How long does your LO lie in bed before going to sleep?

[caz_hills]

Hi ladies,

Our boy is nearly 3 (in July) and is still in a cotbed (he has never climbed and sleeps so well so we've never taken the side off ).

Today we put him down at 8 pm and he is lying there awake but not talking or anything and 45 minutes later and he is awake still.

Is this normal? He usually goes to sleep quite quickly but it's strange that he just lies there, silently....... he hasn't been well for quite a while now and gets very tired and lethargic in the day. Dr says it's post viral fatigue and he will get better in time (basically nothing else seems wrong) but I am worried that this isn't normal......

Caroline x

 

[george83]

My lo is exactly the same age - he also turns 3 in July - and his sleep patterns change all the time. In the past he's gone down awake but tired and within 5/10 minutes would be asleep. St the minute though he's going through a phase and takes ages to fall asleep, he'll be awake for ages and one of us will have to lay on the floor with him until he's finally asleep and then he's very unsettled all night. It's affecting his day time routines too as he's gone back to needing naps which he'd outgrown for a while

 

[caz_hills]

My lo is exactly the same age - he also turns 3 in July - and his sleep patterns change all the time. In the past he's gone down awake but tired and within 5/10 minutes would be asleep. St the minute though he's going through a phase and takes ages to fall asleep, he'll be awake for ages and one of us will have to lay on the floor with him until he's finally asleep and then he's very unsettled all night. It's affecting his day time routines too as he's gone back to needing naps which he'd outgrown for a while

Thank you SO much for your reply! My son is the same - he had a virus in March which he never really shook off and now he naps again for a full two hours and is exhautsed half the time. I just posted another thread about the fact that he is tired all the time......

 

[RachA]

It's fairly normal for children to do this.
Both if mine go through fazes of going to sleep within minutes bed then fazes of lieing on bed for up to an hour before falling asleep.
It's never been linked to being ill (except if they are I'll they usually fall asleep really quickly). I liken it to how I am as an adult-some nights I fall asleep straight away-other nights it can take a good 1-2 hours.

 

[caz_hills]

I think I'm over worrying

 

[AngelUK]

My Sebastian is only just under 26 months old but he does this too and has been doing it for about 6 or more months. Lately he has gotten a little bit better and it usually takes him about 30 mins on average, some nights less, some nights more. He usually just lies there, plays with his muslin and his bunny and is silent. I guess I always think that if he was unhappy or unwell he would call out? We tried slightly later and slightly earlier bed times and it had no effect. The only time he feel asleep straight away was when he had missed his nap. But he definitely still needs his nap!

 

[Damita]

Oh lil will lay there chat, play, read her books, jump up and down, roll around for up to an hour before she falls asleep.

She will lay there quietly staring some times

 

[KayBea]

the weather can effect their sleep too.

not sure where you are but south of the UK we had 4 hot days & then 2 rainy ones, so hot ones & today its rained.

plus the fact that it is lighter for longer at night now xx

 

[x__amour]

Just a few minutes. She loves her sleep.

 

[Zephram]

I know this might sound weird, but I think even very young children probably appreciate their thinking/day dreaming time, especially if they aren't quite ready to fall asleep yet. By 3, I imagine he has quite an imagination and things to ruminate about after a full day growing up. It's the same as being an adult - some days you fall asleep quicker than others.

I remember lying there awake a lot as a child. Even very young, I certainly remember doing it at 4, if not before. When I was 7 upwards I had my bed next to the window and I would go to bed as normal and then spend the next 45 minutes looking out the window at the stars and neighborhood! I still don't think my parents knew I wasn't asleep that whole time.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry unduly if I were you, he probably just enjoys ending down quietly and having 'me' time.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

After my son is done getting up a million times for water and to tell us about the friends in his ceiling, he will lay there and sometimes talk to himself, sometimes drive his truck along his blanket, sometimes he's silent but when we check on him his eyes are droopy but he's just staring off.

I personally love winding down in bed. It's like my safe place where I can put my thoughts in order before falling asleep

 

[MrsPear]

Joni often stays awake 90 minutes or more. She used to go to sleep at 6pm, but now we sometimes sit downstairs at 9pm waiting for her to finally drop off so we can go to bed...doesn't feel right going to sleep before her! It's been going on 4 months or so. Sometimes she cries in which case I go up (those are the nights she is overtired) and often she just sings, chats, yells "NO JOSIE" to her cuddly rabbit (naughty rabbit) and shakes the house with unexplained bangs and thumps. Oh and she often does a poo. I think she's forgotten how to get to sleep but reading this I see a lot of others are the same.

x

 

[sbl]

Anywhere from 5 mins to half an hour.

 

[RcdM]

My dd is a great sleeper/napper but I know sometimes she doesn't go to sleep right away either. She doesn't usually cry, but I sometimes hear her in there talking away and even laughing. I don't go in and disturb her, she always falls asleep eventually, so it doesn't worry me. I guess I think about it like us, adults - half the time I can't fall asleep within 30 min of laying down let alone just a few, even when I'm exhausted. I usually watch tv for a bit, maybe play a game on my phone, make a list of things I need to do the next day, etc. so that I can wind down. I assumed what she does is the same.

 

[sequeena]

It depends. Sometimes he's gone within minutes. Sometimes 2 hours.

 

[jd83]

DS2 usually doesn't stay up too long. Maybe 5 min-20min. He sometimes talks to himself, plays a bit, then goes to sleep.

DS1 takes forever to go to sleep. He gets tucked in at 8pm, and usually takes a good hour for him to go to sleep. He talks to himself, talks to his stuffed animals, plays in his bed, etc. I have to repeatedly tell him its bedtime, stop talking, go to sleep.

 

[KatieB]

Once he's done the usual delay tactics and had his stories in bed, as soon as Louis says "bye bye moon" to his moon light, he's asleep within minutes, probably because he doesn't nap and is very active all day. He still wakes at night though. Alex can sometimes chatter on for a bit but is usually asleep within minutes too.

 

[sparkle_1979]

Yes both mine can stay awake for up to two hrs , sometimes they sleep straight easy but more often than not they sing, chat etc

 

[XJessicaX]

How lovely he is so content!
My toddlers vary! DD1 usually announces she's tired and takes herself to bed. Sometimes she is sparko the second she lays down and other days I have gone up an hour later because I can hear her squeaky voice and shes playing still! DD2 tends to mutter to herself and her Upsy Daisy doll and then usually is asleep or quite 10 mins later.