4 year old sleeping habits?

[MiMo]

Hi All,

Im no sure if this is the right place for this but Im after some advice/comments.
Our lovely DD is 4 in December and we are concerned she is not getting enough sleep. She wakes about 5:30AM and we put her to bed at 7PM, some days she has a sleep in the middle of the day, other days she just has quiet time in her room. The problem is at night - she is still awake until 8:30PM some nights its even later. She stays in her room but we can hear her talking or singing away. She is a happy munchkin.... mostly.

What do you think? Any ideas on how we can get her to sleep earlier?

[Charlyfrog]

Our DD's are similar age and her wake up time is probably 6.30 - 7am-ish. She doesn't have an afternoon sleep, only quiet time - although occasionally she'll crash while having quiet time, lol, but I tend to not let her sleep longer than half and hour otherwise she too is still awake and chattering anywhere up until 9pm! So without a sleep, she is in bed approx 7pm but will chat and sing til 7.30-8pm and then crash.

I'm thinking with how early your little one is awake, plus an arvo sleep - depending on how long, I think she is ok. If our DD seems overly tired, we will insist on a nap as well and still stick to her normal bed time.....this allows for her "winding down time" lol.

Not sure if I've been very helpful, but I think you'll be able to tell if she needs more sleep if she becomes less happy and more cranky iykwim?? What your DD is doing is similar to mine and my DD is like an ever ready battery!! Just keeps going and going and going and going......

[Lulu]

I'd say she is getting plenty of sleep, most 4 yr olds have long dropped a daytime nap. Even if she is talking to herself in her bed, she is drifting off to sleep when she is ready to and thats fine.

It's daylight savings so she is really going to sleep at 7.30 pm anyway - nothing to worry about!

[~Trish~]

My DS just turned 4 and he dropped his day naps over 6 months ago. Before he dropped his day nap we would put him to bed at 7:30pm and he would sing and chant sometimes for over and hour and a half! Once I dropped his nap he would fall asleep really quickly and rarely makes any noise now. He now goes down between 7:30-8pm and sleeps until 7 - 8am.

If your DD is happy, I wouldn't be too worried! They are all so different.

[christy]

ah but Lulu in QLD there isn't Daylight savings

When we lived up in QLD, Matilda would go to bed at 7.30pm and wake around 5.30am, she generally didn't sleep during the day but had a rest for an hour of laying down time. If she slept during the day she was awake until 8.30-9pm.

Now in Sydney, she goes to bed at 7.30pm and wakes at 6.30am and doesn't sleep at all during the day. So she sleeps longer in the morning, but generally its because its still dark in the morning & the birds aren't waking her up