Parents of 3 & 4 year olds...

[cinmell]

what time is your child's bed time and do they fall asleep quickly once they are in bed or does it take forever?

 

[liznboys]

My boys are almost 5 and almost 3. Bedtime is 9pm (bathtime begins at 8:15-8:30, then storytime, then bed). They usually fall asleep pretty quickly once the lights are out. Neither of them takes regular naps anymore, and if they do it keeps them from falling asleep till 9:30 or even 10 sometimes. So naps are a bad thing around here! LOL

Oh and bedtime will move up to 8pm when the clocks change in Oct.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Between 8:30 and 9:00pm, depending on whether or not he had a nap that day. Most nights he goes to bed and falls asleep without too much of a fight.

 

[HappyMommy2]

Hi!

My oldest is 4. He is in bed with lights out at 8:15p.m. and is usually asleep by 8:30 or 8:45. He wakes up at about 7:15a.m. He doesn't take a nap. If we stick to this schedule most days, he seems to be happy and well rested.

HTH

 

[Serena]

When I worked at a daycare, they had this album they used to play, every single naptime. Along with a regular routine. It quickly became a habit to fall asleep.

It never worked for my kids though.

 

[leahannpen]

My DS (3) still needs a nap during the day. He lays in bed with me reading or talking, starting at about 8:30 or 9 and he usually falls asleep with me about 9:30 or 10. DH moves him to his bed when he comes to bed.

When we put him in his own bed to fall asleep, he usually goes to bed about 9 and falls sleep in about a half hour or so.

Some nights it's later than others, depending on what he's done during the day! LOL!

 

[decker96]

DS will be 4 next month. Bedtime is 8:00 during school year, 8:30 or 9 in the summer. This summer he was still napping and would be up until 10 or 11 even though we put him in bed by 9. Once school started (DD7 is in 1st grade), I stopped giving him a nap. He now is falling asleep by 9 or 9:30. He plays in his room until he gets tired and then goes to sleep.

 

[JVL1018]

I have a 3 year old and a 4 yr old(though she will be 5 next month)
Bedtime is 8, 8:30-ish.
I try to start around 7:45 with books, chocolate milk, brushing the teeth, PJs.
I usually let them play quietly in their rooms for 15 minutes or so, which gets taken away the next night if they don't go to bed when it's time to go.
My daughter(older) gets extra playtime(in bed-reading playing with her leappad etc) while we sing to our son, and then she gets songs and then it's lights out.
*Usually* they do okay, come out once or twice to get a drink of water or use the bathroom, but they go right back in most of the time, so I don't mind.
My rule is, lights out by 8:30, you don't have to go to sleep, but you have to stay in bed.
We used to have quite the fight, but consistantce has been key for us!

 

[mickeyboat]

We try to get DD4 and DD5 to bed by 8:00. They usually are alseep by 8:30.

DD5 has not problem going to sleep, even if she takes a nap during the day. DD4 would stay up all night if I would let her. She still really needs a nap most days, but if I give her one she won't go to sleep. She is so funny when she is trying to fall asleep. She will keep moving her fingers and hands, talk and wiggle around. The next second, she is sound asleep. She snores too.

Denae

 

[DarrenSt]

Our 3 year old goes to bed usually about 8 or 8:30 some days she falls right to sleep other days she is awake till 11. Our 7 year old goes to bed at 9 and she usually falls right to sleep

 

[minnieandmickeymouse]

DS 4 goes to bed at 7, DD 6 is next at 7:15 she doesn't fall asleep right away most of the time, but DS 4 does quit often. DS age 8 goes to bed at 8, and DS 2 falls asleep in my arms while I rock him 8:30.

 

[CamColt]

My 4 1/2 yo goes to bed at 8:00pm and he usually crashes within 5-10 minutes. If hes not up by 7:15am I wake him. He doesnt take naps except on occasion on a long car ride. He has alwyas been a great sleeper.
On the other hand when my oldest was that age it was the opposite. He was up bright and early every day and when he went to bed he would talk, sing, whatever for quite a while(still does at 7).

 

[dvcfamily41801]

We usually try to stick to 8:30. At 8pm he gets to watch a 1/2 of TV and then we do the brush teeth, story, prayers and I have to do something "Disney" with him, name 5 characters etc etc. He has gotten much much better. He likes to lay in bed and chit chat watch his fishtank and eventually falls asleep by 9.

 

[KristiKelly]

bath time for both, DS7 & DD4 y/o, is 8:00, dry DD hair, story, then bedtime. DD still takes a nap, about every other day. The days she has a nap, it's usually 9:30-10:00 before she gets to sleep, days without a nap, she's usually asleep by 9:00.

I found that when DS started school, he was ready for bedtime & would be asleep within minutes of going to bed.

 

[LMC]

All of my kids go to bed at 8:00 during the school year. They are 9, 6, and 3 yo. The 3 yo will sometimes get up a few times and we have to be stern w/ him and ocassionally give a spanking but he finally learned that if he didn't want a spanking then he doesn't get up. It was hard for him because he slept w/ us parents for the first 2 years. We worked his way into his bed; I usually slept w/ him for the first couple of months then either DH or I would lay down w/ him till he fell asleep, then FINALLY, he would be put in there on his own and I would check on him about every minute. I would gradually work my way up to checking in on him every few minutes, then 10 minutes, etc until I could just leave him and he will go to sleep (usually).
In the summer they go to bed at 8:30 but definately before 9:00

 

[QueenTrident]

DD goes to bed at 8:00 and is usually asleep by 8:30. She listens to a book on tape as she goes to bed and I rub and massage her for 5 - 10 minutes. Then I kiss and hug her and she's off to la-la land. She has been waking up in the night for about a month or so, but she seems to be doing that less and less this week.

 

[4greatboys]

Evan is 4 and he usually stays up til my dh or I go to bed, probably around 10 or 10:30. He usually falls asleep pretty fast. Our 2 yr old goes to bed at the same time and it takes him a while to go to sleep.

 

[aprilgail2]

My 4 year old usually goes to sleep anytime from 8-11pm, when she gets sleepy she goes to bed. I will put on the TV for her and she will watch cartoons in bed until she falls asleep. Since she started kindergarten though she is falling asleep by 9 on school days, its full day kindergarten then karate after school so she is tired by 9! I couldnt' imagine putting her to bed at 7..I get home from work at 4...we head to Karate soon after that, come home go swimming, get dinner cooked and eat, shower and by then its usually after 8, we knock off her homework then she watches TV.

 

[mom42860]

Guess I am not the norm. but my DD 4 goes to bed 7/7:30 p.m., we do a story in bed and she is asleep by 8. During the school year she is up at 6:30/7 a.m. to take older sibs to school and she does not nap.

 

[mrsgus06]

DD, who will be 3 next month, was never one to be rocked to sleep at night. When she could not talk, she would go to her crib and bang it up against the wall about 6:30 pm. I just plopped her in and she would pass out. Now that she can talk, she may tell you goodnight, but most often she just goes and lays down in her bed and will fall asleep in about 5 minutes. The others, DD, 5, goes to bed at 7:30-8:00 and DD, 7 & DD9 go to bed at 9:00. I really was disappointed youngest did not want to be rocked, I felt cheated in some way. To this day you are lucky to even hold her. But, she is a keeper.