What time do you put your 2 year olds down for a nap?

My girls usually sleep from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Lately they haven't been falling asleep for a nap until 1:30 or even 2, even though I usually put them down by 12:30. Should I not put them down until 1:30?

 

Mine sometimes take a long time to fall asleep too, but I try to get them down by 1:00. If it's too much later than that, they seem to take even longer to fall asleep. If I get them down by 1:00, they're usually out between 1:30 and 2, and sleep until 3:30 or 4.

At school they have lunch at 11:30 and start going down for nap at 12 -- they sleep from about 12:30 to 2-2:30. I don't like that schedule for weekends, though, because it doesn't leave enough time for morning activities.

Anyway, you could try putting them down later, but my guess is that it's just going to take them a long time to fall asleep, and then your whole schedule will be out of whack. Better to keep putting them down on the early side so they have time to wind down.

Mine sleep from about 8:00p to 7:00a at night as well. (Though recently they haven't been falling asleep till 8:30 or even 9:00! :icon_eek: But we still try to have them in bed by 7:30ish.)

 

At that age ( and even now) I put them to nap at 1. Sometimes Ryan will take a little longer to fall asleep, but for the most part nap is 1-3.

 

Ellie usually naps about 2:00. She's up by 8am and has breakfast. Snack at 10am. Lunch is at 1pm when my oldest gets home from preschool. By 2:00 she's definitely ready and falls asleep easily. Bedtime is anywhere from 7:30-8:30 depending on if I'm home (I work late 2 nights a week) to help get the girls to bed and move things along.

Sara, great name choice....I have a Josephine, too!

 

My two sleep from 7:30p-7:30a. They go down for a nap at 12:15. I have to wake them by 3:15 if they are not up so we can get their big sister from school.

You could try putting them down at 1. It might just take them awhile to wind down and fall asleep.

 

Mine sleep from 7:30pm-8am and go down for a nap at 1pm. DD sleeps until 3:15 and DS ranges from 3:45-4:30.

 

Mine get up at 7am and go down at 12:30, the very latest 1:00. We were letting them sleep as long as they wanted, but we found that if their nap goes longer than 2 hours they didn't sleep well at night. So now we rouse them after 2 hours, unless they are sick, then we just let them sleep as long as they want.

 

My girls get up around 7:30, nap by 12 and then up by 2, in bed by 7:30-8. We cant let them sleep past 2 or their bedtime is completely messed up.

 

Our naptime is usually 1-3 pm. HOWEVER, the last couple of weeks they take FOREVER to go to sleep. Literally over an hour or more...Ian finally fell asleep around 230 one day and another it was Grayson that fell asleep about 300...that day I was going into get them at about 310 and found him asleep. UGH! I HATE that. My goal is for them to rest for a couple of hours, NOT spend the WHOLE afternoon in bed. When they fall asleep late, they aren't waking up until 430-5 which is late IMO. They usually sleep 7pm-730am but since the whole time change and late naps, they may not be in bed until 730 and that's ok i guess. lol.

Good luck. I totally feel your pain!

Alicia

 

Mine wake up early when the big kids get up for school, by 6:30-7am. Nap at 11:30-12 bedtime is 6:30-7pm.

 

My two sleep 8:00pm to 7:30am... nap time here is 1:00. It just works for us, although Chloe has had a few nap strikes...

 

They go down between 2 and 2:30 p.m. and sleep till about 4:30. Now they don't always fall asleep right away, sometimes never. They play and talk and laugh forever. They go to bed at night from 9 p.m. to 8:30/8:45. Bedtime used to be 8 p.m., but dh got a new schedule a few months ago doens't get home until 8 p.m. so wouldn't ever see them otherwise.

 

My girls are also going to sleep for naps later and later. I guess it comes with the age? I used to put them down by 12 but now I put them down by 12:30 or 1pm. Lorien usually passes out fairly quicly but Arwen will have a little party in her crib. There have unfortunately been many days where she hasn't napped AT ALL! I end up taking her out of her crib after an hour or so because then it's getting too late for her to fall asleep and she won't got to bed so I just use the time to hang out with her one on one. This happens probably once or twice a week. She also cut down to one nap months before Lorien so I won't be surprised if she is ready to give up naps all thogether way before her sister. Though I don't totally look forward to that day I love me my sanity break!

 

We are definitely on a schedule. My 5 year old goes to Pre K at 12;15 and the twins go down for their nap when we get home. They have to be up by 2:50 to get the kids from School at 3:05. Sometimes lately they talk or play instead of sleeping right away, but most of the time they go right to sleep.

Cindy