My daughter, who will be 3 in a few months, sleeps an INSANE amount!!! Most nights she goes to bed between 8 and 9pm, won't even stir in the nights, just plain passes out lol, and then won't wake up until 11am the next day!! PLUS she takes a nap most days, usually from 2pm - 5pm. She's pretty consistent however there are days that we are out doing things so she misses her nap. I know that this isn't normal for a toddler to sleep so much, but my question is... is it abnormal enough to think that there is something wrong? She's the healthiest kid I've ever seen otherwise! She's only been really sick once in her entire life with a double ear infection and a high fever. Other than the one time, she's had only a couple minor colds. When she is awake during the day, she doesn't act tired, in fact you'd never know she were tired. She gets a little delirious when she gets sleepy, but she won't just come out and tell you "I want to go to bed." What do you other moms think? I have an infant also that is NOT a good sleeper, so I will admit, I am sure thankful for the mornings when I've had a bad night with my son, that I don't have to get up early with my daughter. Also, my daughter will be starting a morning preschool in a few months, so I'm a little nervous about that needless to say.
If this is normal for her, then I wouldn't worry. If all of a sudden she is sleeping more, then I would worry.
My son was similar except he refused to nap by 30 months. Still sleeps long hours at night even at age 7. One thing to consider. Morning preschool may not be a good match for her sleep cycle. Our society screws up people's natural sleep cycles so much, but we tried to keep our son's as intact for as long as possible. We put him in afternoon preschool and then chose an elementary school that started as late as possible (9:30am). It made the transition to school much smoother. If it isn't too late you might want to consider that.
I wish my daughter (same age) would sleep like that!! I used to babysit a little girl who would sleep for 4-5 hours over here. Her parents said that she just sleeps and the doctor said there's nothing wrong with it. Some kids are just sleepers!
Your daughter sounds just like my son to a tee, minus the naps! My son has never been sick either and sleeps a lot and on very rare occasions does he act tired. In fact, he can be super hyper even while in bed and as soon as his head hits his pillow, he's out all night and rarely stirs. I think it is pretty normal and I wouldn't worry. My son plays pretty hard during the day and needs a lot of sleep, I'm guessing, same is true for your daughter too.
my son would sleep 9 to 9 and then take a 3 or 4 hour nap during the day.. sometimes more... and in the car he would fall asleep... he is now 14 in high school.. and still needs 9 or 10 hours sleep... otherwise he is a bear.. my daughter can sleep 4 hours and still is very pleasant.. it's just the child.. don't worry..
If this is her routine and not something that just popped up and she is completely healthy otherwise, I say "what's normal anyway? Just a tool to drive us moms out of our minds with worry!". I understand it may be frusterating, as my second was that kind of sleeper (18 hours/24 consistantly for a LONG time), when you want to do things, but ride it out. When preschool starts and she starts NOT sleeping well, you'll wish these days were back. LOL!
Some kids do sleep more... my daughter at age 3 would sleep from 8pm-8am and then nap from 2pm-5pm. She your daughter is getting a few more hours but I would not think something is wrong unless you think there are other symptoms. Some people, both kids and adults, are NOT morning people (I am on of them) and can easily sleep till 10am without a problem (sometimes even in a better mood if I get to sleep in that late).
Maybe try to switch her sleep schedule a month or so before she starts preschool so she has time to adjust. Guessing it is more of a wake up issue for when preschool starts, slowly start switching the schedule and you might find to wake her up in time in a some what decent mood her bed time might need to be earlier like 7:30pm/8pm at the latest. If she is a good sleeper and excited about school morethenlikely it will not be a problem (my daughter will wake up grumpy and then I say it is a school day and she smiles and is in a good mood).
If it really concerns you talk it over with her pediatrician but if she is a healthy child it could be that she is just a really good sleeper :)
my sister was and still is an expert sleeper. i think some kids just need more sleep, and it will probably be something that is a trait for the rest of her life.
my sister however, knows she most likely has sleep problems. she always had to sleep with her head way back, and she snores a lot.
ask your doctor about sleep studies or something, or ask him what to listen/look for while she is sleeping. if you ever hear her stop breathing for a minute during sleep, it could be sleep apnea.
otherwise, shes getting the rest that she personally needs, and just keep making sure you can do your best to keep her on schedule. the thing with sleep is that its not about getting 8 hrs, its about getting the sleep you need until you wake up on your own. this applies for adults too.
anyway. i wouldnt worry, but check with your doctor to see if they think there is a study or something you can do to make sure its not sleep apnea or something similar.
Have you discussed it with her pediatrician?
If everything else is okay, and there is no medical reason for it, and you are planning to start morning preschool in a few months, maybe try waking her up a little earlier each morning, keep everything the same, and see how she does. She sounds a lot like my daughter (in bed between 8 and 9, 3 hour afternoon nap, hardly ever sick) except there was a time when she was up in the morning between 8 and 9 and since the start of summer she's been getting up around 6:30 or 7. You can also try getting her to bed closer to 7 pm. Every kid is different and some just need more sleep than others.
If it's any comfort, all the sleep could be what is helping her immune system right now. And some kids that don't get enough sleep at night are more at risk for obesity later on.
Sounds like an awful lot, but if you aren't worried, then I wouldn't try to change it. If you want her to get up earlier for preschool, I suggest waking her up earlier. You may also want to put her down earlier - like at 7am and wake her up at 9am. Then eventually wake her up earlier. I would feel the same as you and be worried that she is sleeping too much. My daughter sleeps from 8pm-630am and then for about an hour or two during the day. But she's never been a 'great' sleeper, so I can't compare her to your daughter.
I would at least run it by your doctor. If she was sleeping 12 hours at night and napping 2, that would seem normal to me...but my kids are NOT sleepers...and the fact that she's only awake 6-7 hours a day seems REALLY not much. My soon-to-be three is going to bed at 9, waking at 6, and taking a one hour nap...which may not technically be enough sleep, but we absolutely cannot get him to sleep more! Anyway, it seems she should be awake a little more of the day, but if she's healthy, perhaps that's just the way she's wired!
Our pediatrician says that little kids need 12-15 hours of sleep a day, at the very least. There was also an article about how important sleep is to the brain development of children. You may want to run it by your pediatrician but I am almost certain they will say she's fine!
Seriously, I would LOVE it if my toddler would sleep like that! Sounds like you have it made. If it isn't broke, don't fix it :)
You are saying that she is only up for 6 or 7 hours in a 24 hour day?? To be honest, I have never heard of a three year old sleeping that much. Have you talked to your doctor about this??
