Gifted = Bad Sleeper ?

[shawthorne44]

In the recent oldest question thread, there was mention of the gifted kids being late to sleep through the night, and giving up naps early.  Say it isn't so!  Particularly the giving up naps early. 

 

My DD is 3, and she only naps about half the time.  I stopped looking at the development charts long ago because they were worthless to us.  So, I thought I'd ask here.  When did your gifted kids stop napping?  Was it hopefully after they started to read?

 

If you can't tell, DH and I NEED that quiet time in the afternoon. 

[Dmmetler]

Let's just say that when DD was being assessed for early K entry one of the questions was "When did she sleep through the night?". My response was "I don't think it's happened yet. She just learned not to wake me up unless it was really important!".

 

DD stopped napping before age 3 (at 2, she spent every rest time in the couple of days a week she went to daycare in the director's office, talking to the director-as the director said, she wasn't in trouble, but she simply didn't need to sleep, and if she tried to talk to the teachers, she'd keep the other kids awake),  but I insisted on a "quiet time" daily where she'd go to her room and read books for a couple of hours. And I still do, most days. She may not need it, but I do! We also insist on her being in bed fairly early-but she regularly reads for several hours before she actually goes to sleep.

 

She's identified PG, just as a data point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

My dd has never been officially labeled as gifted, but she probably is. She napped for a long time, till she was 5. However, since she was the oldest, she was allowed to stay up WAY later than any of my other kids have ever been able to. She stayed up till 10 most nights. I have a sneaking suspicion if she was going to  bed early, she would have stopped napping at age 3.

 

She also played VERY hard. Can you wear out your kiddo by running her around outside for a large portion of each day?

 

Since she only naps half the time, can you start doing "quiet time" each afternoon, letting her read or draw each afternoon? Maybe just labeling it as rest time? It will take time and training, but it helps to have a timer, so she won't be up every 5 minutes asking "Is it time to come out now?"

[JumpyTheFrog]

DS1 was a terrible napper as a baby until about 7 months old. Before that, he'd often wake up every ten minutes. At 7 months, he finally could nap past 45 minutes. He gave up naps at 3 1/2.

 

DS1 was born ready to go and everyone always commented on how alert he was as a baby. He would never let us cradle him and would cry and cry if we tried. If he was on our shoulders, where he could look behind us, then he was calm.

 

DS2 gave up real naps at 8 months. That's when he decided two 20 minute naps on my back were enough. He's four now, and since that time, he's never been on a nap schedule for more than three weeks at a time. As a toddler, he'd fall asleep in the car many times. Now if he's tired, he'll just disappear and go take a nap without telling us.

[SKL]

I have read that gifted kids have a lower need for sleep than others.  I find that is the case in my house.  Miss E is the gifted one, Miss A is average.  No sleep problems for either; in fact, Miss E's foster mom reported that she slept 6 hours overnight at 2.5 weeks.  And both took naps until I stopped asking them to, when Miss E was 5.5yo.  Lucky me!  However, Miss E has no problem with less than average sleep, and it is not unusual for her to be up late or early reading/playing.  Miss A, who is about the same age, really likes her sleep and does not function as well without it.

 

I don't know how it would be if we were loosey-goosey about bedtime.  I can't be, because I have to work after they go to bed, and they both sleep in the same room, so lights out is the same time for both.  (Bedtime for them is usually between 9:30 and 10:30.)  Miss E is not the type to generally give me trouble over such things.  There have been times when she wanted to stay up and read, but instead I give her the option to get up at sunrise.

[regentrude]

My kids are both gifted, with roughly the same IQ value, and very different sleep habits.

DD had lots of sleep issues as a baby and did not sleep through the night until she was 2.5 years old - DS wa easy and slept through at a few months.

Both had phases of being very early risers (5am and earlier), but both went to sleep early in the evenings

DS napped better than DD, but I think by age 3 neither of the napped daily (we had a quiet time instead).

I believe it is more an issue of personality than of giftedness.

[aggieamy]

DD stopped taking naps but it was before she was four.  We do a quiet time though and she has listened to audiobooks during that time.  Sometimes she'll ask for longer quiet time because she wants to listen longer.  As an older kid she does wake up earlier than everyone in the house by at least an hour.  She's nine now so it's no problem to tell her that when she wakes up she needs to just read or listen to an audiobook until we get up. I aslo think it's more of a personality thing than a gifted thing because DH and I both really like our sleep. 

[Stratford]

My brother and I are both gifted, tested within a few points of one another.  As kids, I had ever sleep issue in the book (late to bed, insomnia, night terrors, sleepwalking, etc.) while my brother had no trouble sleeping.  Napped like a champ, slept through the night at a very tender age.  Still a great sleeper at 31. :tongue_smilie:   

 

My kids (who have not been formally tested but most likely are gifted) are all over the map as far as sleep is concerned.  In addition to personality and whatnot, I think size also plays a role....in our own family circle, bigger kids (and babies) sleep better than the more petite kiddos. 

[Artichoke]

nm.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Artichoke

[bakpak]

I think it's a mixed bag, but that some highly/profoundly gifted folks need less sleep. I know a few of the latter...they are CRAZY productive. It's amazing what 4-5 more hours to your day can yield. My friend recently told me she finally gave up trying to listen to 'sleep advice' and let her daughter manage her own sleep schedule when she was around 8 y.o. She sleeps about 6 hours a night and is quite happy.

 

That said, my DD (almost 4) needs lots of sleep. She sleeps 11 hrs at night, plus 2-4.5 hrs during the day. Sometimes she's skipping a nap, but the results are painful, and she still has quiet time. She didn't sleep through the night until she was about 2.5 y.o. I think. Some of that was her strong attachment/nursing issues, but still...it seemed a bit much. After all those years of not sleeping through the night, -I- am just starting to do so again. Whew...I feel much more rested!!

 

 

[Cheriwe]

My DS7 stopped napping at about 3 years old.  He has always had problems falling asleep at night.  And then he would have problems staying asleep.  And then, he would still get up early. 

He has learned to express the reason that he cannot fall asleep at night; it is because he cannot "turn off his brain". According to him, he has so many things to think about, his brain doesn't let him sleep.  Now that he realizes what the problem is, he is able to deal with it a little.  If he is having trouble falling asleep, he tries to focus on thinking about one or two things that he did during the day.  It is working.  He falls asleep better and stays asleep all night. 

[RoundAbout]

My DS was always a terrible napper but a great night time sleeper. He is just mentally and physically ON until bedtime when he crashes and sleeps for 10-11 hours. I should note that we are very physically active - this week included a 30 mile bike ride and daily swimming - and I think that helps a lot.

 

If he doesn't get enough activity or mental engagement he does try to stay up late reading. When we were packing up and selling our house we were too busy to go anywhere and we had problems with him getting up to read every single night.

[Tanikit]

Both my DDs stopped napping at 2 (one at about 2.25 and the other slightly before 2) The elder started sleeping through the night around 3.5 just before her little sister was born. The youngest still does not sleep through the night - I think we have had 2 or 3 nights where she has made it through which is better than we had with the eldest. My elder went to a preschool where she at age 2 was left to play with the 5 year olds during nap time because every other child up to age 4 slept and they couldn't get her to though they tried hard.

 

My eldest DD was always a terrible napper - she went through a week of not napping at all at 8 months of age - by the 7th day I was in tears, she was tired and still she fought it - she should have been on 2 naps a day at that age. She also used to wake at 04:30am as a toddler - slightly before the sun rose in mid summer and still wakes early to this day.

 

I still want a third child - I figure if I've lived for 6 years without sleeping through the night then another 3 or 4 won't do much - and who gets to nap when they have the second and third anyway?

[Laura Corin]

Calvin slept through the night, fully breast fed, from four weeks old.  He's been a good sleeper ever since.  Hobbes took longer to sleep through the night but really loves to sleep now.  Neither gave up naps early.

 

Good luck!

 

L

[beaners]

I think there might be a personality type that some gifted kids fall into that includes not sleeping much.  I don't think it's necessarily an indicator of giftedness or not.  I had no problems sleeping or napping as a child, and I score as gifted.  My oldest hasn't been tested, but I'd be shocked if she wasn't.  She was reading fluently before 4, and was still napping at 5. She's also my *easiest* child, instead of fitting in the super-intense high-strung stereotype.

[boscopup]

Mine were all good sleepers as babies (sleeping about 10+ hours by 2 months old, full breast fed). They also all napped well, taking 3 hour naps in the afternoons.

 

Around age 3, they all started to resist the nap. Sometimes I'd put them down, and they'd look at books (didn't have to be able to read - they could self-entertain with books) and eventually fall asleep. Though I couldn't do that with one, because he shredded books (even board books). :tongue_smilie:

 

By age 4, all of mine had dropped their naps, for the most part. I think that's pretty normal for a kid to be napping or not napping at age 4. Dropping a nap at, say, age 1 would be more "different from the norm".

 

I think my youngest dropped his nap the earliest, just because he had big brothers and didn't want to miss out on the fun. Plus we got to where we needed to go places in the afternoons, so nap would be missed, and after enough of those days, it was pointless to even try. So he hasn't napped much since he turned 3 (he just turned 4).

 

They all go to bed at 7pm. Oldest and youngest will sleep until 7am if allowed to. Oldest will even sleep longer sometimes. Middle son wakes up with the sun, despite having blackout curtains in his room. It doesn't matter what time he goes to bed. He will get up early. So I put him to bed early and have my Mommy time in the evening. :) I also have a rule that they can't come down until 7am. So if they wake up, they can play quietly upstairs. Then at 7am, they come down and empty the dishwasher and get their breakfast. So I have 5:30-7 as Mommy time also. Mid-day Mommy time doesn't really happen anymore, but as they get older, it's not necessarily needed anymore either. It was needed when they were toddlers because, well, toddlers are exhausting. Older kids aren't quite so exhausting, IME.

[TracyP]

My 5 kids all have very different sleep needs and (statistically, I assume) similar IQs. My kids have given up naps somewhere between 2 and 5. Quiet time is something I continue long after naps are outgrown. :)

[Eagle]

Ds gave up naps at 3. I was so disappointed! He awoke multiple times per night until he was 3 1/2. At that age I asked him if he could try to sleep through the night, and he has ever since (the one idea all those sleep books never mentioned -- a discussion!). He is now an awesome sleeper. He goes to bed at 8:30 and wakes up at 6:30-7 without any wakeups in the night.

[shawthorne44]

Well, shoot.  I was hoping to have a couple of more years of naps.  We'd had some sleep struggles when she was a baby, but I'd classify them as New Parent issues rather than inherent sleep problems.  Once we did the No Cry sleep thing, at about 1.5 years old, she went to sleep and stayed asleep. 

 

The post about petite kids not sleeping was scary.  DD isn't even on the charts for height or weight.  (Medical problem inherited from daddy, who has always had sleep problems)

 

[Erin]

My brother and I are both gifted and neither of us has ever had sleep issues...
DH and I have a strong suspicion that Buck is gifted (though really don't care enough to bother testing), and he's never had trouble sleeping either.  He also is really good about taking a quick cat-nap during the day when he needs.

[MinivanMom]

No sleep issues here.  My kids do take a long time to fall asleep.  They claim they have so many things to think about that it's hard to fall asleep.

[Uff Da!]

I have one that sleeps like the dead and one that is a light sleeper. The heavy sleeper slept as a newborn for about 4 hours at a time and had night terrors at a young age. The light sleeper has never slept well.

[Uff Da!]

DP

[Embassy]

Mine gave up naps at 2 and slept through the night around age 5.  My youngest is now 5 and I'm just starting to get uninterrupted sleep :)  Two of my kids don't need much sleep and one is probably average in his sleep needs.

[SunnyDays]

My brother and I are both identified as gifted. He slept long and well as a child, I was kind of a lousy sleeper. Now in adulthood we are both extreme night owls.

 

My son is gifted, and he was the worlds worst sleeper as a baby. He didn't sleep through the night with any consistency til he was almost two. Now he fights going to sleep and naturally wakes up early. I'm waiting to see if that changes in the teen years!!

[MASHomeschooler]

I've heard that gifted tend to have "extreme" sleep habits - EITHER needing much less or much more sleep, and being very light or very heavy sleepers. I always thought that, with varying definitions of each term, that wasn't terribly useful info. :)

 

My kids, at 3, 5, and 8, are all pretty heavy sleepers who need about 11 hours. They have been good night-time sleepers from early on, but poor day-time sleepers. My older 2 (both definitely hg+) gave up naps right after they turned 2! The youngest was later, but still before 3. Nap time became quiet time out of necessity at those ages, and I never gave it up - although it is shorter now, and able to be skipped for outings, visitors, etc. The younger 2 did go through a stage of destroying their room in that time when they stopped sleeping then (not upset, just got into everything) but otherwise, since it just changed and didn't stop, we've not had a problem keeping that break for me/us.

[ThoughtfulMama]

My DS is 5 and still very rarely sleeps through the night. He is clearly gifted, though we haven't had him tested. He also has been a terrible mapper since babyhood. For the past couple years he has had a daily quiet time which very occasionally turns into a nap.

My DD is only 1, but started sleeping through the night at 2.5 months and naps beautifully (no idea on her gifted status yet)

 

I was identified as gifted as a child, and my sleep needs are very high. I took an afternoon nap almost everyday from kindergarten through college and still slept long at night. And I still take a daily nap whenever possible.

[kiwik]

Ds6 had occasional naps up to about 4.5 (he would have been the oldest kid in the sleeproom by at least a year). He still went to bed at6.30 to 7. Ds4 dropped naps at 2 because if he slept even half an hour he would be up until 10. Ds6 is asleep within 10 mins of his head hitting the pillow (by 7.15 unless he has a very engrossing book) ds4 takes longer but lately it has only been half an hour. Both of them sleep through about 4 nights out of 7. Ds6 is up at 6 to 6.30 ds4 sometimes has to be wakened at 7.30. Ds6 is HG +. Ds4 is untested.

 

What I meant to say is sleep patterns are a cultural thing and what seems early to you is probably late for someone else.

[strange_girl]

I've heard that gifted tend to have "extreme" sleep habits - EITHER needing much less or much more sleep, and being very light or very heavy sleepers. I always thought that, with varying definitions of each term, that wasn't terribly useful info. :)

 

:) So true.

 

Mine has not been tested either, but she's pretty clearly gifted. She was a terrible sleeper. She stopped napping at 2, but didn't sleep through the night until she was nearly 4. But we didn't give up on naps! We still have quiet time every afternoon for an hour. Gives everyone a chance to recharge. The bigger kids don't sleep, but the baby and I sure do!

 

Now, she sleeps well at night. Bedtime is 7:00, but she's often up until 9:30-10:00 reading. In the morning, she wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00, but she can tell time and knows she has to stay in her room (and quiet) until 7:00.

 

We had to put some rules in place about sleeping times for her, or else we'd have gone crazy long ago! She went through a stage as a toddler where she would wake 5-6 times during the night and still be up and wide awake by 5:00 am! It was insane. So happy we're through that now!

 

Good luck!

[2smartones]

My boys are like night & day.  They're both PG (2E). 

 

The oldest slept through the night from 7 weeks, was always on a schedule (his choice) from the time he was born, and always slept about 2 hours less than other babies/toddlers his age.  He learned to read just before 2 and gave up naps right around 3.  Now that he's older, he does the "uuuugh!  5 more minutes, mom!" in the mornings, but he takes forever to fall asleep at night.  We've built him a bookshelf with light to go over his bed so that he can sit and read at bedtime.

 

The youngest didn't sleep through the night until he was nearly 2 years old, and he also gave up naps around 3-ish.  He still occasionally naps, but it's a rarity, and usually only happens if he's sick or if he's been go-go-go all day (like summer camp).

 

When they were little, I always insisted that the boys have quiet time in the afternoon ... for MY sake!  They had to go to their rooms and read for an hour or so.  That's when I got MY nap.  LOL!

[Guest CrunchyTXMama]

My oldest is on the autism spectrum and is also gifted. I hate to say it, but of my three kids he's been the worst napper. He gave up his nap right around the time he turned two. He was always a cat-napper before that anyway. At 10 years old he gets out of bed at night multiple times. His brain just doesn't shut off at night! 

[lamppost]

DD6 is in DYS and doesn't sleep much, maybe 8 hours a night. She and DS4 both quit napping by around 18 months. DD6 was early to sleep through the night (around 2 mos) and DS4 was quite late. 

[shewhoseeks]

My oldest PG kid, now 16, was always a great sleeper.  She did give up naps early, but she really NEEDED quiet time on her own just to process and recharge for years and years (probably still does, but it's harder to make happen).  She's not one of the super fast kids, though- more a very deep and profound thinker.  I think that both personality and genetics have a lot to do with sleep patterns.

[shawthorne44]

This thread has been reassuring and frightening.  We are in the middle of "nap" time and I just sat down after finding her on our back porch.   That was a first.  (We have a large dog door)   She just turned 3.  She has been a good night-time sleeper, and has stayed dry through the night for a long time.  

[a27mom]

I score somewhere at HG/EG range with testing, and have struggled with light sleeping and insomnia for most of my life. I would describe it as my brain not being able to shut off.

 

As for my girls. My older daughter has been a decent sleeper, gave up naps at 3ish, sleeps about 10 hours a night. Was a good napper and sleeper as a baby. However she does take a while to fall asleep and wakes in the night quite often, but doesn't intentionally wake us (I hear her get up to the bathroom though). Neither of my girls have been tested, but I would guess she is moderately to highly gifted. My 4 y/o gave up naps at 27 months. She couldn't fall asleep, and if she did she was up until 10 at night. As a baby she slept through the night at 3 weeks, but would only sleep on her tummy. She appears to be more globally gifted and probably somewhere in the HG? to EG? range. She sleeps 10 to 11 hours at night, but we have had some issues with night terrors and waking w/ "pictures in her head."

[Heathermomster]

DS slept through the night fairly early and napped regularly until 2.5 yo, when he quit sucking his thumb.  He currently takes melatonin to sleep, sleepwalks, and has experienced night terrors since he was 10 months old..

 

My 5yo slept well early on, but gave up naps by aged 3 yo.  DH, MIL, DD, and DS are all night owls.  I can sleep anywhere, and I like 8 hours.

[Donna]

My oldest slept through the night at about 4 months and took naps until he was 5yo.

 

Middle ds slept through the night at about 10 months old (he liked to snack at night) and took naps until 3yo.

 

My youngest (most academically advanced) slept through the night at ???. She hardly slept as a baby. She would sing and roll around in the bed at night until 11-12am then finally fall asleep sometime, usually after I fell asleep, but be up with the sun in the morning bright eyed and ready to go. Her "naps" consistent of a 15 min catnap...I think she was afraid of missing something. At 18 months old I stopped her nap (and frantically kept her awake in the car because even closing her eyes for 5 min meant the same as a full nap) and then she'd fall asleep sometime before 11pm...it was a desperation move for me. She still is a night owl but since beginning puberty, she will sleep in sometimes in the mornings until 8am or so if she's had a really late night.

[MissKNG]

Both girls stopped napping around age 2ish. They sleep maybe 7-9 hours a night (as my big girl said when she was 3 "I can't turn my brain off!") and are highly active all day long. We do have a one hour quiet time most days when they play or read in their rooms. We had our oldest unofficially tested by the University and she tested HG. Small girl is untested.

 

My PG dad was a terrible sleeper as in he didn't sleep much.

[Embassy]

My oldest slept through the night at about 4 months and took naps until he was 5yo.

 

Middle ds slept through the night at about 10 months old (he liked to snack at night) and took naps until 3yo.

 

My youngest (most academically advanced) slept through the night at ???. She hardly slept as a baby. She would sing and roll around in the bed at night until 11-12am then finally fall asleep sometime, usually after I fell asleep, but be up with the sun in the morning bright eyed and ready to go. Her "naps" consistent of a 15 min catnap...I think she was afraid of missing something. At 18 months old I stopped her nap (and frantically kept her awake in the car because even closing her eyes for 5 min meant the same as a full nap) and then she'd fall asleep sometime before 11pm...it was a desperation move for me. She still is a night owl but since beginning puberty, she will sleep in sometimes in the mornings until 8am or so if she's had a really late night.

 

LOL, that was me too.  Even a 1 minute nap in the car meant my kid was awake until midnight!  

[Guest tessellate]

My 3rd grader was identified as gifted this year.  Stopped napping at 18 months (no one could believe this), didn't sleep through the night until 5 or 6 years old.  Now sleeps like a log once asleep, but is a "night owl" and getting to bed is always a challenge.   Must be those active synapses keeping them alert? 

 

 

[Targhee]

I have three kids who have sleep issues (one identified gifted, two likely but not yet evaluated).  Their sleep issues are all slightly different.  The girls have difficulty falling asleep.  One stopped napping at 18 months  :glare:, and even then she would lie awake (quietly, not making a fuss or playing) in a completely dark room for 2 hours before falling asleep. We had a very short, structured night time routine with her, and still it would take her forever to fall asleep. Sleep onset is a BIG deal with her still, and we have begun using white noise and melatonin. the other stopped napping at 3 years (pretty normal) but wakes easily.  My son napped until he was 4.5  :hurray: , and had no problems with sleep onset until recently.  His problem is he is solar powered and wakes up early even if he's been up late. NONE of them slept through the night consistently until 4 or 5 years old. 

[Mergath]

To my horror and disbelief, my dd gave up naps at around eighteen months.  (We haven't had her tested because there's just no need, but she's definitely more accelerated than I was at that age.)  I tested as HG, and now that I'm an adult, I do best on nine hours of sleep at night.  I was a terrible sleeper as a kid, though.  Never napped, laid awake for half the night, woke up early in the morning.  Dd would stay awake until the wee hours of the morning if left to her own devices, but once she falls asleep, she sleeps great.

[historically accurate]

My oldest hasn't taken a nap since she turned 2.  I persisted and had her take a basket of books to bed for 1 hour in the afternoon.  She then proceeded to teach herself to read with all of the those books during "naptime".  She was a horrible sleeper while an infant/toddler; it evened out in elementary school.  She's never been tested, but definitely gifted.  She's always been the intense type, and it's hard for her to get her brain switched off.

 

My middle still takes naps, and she's 8!  She also sleeps really well at night (10 hours).  She's gifted, but has some physical delays, so that may account for it.  

 

I have no idea if my youngest is gifted; she's 6 and still naps most days.  I don't think she would, but she shares a room with middle.  And since middle is asleep, she falls asleep too.  

 

[Terrilth]

:( Sorry, I think this thread wasn't what you wanted to hear.  Both of my girls had sleep issues.  DD1 did nap until she started to talk.  DD2 never napped.  But she did have some serious sleep issues that we found help for through a DAN doc. 

[kohlby]

My oldest has always needed far less sleep than the norm.  He was ready to drop his nap at 18 months.  I would spend over an hour getting him to nap for 30 minutes - and it made him get less sleep in 24 hours with the nap than without it.  I gave up by the time he turned 2.  He slept less at night than all the charts said too.  He slept all the way through the night for the first time at 4.5 years old.  And has from there on out.  He still needs less sleep than the norm and he's 10 years old.

 

My second child actually needed more sleep than the norm.  She is also gifted though they're gifted in very different academic way.  She dropped her nap right before her 2nd b-day.  She slept through the night for the first time right around her 5th birthday.  But did pretty much every night from there on out.  She does still sleep more hours at night total than most kids her age - even though she's 7 years old. 

 

I do not think my third child is gifted yet, but it wasn't obvious with my first at 4 years old either.  (It was obvious with my middle child by 1.  Both of my boys have sensory issues and that played a huge part in not knowing my oldest was gifted until those were under better control).  He started working on dropping his nap at 2, but didn't drop it completely until 3.  This was a pain since he had less sleep with his nap in 24 hours than without.   He slept through the night quite early compared to the other two, doing it most of the time at 3 years old.  He still woke on occasion though.  After he turned 4, however, he slept completely through the night pretty much every night unless he had a bad dream.  He sleeps less than the norm for kids his age in hours.  This means that my 7 year old goes to bed 30-45 minutes before the 4 year old and wakes up 30-60 minutes later than him!  I've also noticed they deal with not having enough sleep differently.  The boys can handle it quite well but my daughter cannot cope at all if she doesn't get enough sleep.  She's also the only one of the three who gets terrible anxiety if she can't fall asleep fast enough - which can make it take even longer.  We've switched bedtime to include a reading-in-bed period and that has really helped her stress level reduce and calm her brain some.  (Reading before bed has the opposite effect on my though).

 

My mother said that me and my siblings all dropped our nap well before 2.  And that she and her two sisters were done with naps by 2 as well.  So, I wonder if there's a genetic component.

[shawthorne44]

This thread has helped me.  At least to get me to chill.  I just hope she starts to read soon so she has a calm activity to do during quiet time.  Although, it is adorable to hear her talk and sing to herself.  Maybe the large Expedit bookcase wasn't the best idea for a toddlers room.  This had been the perfect place for me to ask, since all the other kids her age that I know have been in preschool/daycare for a long time. 

[nitascool]

At 6 weeks my oldest stopped napping and slept 6 hours a night. At 6 months I taught him not to wake mommy until the sun comes up. I need at least 8 or I literally can not function. Now he is 13, he sleeps 10 hours, those teen hormones have given me the toddler I always dreamed of. Since age 12 he does not wake on his own.

 

My Aspy who doesn't score gifted, but certainly acts it, took 2 twenty minute naps a day before one, then stopped altogether on his 1st birthday. He has always slept 7 1/2 hours at night from birth. A few months ago he started sleeping a bit longer, about 8 hours. He's 11 and started puberty as well. I never wake him, he often wakes me on Sunday.

 

My advanced (not tested) third son sleeps 8 hours. He will fall asleep when he's tired, and I rarely have to tell him to go to bed. He slept 6 hours at 3 months with two 30 minute naps a day. At 8 months he dropped down to one 20 minute nap. At 14 months he stopped napping. I never wake him except Sunday.

 

My advanced (not tested) daughter slept through the night, 6 hours, at two weeks. She took two naps until she was 3 months old. Then she would only nap with mommy. So not more then once or twice a week for 20-30 minutes. She couldn't or wouldn't sleep in her own bed after age 1 and had night terrors every night she was forced to sleep in her own bed. She is now 6 and has just begun to sleep in her own bed w/o having night terrors. She sleeps about 6 1/2 to 7 hours most nights... once or twice a week she will sleep extra long about 9 hours. I never wake her except Sunday.

[Annie Laurie]

I think there might be a personality type that some gifted kids fall into that includes not sleeping much.  I don't think it's necessarily an indicator of giftedness or not.  I had no problems sleeping or napping as a child, and I score as gifted.  My oldest hasn't been tested, but I'd be shocked if she wasn't.  She was reading fluently before 4, and was still napping at 5. She's also my *easiest* child, instead of fitting in the super-intense high-strung stereotype.

 

I agree.

 

My oldest has tested as gifted and he slept great from 6 weeks on. He is also an easy-going guy.

 

I have 3 kids who were/are terrible sleepers and two are gifted, one is too young to know. Those three have more intense personalities.