrupted sleep.
Now.
Since they are both in the same room.
And now, your Daughter is reliant upon your son, in order for 'her' to sleep.
Because she wants it in the same sequence, from now on.

PREVIOUSLY... to combining them in the same room- they each... had their 'own' sleep patterns and schedules, established.
Now, it is not. Their sleep ability.. has changed and morphed. Into something else and now they both do not seem to get a good sleep.
And now, they both, seem tired. And they Each... have their own needs of sleep and their own ways, of falling asleep.
Which, is not the same as the other kid.
So there is a... conflict there.
They way each child sleeps... is not congruent to the other. And they are at different ages/stages.

Here is a link on how much sleep a child needs:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-chil...

I agree you may have to change your little guy's nap schedule in order to have him sleep earlier. You might also want to try waking him a little earlier in the morning. However, if he is adequately rested in waking hours with good mood and good appetite, I'd suggest you leave it to sort itself out.

What I was struck by was how wonderful it is that he can self-comfort when he is alone. If he is babbling happily to himself, whether at night before sleeping, or in the morning when he first wakes, he must be a pretty contented little guy. While I disagree that this is a bid for attention, I do agree with those that suggest you not go in to shush him. You don't want to trade an ability to spend time alone happily - and relatively quietly - with a new dependence on Mom at sleeptime.

For what it's worth.

D.
www.reading-and-dyslexia.ca

Move the nap earlier and maybe a little shorter too. He's not tired at 7:45 pm.