I don't know how old these kids are, but maybe a 2 1/2 hour nap is too long. Try a 1 1/2 hour nap maybe? Another suggestion is to find a physical activity for them in the later afternoon that burns off some of that energy (don't you wish you could tap some of that? I sure do!).

My gdaughter sleeps much better overnight when she has taken either a short nap or has gone to the playground or played in the pool for an hour or so before dinner.

I feel for you! I've been there so many days!

I just have a question. Are they taking any medication? Some meds have this as a side effect--particularly meds for ADD/ADHD.

My gs is just beginning to get up earlier. I think it may be a sign that he is starting to wean out of his "nap" phase. :( I will still make him take a "quiet time", but I allow him to listen to music or a story on tape, or play with his stuffed animals in his bed. I still need the break, even if HE doesn't!!!

I don't know if that would help or not, but you can always give it a try for a week and see if it helps. I think both of the other ideas were super, as well! Maybe think about all three of them! ;)

I also think some kids just get up early. My eldest granddaughter could sleep 'til noon if I let her. The middle girl gets up naturally around 7:30am. But the youngest often gets up around 6:00 and I tell him it's too early, that he needs to go back to his room for a bit. He does, and plays with his toys or watches a DVD until the others get up.

I've explained to all three that early mornings and late evenings are "grown-up hours" where we recharge from dealing with all that energy during the day. It took a while, but now the kids understand that we, too, need our "quiet time."

Thanks everyone for the advice. The girls are 4 years old and 20 months. The 4 year old doesnt always take a nap but will have quiet time. The 20 month old needs the nap. You cant stand to be around her if she doesnt get a nap. All she does is scream. Neither are on any meds for ADHD or ADD. Although I think the 4 year may end up on some when she starts school. She can not sit still. I am not big on putting them on meds at a young age but I dont know about this one. I feel sorry for her teacher. She is going to have her hands full. I have been putting the 20 month old in her crib for time out for a couple of minutes when she takes her screaming fits. I am hoping this will stop them. thanks again. I will try and hour to hour and half nap and see if that works along with some good exercise after dinner. wish me luck

Good luck if you figure it out let me know. My girls don't take a nap and one is 7 the other is 4 they get up early every morning. I have tried everything and so far nothing helps. My girls need their sleep the oldest one can't stay awake very late even if I tried she would fall asleep sitting up. Try as we may we just can't get them to sleep in pass 6 am. We too have taught them that we need grown up time early in the morning. It helps but come 7 am we best be up. The one thing that I have found is that by letting them go to bed early I too can go to bed early. My friend know I don't take to anyone after 8 30 in the evening as it is my bed time. Then I can get some sleep. Why is it that I need to stay up late. I need as much sleep as they do. And if I do stay up later to get things done I just enjoy the quite time.

Seems to me that this is a pretty common problem, my GD hardly sleeps at all, and I mean at all, I think I can count on 2 hands how many times she has actually slept through the night. My GD will be 3 next month and she at daycare we have cut her naps down to 1 hour and at home if I have her she doesn't nap at all unless she is unreasonable. I have just recently started to get her to go to bed at 9 and maybe asleep by 9:30 but then randomly during the night she gets up and sometimes will be awake from 1-3 or 2-5, I work full-time and by the end of the week I am pooped out, not sure how she isn't, we have tried the outside play thing quiet reading time before sleep but nothing helps and when she is up so am I. I am taking her to the doctor because I am not sure how much more I can handle going with no sleep I thought it was just an adjustment period that she was going to have to go through but it has been well over a year since we got her, so I have gave up on that theory. My kids when her age used to be in bed at 7:30pm and sleep right through until I woke them the next mornign so I am having a real hard time coping with this issue.

Her mother never slept as a baby either and I can remember telling her when she got pregnant that I hope she has a child that is exactly like she was not thinking that I would be the one raising her, OOPS :)

maybe you can go to sleep at night the same time they do? i know for my own sitsuation i get up at 5 am and i get the gd up at 6:15 am, and most mornings she does not really want to hear about getting up! anyhow i try to go to bed soon after she does. i keep her door closed at night and she does wake up from time to time, but not usually.

My grand daughter just turned 3 last month...we also got rid of the crib and put her in a twin bed...since then she has had no naps at all...I find she sleeps a full 12 hours now with no naps at all...but then again that all depends on the child...she doesn't need an afternoon nap anymore...she use to be up between 6:15 am and 6:30 am...now that she doesn't nap she is up around 8 or 8:30 am now.

I am part of a adhd group because Missy has it and because of the side effect of the meds these kids take, they sometimes have trouble sleeping. Many times I have seen the other moms reccommend Melatonin to help the kids sleep. It is a supplement not a med and seems to work for several of them.

Missy sleeps like a log so I don't have a problem

my gs had trouble staying asleep at night. He told us there were ghosts in his room moving his bed and woke him up. We thought imagination. However, when he was 16 the neurologist ordered a sleep study and found he has restless leg syndrome and this wakes him up several times a night. He would feel his legs twitch as he was waking up and thought someone was shaking his mattress. That's why he was always tired in school also. It's rare in kids but it does happen. Not saying this is your problem, just that you never know what's working in these kids.