Sleep at 4 years

By 4, almost all children have dropped the daytime nap entirely. New challenges show up: bedtime refusals, fears, early wakings. Here's how to build a routine that works.

Sleep norms at 4 years

A 4-year-old needs 10–13 hours of sleep per 24 hours. For most kids that's all night-time sleep; only about 30% still nap during the day.

• Total sleep: 11–12 hours
• Night sleep: 10–12 hours (usually 7:30 PM – 7:30 AM)
• Daytime nap: none (the norm) or 30–45 min (if the child is tired)
• Wake window: 7–8 hours

Bedtime resistance — the most common issue

A 4-year-old starts to negotiate, asking for "one more book", "a drink", "the bathroom", "another hug for mum". This is normal age-appropriate behaviour — testing boundaries.

What works:

• A ritual with a fixed number of steps: "We have 3 books and one song — then sleep." The child sees clear rules
• A "pass card": one token for one extra request (drink, hug). Once it's used, no more leaving the room
• A "weather forecast for tomorrow": the child looks forward to an interesting day and falls asleep more easily
• "Quiet hour" in bed with a book: if they can't fall asleep, let them flip through a book quietly. The point is to stay in bed

Early waking (before 6 AM)

At 4, early wakings are often tied to too much daytime sleep or too early a bedtime. The biological clock wants about 11 hours in bed.

• Cut the remaining nap or shorten it to 30 minutes
• Shift bedtime to 8:00 PM (earlier triggers an earlier wake-up)
• Black out the room fully — sunlight from 5:30 AM is the main trigger for early waking in summer
• An "OK-to-wake" clock with a face: red face — still sleep, green face — OK to get up (Gro-Clock and similar)

Fears and night terrors

At 4, distinguish nightmares from night terrors — they're different things:

• Nightmares: usually in the second half of the night (3–6 AM), the child wakes up, remembers the dream, can describe it. Comfort them, stay until they fall back asleep
• Night terrors (parasomnia): in the first 1–3 hours after falling asleep, the child screams but doesn't remember it in the morning. Don't wake them! Just keep them safe

Typical daily schedule

• 7:00–7:30 AM — wake-up
• 1:00 PM — lunch, quiet time (no sleep, or up to 45 min nap)
• 5:30–6:00 PM — dinner
• 7:00 PM — bath, ritual
• 7:30–8:00 PM — lights out

Preparing for preschool — adjusting the routine

If your child is starting preschool at 8:00 AM, begin shifting the schedule 2–3 weeks ahead: gradually move wake-up and bedtime by 15 minutes every 3 days.