Toddler Sleeping Habits

Hey Jellisy

So do toddlers keep themselves awake when they learn new skills?  My 2 year old when we put her to bed (8pm lights out) stays up for hours lately singing, flipping through books, talking to her teddies.  Seriously, I have gone to bed before her twice this last week.  She seems well rested in the morning (she's been falling asleep between 10/11 and waking between 7/8).  Agghh.  At least she is playing happily on her own, this would be a much different post if she was whining and crying. Should I push her to fall asleep earlier, or will she grow out of this.  I think she's been practicing her singing since she is really starting to get a hang of the lyrics of her favourite songs.

Artslvr

My two year old definitely has days/weeks like that. Made worse by the fact that she shares a room with my four year old, and keeps her awake.  I don't do much to "correct" it, I guess I just figure, what am I going to do? 

SoonToBeMrsDTS

Cute I wouldn't worry about it if she's not acting cranky. Both of my kids do this from time to time. You don't want to make it a power struggle.

Does she still nap? DD slept much better at night once she gave up her nap. DS is 2.5 and still needs his, if he misses it he is a cranky monster after 4pm. 

Heather6907

My almost 2 yo DD does this too, though not quite as late.  I put her down at 7:30 and often at 8:30 we can still hear her talking.  In the morning, she talks for sometimes up to an hour too.  When she is ready to get up, she makes it known.  Since she is acting fine, I just figured it was ok...and really cute to listen to. 

Hey Jellisy

SoonToBeMrsDTS:

Cute I wouldn't worry about it if she's not acting cranky. Both of my kids do this from time to time. You don't want to make it a power struggle.

Does she still nap? DD slept much better at night once she gave up her nap. DS is 2.5 and still needs his, if he misses it he is a cranky monster after 4pm. 

Yes, thank goodness she still naps.  Depending on the day it's from 1.5-2.5 hours.  She is a crank monster as well when she misses it.  We recorded her singing last night.  It's really funny.

vtkgirl77

DD does the singing and talking thing too although it usually doesn't last more than 30 minutes. My theory is that just like we need time to wind down before going to sleep, sometimes they do too. Some nights I read for an hour before bed and other nights, I fall asleep after only 10 minutes. I'm assuming that toddlers have similar variations in their patterns. Also, I think it's good for them to have alone time and to reflect on their day. Sometimes I hear DD repeating things she heard during the day and my theory is that she's sort of trying to make sense of what happened and to categorize it in her brain. Of course I'm not a psychologist, but these are just my thoughts. I usually only go in if she's crying or distressed. Occasionally if she's been up for a long time talking and I can tell she's standing up in her crib, I'll go in and lay her down and tell her it's time to sleep. Anyway, I think it's probably fine and that it's good that she can self-soothe and relax in that way.

tracy042206

Artslvr:

My two year old definitely has days/weeks like that. Made worse by the fact that she shares a room with my four year old, and keeps her awake.  I don't do much to "correct" it, I guess I just figure, what am I going to do? 

 

Ditto this (exceopt for the room sharing).  Molly is still going to sleep within an hour of putting her down but Maggie has always been the chatterbox.  Truthfully Maggie never went back to faling asleep quickly (unless she is sick or exhausted).  I just let her read books and play with her stuffed animals until she falls asleep.

vtmezzo

DS does this too, not for that long, but maybe up to an hour. As long as he's not crying, I'm just letting it go. It's good that they can entertain themselves!

We've been waking up on the weekends to him singing Happy Birthday to no one in particular, or him shouting, "NO MO MONKEYS JUMPIN ON DA BED!" Hilarious.