Sleep for 3 Yr Old

My son just turned 4, he stopped taking naps at about 2 1/2 years. When we started having problems with him sleeping at night I took a step back and looked at what we were feeding him and what his activities were during the day. I noticed I was feeding him too much sugary foods and empty starches that had him wired for the day. Since then he only drinks water(no juice). we began adding more fresh veggies and fruit, less starches and more protein, etc. Also we started getting outside more and going for walks or just playing soccer or something like that. It not only dramatically changed his sleeping habits but his behavior as well. He still doesn't take naps (even now at pre-k) but he would sleep all night.

At Pre-K they were giving him a small cup of jucie at snack and we were fighting him to go to bed around 10-10:30 the first week. The second week I told them to NOT give him juice but water instead, he is now falling asleep on his own at 7:30-8 at night.
I know for some kids juice and sugars don't make a difference, but for some, like my guy, a small cup of juice will keep him up for hours.

Perhaps waking up early and not taking naps is just natural development, he may not need as much sleep anymore. But I know that every toddler mom needs that break in the day badly! If he needs more sleep he'll probably get it on one end or another eventually.

My daughter still naps every day, but I plan to do this when she doesn't need to anymore. I've heard of families setting up a quiet time in bed in place of a nap every day. Set the amount of time that he normally napped (an hour or so I imagine). If he naps, and wakes up early tell him that he can't get up until such and such time. Either set an alarm clock for him, and show him how it works or just let him know that you will come get him when the time is up. If you want you could leave a couple books or quiet activities with him in his bed. Let him know that if he wakes up early he can read/play quietly to himself. If he comes out of the room or talks, calmly send him back and use whatever consequences you normally do in your house. He might be upset or cry at first, but eventually he will get used to the expectations and routine and it'll just be part of the day for all of you.

Well, I may not have really addressed the sleep issue but maybe my suggestion might be helpful.

DARK light blocking curtains. I have heard of some people actually lining the bedrooms of their young children with aluminum foil to block out ALL light.

Sometimes if they're too tired they can't settle down to rest. I would definitely have 'quiet time' every afternoon even if he doesn't fall asleep. Make bedtime the same time every night and stick to a routine. We do the three B's: Bathtime, Book, Bed.

My kids are at the age now - 7 and 4 - where they both want to throw out every excuse in the book to avoid bedtime like 'I'm hungry, I heard a noise, I'm thirsty' etc. but I've started giving them a 20 minute warning. I tell them that if they want a bedtime snack to get it now or wait until breakfast tomorrow.

I hope you get some rest soon!

What time are you putting him to bed?? It's possible he is going to bed too early (to over compensate for not takeing a nap) and then that will cause him to wake up too early in the morning. You might want to make his bed time later and instead of a nap, he can have some quiet time in his bed for say an hour. He can look at books or have a favorite toy (as long as it's quiet) and he stays in his bed for at least 1 hr. 8 out of 10 times they fall asleep within 15mins on their own!! As long as it works with your schedule, between noon and 2pm are ideal times as most kids will nap for about an hour or so.

My son is 2 and goes down between 12 and 12:30 and still takes about a 2 hr nap, goes to bed at 8pm (same rules apply for quiet time after we read him a book) and is up around 7:30 during the week and gets up on his own around 8 on weekends (bed time is between 8 and 9 on weekends).

Good luck!!
S.

i have a 3 year old too, and i was having the same problem, but it was the weirdest thing too, just like the above comment. I found out, that if he went to bed at at 930 or 10 he would be up at 630 in the morning. ive been making him go to bed at 830-845, and he sleeps until 730-800. i have no idea how that makes sense, but you might want to give that a try. good luck!!
ps: if you try this for a couple of days will you let me know if it works, im just curious because it makes not sense to me!! thanks

I always remember being told that "sleep begets sleep" by my doctor and I found it to be true. So, not knowing what your son's bedtime is, I agree that although it sounds weird, an earlier bedtime might actually help. I also believe in "rest time". Even if you don't call it nap time... I found that mine almost always fell asleep during "rest time" if we stuck to the routine (well into their 4th year). And it never seemed to affect their nighttime sleep. That said, my youngest was always an early riser and I think it was about at 3 1/2 that I told him that he must stay in bed until someone has opened his door in the morning. I must say after a few years, it got old being awakened by him every morning. It actually worked, and sometimes I think he even fell back to sleep knowing that getting up was not an option. I'm an early riser anyway, so I never kept him waiting long... Could be worth a try.

my 3 1/2 year old doesn't take naps either, but oddly enough she sleeps a little later if she goes to bed a little earlier. don't know if it will work for you, but she'll go 8pm to 8am, but if i keep her up until 9 she'll wake at 7, and if she's up until 10 she'll wake around 6 or so. strange, but true...for us.

It's sad when the start not needing naps and it happens...sad because I needed a break in my case. What I did for each of my boys was I made quite time. I didn't make they lay down (it's not gonna happen) and those of that have boys know this in the real world and there's not need to make him and you unhappy. Here's a suggestion I played symphony music something really nice or the tapes that had music with like ocean sounds I turned off tv's even for me and turned lights down or closed shades and had on low lights. Then I had a special chair (ours was a childs rocker) and I had a table for books and puzzles for his age and building blocks. I called is quite time my boys had to be quite and talk in soft tones and listen to the music many times they would nod off to sleep looking at a book even if it was 15 or 20 minutes it was better then none. I had quite time for 45 minutes. If your child used to take 2 hour naps like mine did you must consider facing those days are over and 45 minutes of quite time is reasonable. It's just part of development it happens. Now I have friends that have girls that nap up till kindergarten and it maybe because their bodies are different yes even as babies...everyone seems to think that boys and girls are the same until puberty and that's not so even as babies boys are different. I don't see a reason to fight it, it just a part of life and no reason to make unhappy memories for either of you. Many blessing to you.