How much sleep should my 4 1/2 year old boy get? I dont think he is getting enough. In the winter during school he would go to bed about 7:30 and wake up at 7, and no naps. That worked well for him. Summer is really messing him up! He is having a hard time going to bed while it is still light, so he has been going to bed around 9 and then I think he pretty much wakes up with the sun around 6 or 6:30 I guess (he is really good about entertaining himself in his room if we are not up yet). I have tried to get him to nap during the day for the summer to try and make up some of the sleep, long story short, it's not going to happen. Think he is getting enough?
Invest in room darkening curtains. I have them in my kid's rooms and they help tons. I got them when my now 4 year old was a baby because he was starting to get up with the sun. He now sleeps 8:30- 8, no naps. Target has some really cute ones or you could probably find some online too.
My 4 y/o sleeps 11-12 per day.
If he sleeps 10 hours or less at night he naps (this usually only happens the 3 days a week he goes to childcare). When he sleeps 11-12 hours at night he does fine during the day and does not have to nap.
He is grouchy and short-fused when tired so we try to make sure he gets his sleep!
If they don't need the sleep there isn't much you can do to "make" them sleep other than giving them drugs to knock them out.
Yes, kids need a lot of sleep. Most don't get it.
I think it is very cruel to put a kid in bed when everyone else in the neighborhood is outside playing, running around having fun. It is silly to put kids to bed when the sun is still up outside.
Let him stay up, it's summer. Once school starts the days are shorter and it's easier to get them to bed and up on time. He may even fall asleep in the car on some days if you are out running errands. But he will most likely not be sleeping as much as he was at the end of Spring.
9pm to 7am is 10 hours so if he is in bed around 9pm his is getting enough.
At this age the average is between 10 and 12 depending on the child...
My 4 1/2 year old goes to bed at 8:30. I have very heavy drapes in her room to get it as dark as possible...
Our routine has about 1/2 hour of stories in her room, door shut, with the light gradually dimmed. She is usally asleep within 10 minutes... The key is the dark room though. If it is day light and she see daylight she does not want to go to sleep :( no matter how tired she is.
Good luck!
So he's getting about 9 to 9.5 hours of sleep right now? Here's a handy chart that shows the average sleep that each age requires. Total sleep needed for a 4 year old is noted at 11-12 hours.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-chil...
Why do you feel he is not getting enough sleep? If he isn't having tired meltdowns in the afternoon, and seems to have enough energy during the day, then he is getting enough sleep. Everybody is different. He is getting 9 1/2 hours, which I'm sure you'll find well within the normal range. My boys go to bed at 10:00pm and get up at 8:00am, and have done so since they were toddlers. They both stopped napping at around 2 and don't show signs of being overtired. Would you want to go to bed at 7:30pm in the summer time, while the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and other children are still outside playing?
Tons of places have it on the web, or you could click on the blue underlined "sleep" in your question, or just search MP.
Get black out curtains~ That's what we have in my 5.5 year old's room. Also, when it would "normally" be getting dark, I close all my blinds so it starts having the mind "think" it's nighttime :)
My son is 5.
He gets about 10-11 hours of sleep.
And if/when he is tired during the day, he does nap.
No battles.
On days my son is tired but does not nap, he goes to bed earlier.
No battles.
He also knows himself and when he is just plum tired, he will tell me "Mommy I want to go to bed already."
Whether or not it is still lighted out.
My son is a grumpy Troll when he is tired or over tired.
