How Long Does It Take Your Child to Fall Asleep?

If she is happy don't worry. I used to love listening to my guys at that age when they would sing songs, and talk to themselves. It was like they were practicing everything they had learned that day. It was how they liked to unwind, and it worked for them. If she isn't tired the next day, then she is getting the sleep she needs.

It has always taken my daughter a long time to fall asleep. She is almost 7 and will still lay there for up to an hour. She often finds excuses to get up too which is annoying. My son is 4 and has always fallen asleep quickly like in 5 minutes or less sometimes. He stopped napping at 3 1/2 but even then he fell asleep quickly. I think it is the way some kids are wired.

Don't worry, she's not upset. Some people simply take longer to fall asleep, and all of us sometimes take longer to fall asleep. Does it sometimes take you awhile to fall asleep?

My time in bed before falling asleep is the only alone time I get. Sometimes I read for a long time, even though I need the sleep, because I'm savoring that time. Perhaps your daughter is a bit of an introvert and just really appreciates some alone time.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if she isn't complaining, don't worry.

My son is much older (5) and some nights, he's up for another 30-45 minutes looking at books after we say goodnight.

Don't feel bad that it takes her a while to fall asleep. If she's being quiet and playing in her crib, she might just need the downtime by herself to relax and unwind. This is common, so please-- unless she's fussing, don't feel badly. It sounds like she's doing what she needs to do!

My 7 year old falls asleep within 10 minutes most nights. My 4 year old takes anywhere from 10 minutes to 1.5 hours. She drives me crazy! Lol!

My 5 year old daughter usually falls asleep in 5 minutes or less, and she has been this way for sure since she was 2. It takes my son a little bit longer, but he is usually out within 10 minutes, and he is almost 2.

My 3 year old son takes anywhere from 15-40 minutes : )
I feel your pain : )

Mine takes 20 minutes now, it was an hour for a while, but I also shortened his nap.

For a long time he went through phases where the took 45 minutes to fall asleep and then he would go back to 20 minutes. Sometimes kids have a lot to process before settling down. But now that he is nearing 3.5, and he has spent a few months taking an hour to wind down I felt that he should get a shorter nap. I also found that at age 2, sleeping past 2:30 messed up his nighttime sleep.

He has always been content while settling down, but I just like the idea of him getting a really long stretch of nighttime sleep. And I felt bad, like you do. In addition, I felt like he was more likely to start coming out to "visit" us if he went to bed an hour before he needed sleep.

Don't worry, an hour is fine. She is also happy and not fussing. She is soothing herself and her brain is calmly going into sleep mode. So long as she is content, you should be content that she isn't screaming and demanding you be in the room with her : ) It'll change as she gets older, naps stop and she becomes more active.

My 20 month old falls asleep within 10 minutes.
My 7 year old takes about an hour. (he is in his room dinking around with his toys, his "buddy's", his legos...it infuriates me...>GO TO BED!)
And my 10 year old probably takes about 10 minutes.
L.

Have no idea...we have always had a routine down. My kids know what is expected of them. After bath, brush teeth, and books, it is time for bed. As long as she is happy and staying in bed, I say just let her be. Keep her room pretty dark with few distractions so she is motivated to get bored and sleep.

If she's happy, it should be okay.

However, make sure she gets enough activity and maybe try going to bed at 8:30 instead of 8pm.

Making sure she gets enough activity during the day.

Hi L.,
Many times, kids have difficulty to fall asleep because they are TOO tired, we keep them up late for different reasons (guests, family movies, TV, illness, etc.), and their routine is broken. Another cause, I have learned, is because they are too sedentary. Two opposite causes.
So, for the first problem I would suggest that you keep a simple routine for your child every day, take him to bed after a nice and short bath at the SAME time every day. As for the second one, it would be helpful to take him outside a few minutes to run or walk outside, or do something to make him a bit tired, just simple exercise.
Naps also should be short during the day, and at this age probably it should be just one (it varies, but it is the ideal).
My little one,6, had this problem but it happened because of the first reason, so these days he has a routine: supervised short shower, put on pj's , read a short story, pray and fall asleep (he does it immediately now). He goes to the gym 3 times a day, and we go outside as much as we can. Good luck!