Sleep

Marcus and I are a little worn out this week. Part of it is that we're both getting over a cold, but the other part is that the kids seem to need so little sleep these days. For at least a month, maybe longer, Caleb has only been taking a nap once or twice a week. He's gone on nap strikes many times before, but the BIG difference this time is that he is still staying up until 9 pm or so on the days that he doesn't nap, and HE'S NOT WHINY OR TIRED in the late evening. It is looking to me like he doesn't need any more than the 9-10 hours of sleep a day that he has been averaging this month. The problem is, if he keeps going to bed at 9:00 pm and getting up at 6:30 am without napping, my child-free down time is pretty much over. According to my favorite child sleep "expert", Elizabeth Pantley, a 4-year-old should be sleeping 11-13 hours in a 24-hour period. Until this year, Caleb's sleep patterns have matched up with Pantley's chart very well, but for some reason, his sleep needs seem to have taken a dive, without any negative behavioral side effects.

Ethan, as well, is sleeping much less than Caleb did at 26-months. He has always been a more erratic sleeper than Caleb, but it does rather amaze me that he goes to sleep with Caleb at 9:00 pm (or later) and consistently rises right at (or before) 6:00 am. He does take a 2-3 hour nap every day, but that still puts his overall sleep at ~11 hours a day, on average. (Pantley says that 13-13.5 hours per day is average for a 2-year-old.)

So, for whatever reason, both of my kids seem to need about 2.5 hours less sleep each day than the average kid their age. This could be genetic, since I generally need much less sleep than the average adult, and was always a very early riser as a child. Or, it could be our lifestyle, which includes a couple of late nights each week. If the kids spent more of the day being whiny and irritable, I would be more inclined to buckle down and get them to bed earlier; but they are usually pretty good-natured and content, especially between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm (which are the extra hours I would be trying to get them to sleep), so I don't know.