Get the timing right: sample schedules and pro tips for better 2 to 5 year old sleep
When it comes to your kiddo’s sleep, finding the right timing is so very important.
When children are awake too long, it becomes harder for them to enter a deep sleep state due to a spike in cortisol production. This can also cause early rising, serious tantrums and delays before bed, and shorter naps and periods of night sleep. It’s also harder to learn new skills when overtired. Overtiredness isn’t just a mood and learning wrecker, its also bad for your child’s immune system, and most other systems of the body.
On the other hand, we also want to make sure that your kiddo isn’t going down too early. If a child isn’t experiencing enough sleep pressure, or cumulative sleepiness, they won’t be able to fall asleep and may get very frustrated. Fears, stall tactics, and tantrums may ensue out of shear boredom or frustration with being sent to bed before they can actually sleep.
Get the timing right. For fewer bedtime battles and better sleep overall.
On the other hand, we also want to make sure that your kiddo isn’t going down too early. If a child isn’t experiencing enough sleep pressure, or cumulative sleepiness, they won’t be able to fall asleep and may get very frustrated. Fears, stall tactics, and tantrums may ensue out of shear boredom or frustration with being sent to bed before they can actually sleep.
So clearly, getting the timing right for your tot’s sleep is a balancing act — and important unless you happen to love tantrums. Or maybe you love reading “one more story” for the 1000th time.
Here’s a run down of childhood sleep needs from two to five years.
These are typical sleep needs by age. They aren’t “normal” or “right” for all children. Some need more, and some need less. To get a good sense of what your unique child needs in terms of sleep, consider logging naps and night sleep for a week or more so that you can get a sense of what’s “normal” for your little one.
2 year olds
Schedule tips:
Keep the bedtime routine CONSISTENT so your kid knows what to expect every. single. night.
Dim the lights at least 60 minutes before bed and avoid TVs and other screens. This will drive natural melatonin production and help make your kiddo drowsier.
The nap should be in the middle of the day - about 5 hours awake, maybe 6, on either side.
Most kids need a nap until 3 to 4 years old. If your toddler is resisting naps, look at the timing and make sure there’s enough (but not too much) time awake before the nap.
An older two year old may need 6 hours awake to be sufficiently tired for napping.
Sleep needs at 2 years old:
10-12 hours at night
1-3 hours of nap sleep
5-6 hours awake before sleeping again
2 year old sample schedule:
6:30 AM - wake up
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM - nap
6:30 PM - begin bedtime routine and dim the lights
7:30 PM - asleep for the night
3 year olds
Schedule tips:
Keep the bedtime routine CONSISTENT so your kid knows what to expect every. single. night.
Dim the lights at least 60 minutes before bed and avoid TVs and other screens. This will drive natural melatonin production and help make your kiddo drowsier.
The nap should be in the middle of the day - likely about 6 hours awake on either side.
Most kids need a nap until 3 to 4 years old. If your toddler is resisting naps, naps, it may be time to drop it in exchange for a later bedtime.
If your child is sleeping less than 10 hours at night, you may need to reduce or eliminate the nap.
Bring the bedtime much earlier (as early as 5:30-6:00 PM) when your child first drops the nap.
It’s common to go back and forth between nap and no nap days for months before fully dropping the nap.
Sleep needs at 3 years old:
10-12 hours at night
0-2 hours of nap sleep
3 year old sample schedule (with nap):
6:30 AM - wake up
12:30 PM - 1:30/200 PM - nap
6:30 PM - begin bedtime routine and dim the lights
7:30/8:00 PM - asleep for the night
3 year old sample schedule (no nap):
6:30 AM - wake up
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM - quiet time
6:00 PM - begin bedtime routine and dim the lights
6:30 PM - asleep for the night
4 year olds
Schedule tips:
Keep the bedtime routine CONSISTENT so your kid knows what to expect every. single. night.
Dim the lights at least 60 minutes before bed and avoid TVs and other screens. This will drive natural melatonin production and help make your kiddo drowsier.
The nap should be in the middle of the day - likely about 6 hours awake on either side.
Most kids need a nap until 3 to 4 years old. If your toddler is resisting naps, naps, it may be time to drop it in exchange for a later bedtime.
If your child is sleeping less than 10 hours at night, you may need to reduce or eliminate the nap.
Bring the bedtime much earlier (as early as 5:30-6:00 PM) when your child first drops the nap.
It’s common to go back and forth between nap and no nap days for months before fully dropping the nap.
Sleep needs at 4 years old:
10-12 hours at night
0-2 hours of nap sleep
4 year old sample schedule (with nap):
6:30 AM - wake up
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM - nap
7:00 PM - begin bedtime routine and dim the lights
8:00 PM - asleep for the night
4 year old sample schedule (no nap)
6:30 AM - wake up
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM - quiet time
6:00 PM - begin bedtime routine and dim the lights
6:30 PM - asleep for the night
5 year olds
Schedule tips:
Keep the bedtime routine CONSISTENT so your kid knows what to expect every. single. night.
Dim the lights at least 60 minutes before bed and avoid TVs and other screens. This will drive natural melatonin production and help make your kiddo drowsier.
The nap should be in the middle of the day - likely about 6 hours awake on either side.
Most 5 year olds no longer need a nap.
If your child is sleeping less than 10 hours at night and still napping, it’s likely they’d sleep better/more at night if you drop the nap.
Sleep needs at 5 years old:
10-12 hours at night
most 5 year olds no longer nap
5 year old sample schedule
6:30 AM - wake up
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM - quiet time
6:00 PM - begin bedtime routine and dim the lights
7:00 PM - asleep for the night
Want more tips to get your kiddo’s schedule on point? Grab your free, downloadable and printable, Sleep Needs by Age Guide below.
Or, do you want our top 10 Tips to help your toddler or preschooler get the sleep they need to learn, grow and thrive. If yes, grab our free toddler e-book below.
Toddler and Preschooler Sleep Schedule FAQs
Q: My child’s wake up time is totally inconsistent. How to I build a schedule framework when there is NO consistency?
A: Aim to keep your child’s morning wake up time within a 30-minute range to stabilize the schedule and make falling asleep easier. Even if they wake up earlier, preserve the nighttime vibe until it’s time to start the day. That means that you should keep the room dark and uninteresting, just like you would in the middle of the night. Conversely, if your child is still asleep at the typical rising time, let light and sound into the room to gently promote wakefulness.
Q: Should I adapt the nap time if we had a rough night or they woke up super early?
A: If your child didn’t sleep well the night before, they may need to nap earlier than normal. But don’t pull the nap too early because that can perpetuate early rising. At most, pull it 3-60 minutes earlier than normal. A good rule of thumb it to make sure the nap is no earlier than 11:00AM.
Q: What should I do if my toddler/preschooler skips their nap?
A: If your child takes a super short nap or skips it all together, bring bedtime much earlier. Don’t be afraid of 6:00PM bedtimes! Little kids often need early bedtimes to prevent overtiredness. This will help to avoid night wakings and give them a chance to make up for the lost daytime sleep at night.
Q: My toddler/preschooler is staying up way too late! I’m ready for bed and they are still going strong. What should I do?
If your child is 3 or older, still napping, and is up past 9:00PM, chances are that the nap needs to be limited or eliminated (unless you like having your toddler up when you’re trying to go to bed, or trying to watch netflix; or maybe this is the best time for quality family time - but if that’s the case, you probably aren’t reading this FAQ!). We need to build up enough sleep pressure to be able to sleep again. If your preschooler is still taking a nap but won’t fall asleep until 10:00PM, it’s mostly likely because they simply cannot sleep before that time.