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3 Year Olds & Bedtiime

roses25roses25 Posts: 567
edited November -1 in Parenting and Life
I am 3 weeks from starting back to work for the fall, and in about a week or two I'd like to get Aiden on a bedtime routine. We've always gone with the flow, but I think he's ready for one now. On the weekends I'd like to continue rest time even if he doesn't want to nap. He probably won't nap for the babysitter. Ideally I'd like to have a few hours by myself before bed. Aiden wakes up about 7 when I work.

*How many hours does/did your 3 year old sleep at night?

*Do/Did they still take a nap?

*What time do/did they go to bed?

*What does/did your bedtime routine consist of?

*How long does/did your bedtime routine take?


Carolyn
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    Shaeley MaeShaeley Mae Posts: 1,731
    edited July 2012
    roses25 wrote:
    I am 3 weeks from starting back to work for the fall, and in about a week or two I'd like to get Aiden on a bedtime routine.

    Why wait ...? Start now.



    *How many hours does/did your 3 year old sleep at night?
    ---- 10

    *Do/Did they still take a nap?
    ---- Yes. 1 1/2 hours

    *What time do/did they go to bed?
    ---- 8:00 (asleep by 8:30 usually, sometimes 9:00)

    *What does/did your bedtime routine consist of?
    ---- brush teeth, go potty, put on pajamas, hug and kiss

    *How long does/did your bedtime routine take?
    ---- 10-15 minutes (depends how tired she is, and how much cooperation I get)
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    ShannyShanny Posts: 2,456
    edited November -1
    I agree to start now if you haven't had anything in place previously and want it running smoothly within a couple of weeks! We're in the middle of transitioning out of naps so things are kind of all over the place for us now. What I would suggest is figuring out his number (the hours sleep he needs in 24 hours) and working backward from the time he needs to be up each day. For example, Kate needs 11-12 hours (this is pretty typical for 3 year olds). She needs to wake up between 6:30-7 for school/work so working backward she needs to be asleep by about 7 pm. This works for us most nights if she doesn't nap because we leave work at 6:30pm and she falls asleep on the way home. If she naps ahe is up later and we end up closer to the 11 hour mark than the 12. Our bedtime routine consists of her getting pajamas on (or just taking of her clothes she sleeps in panties a lot), brushing her teeth and 1-2 stories depending on the time, her beahvior etc. It takes less than 15 minutes if she is cooperative. You'll probably need an extra few minutes for nursing but I tend to think anything longer than 20 minutes at this age and you might be in to some bad habits!
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    ZenZen Posts: 2,942
    edited November -1
    *How many hours does/did your 3 year old sleep at night? 9-10

    *Do/Did they still take a nap? At daycare, yes. At home, no.

    *What time do/did they go to bed? Weekdays 10-10:30. Weekends ... later.

    *What does/did your bedtime routine consist of? After dinner there's bath & TV time. Then story, applesauce, vitamins, brush teeth, water, song, nite-nite!

    *How long does/did your bedtime routine take? Applesauce is the true start of the bedtime routine and from there it's about 20 minutes.
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    friendamyfriendamy Posts: 588
    edited November -1
    I agree - start now! :)



    *How many hours does/did your 3 year old sleep at night? around 9.5 - 10 hours a night. asleep around 9 and up around 7.

    *Do/Did they still take a nap? yes! 1-3 hours a day. he naps better at preschool than at home - so weekends are hit or miss (at age 3).

    *What time do/did they go to bed? we started our routine around 7:45-8:00 and he'd be asleep around 9.

    *What does/did your bedtime routine consist of? jammies around 7:45, then he watches a program or plays quietly (puzzles, etc) till 8:30ish, brush teeth and wash hands/face, in bed around 8:40 to read books for 10ish mins, talk about our day then hugs and kisses and lights out. he usually asleep within about 10-15 mins.

    *How long does/did your bedtime routine take? about an hour. but if we're out late or something, we cut out the program and the routine takes about 30 mins.

    I'd say find a routine that works for you - that you'll be able to maintain with a new baby! :) winding down and having some one on one time with each others undivided attention is important. I love hearing about his day!
    Amy (39)
    DS (7) - d#470
    Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it.

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    em'smomsem'smoms Posts: 1,439
    edited November -1
    I agree with all above- start now. I am sure there are some things you already do every night before bed, so just work from there and incorporate more things into an orderly routine. When E was 3 she was still napping most days and sleeping 7:30-6:30ish.

    She still goes to bed between 7:30-8 and sleeps until 7 but almost never naps (at 4.5yrs). Our bedtime routine is basically the same it has been since she was 3 months old:

    Bath/wash-up
    PJs
    One TV show (sometimes this doesn't happen depending on time and sometimes this happens before the bath)
    Brush teeth
    Read a book/chat
    Song
    Kiss and hug goodnight
    (she has a star projector ladybug that goes on as well as a bedtime CD that she listens to as she falls to sleep)

    So my advice, start now, build on what you already have and then you can always tweak it as he grows. When A was first born and I was alone at bedtime, I would often nurse her while I read to E. Now if I am alone at bedtime, I get A to bed first (she has a bedtime routine already at 4.5mos, while E watches a show) at 7pm and then I can do E's with her and that way they both get my undivided attention at bedtime. Both kids are down by 8 and it is adult TV time!
    -Rebecca (Blessed mom of two beautiful, healthy girls)
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    melmel Posts: 793
    edited November -1
    *How many hours does/did your 3 year old sleep at night? around 11 hours
    *Do/Did they still take a nap? girls nap at school, boy sometimes naps at school, none nap at home
    *What time do/did they go to bed? summer, around 8:30. During the school year, 7:30.
    *What does/did your bedtime routine consist of?
    As we're hanging out at night, the kids are either chatting with us and watching something (this week it's been the Olympics) or we're talking and reading books. I guess the beginning of the bedtime routine is when we put pajamas on, but sometimes we've already read books by that point. The kids know when the first number on the clock is an 8, it is bedtime. (They also know not to wake Mommy up before the clock has an 8 in the morning - ha!) We put on pajamas, brush teeth, get a last drink of water, and they get lip balm once they're in bed. We hug and kiss each one, then they want "touch!" which means we hold a hand. My son asks for extra kisses in his hand, and he stores them in his pillow case in case he needs extra kisses in the night. <3<3<3 We say goodnight and that's that!
    *How long does/did your bedtime routine take? About 10-15 minutes for 3 kids. Super easy!

    I agree that you should start working toward it now, if you need it in place in 3 weeks.
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