Dropping naps?

[krissie328]

When did your toddler/preschooler drop naps? What were some of the signs it was time?

 

[loeylo]

She went to 1 nap at 9 months, she stopped napping every day at 18 months or so. By 2, she only napped in the car. She’s 2.5 now and only naps sporadically.

She goes to bed at 7pm and usually doesn’t wake up until 7:30am.

 

[krissie328]

Wow.. my son is almost 4 and up until the last month or so took a 3 hour nap every day. Lately he's been fighting sleep (getting out of bed mostly) during nap and bed time..

 

[jessmke]

My DD is 2.5 and still naps daily for about 1.5-2 hrs. We're in this weird zone where she can't actually manage without a nap, but she is able to fight the tired feeling to stay awake if she tries hard enough. There have been a day or two here and there where she didn't nap because we were travelling or something, but those days almost always end in disaster by bedtime so I don't think she's quite ready to drop her nap entirely. Today during her nap the dog barked and woke her up after about 1.5 hrs so not a short nap, but then she asked to go to bed 30 min before bedtime because she was tired, so I think she still needs the nap even though she can try to fight through the tiredness if she's sufficiently motivated. One thing that has helped me get her to go to sleep better at nap time is telling her what we are doing in the afternoon, but that we can't do it unless she has a sleep first. So then she is excited to go to the park/pool/friend's house/etc and goes to sleep quickly.

 

[Rainbow82]

DS has just turned three and can’t get through the day without a nap but if he naps he doesn’t wake himself and if I wake him after less than two hours he is hell on Earth but he fights his sleep and isn’t napping till 3pm so waking at 5pm and then not wanting to go to bed at his usual time and dragging bedtime out till 8:30! It’s impossible to get him to nap earlier because he’s just not tired enough to sleep and a shorter nap makes him worse than on the occasions he does manage no nap at all. We are trying to introduce quiet time in the afternoons instead of nap time where we let him watch tv for an hour and read books together but he’s still struggling to make it to bedtime and often falls asleep by 5:30 which means he wakes up even earlier than usual.

 

[kellyc1987]

DS was three in March, he hasn't had a day time nap at home in a while but will still nap if I drive anytime after 1pm.

If he does have a nap he gives me hell going to bed!

 

[Natasha2605]

Freya is just over two and still naps. She gets up between 6.30-7am and goes in her buggy for a nap around 11.45. She naps typically for two hours although she has a cold hanging around her atm so I’ve been waking her after 3 hours. She goes to bed about 7.30.

Right now her naps are more for everyone’s sake than just hers. My 6 month old only has a decent afternoon nap if she’s sleeping.

 

[minties]

Thomas dropped nap #2 at 11 months, and mostly stopped napping somewhere around 20 months.

I think Sophie dropped nap #2 at 15 months and stopped napping around 24 months unless in a car etc.

Emma is 22 months and has 1-2 naps a day depending on how the night has gone. I can see her taking a day nap for at least another year.

 

[treeroot]

If I didn't help my toddler to sleep he would have dropped all naps a long time ago; well before 2.
He's 3 next week and no scenario seems to work. No nap and he's cranky, has a nap and not sleepy at bedtime. And depending on the day or how his night was will effect how a nap/no nap scenario plays out.

He's never liked sleeping so I just make the call. But, I knew he was ready to start dropping his last nap when he simply wasn't tired enough to fall asleep (usually a cuddle with me in a chair).

So we're in a bit of a hellish transition stage right now, but it won't last forever (like his terrible twos right?....right?).

 

[krissie328]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm still unsure but I'm leaning towards dropping his nap. He can usually make it to bedtime decently and falls asleep better without a nap. His dad doesn't want to give up naps because the couple hours of quiet is nice. So I am thinking of implementing a quiet hour.

Treeroot- two was so easy with my son. Three and coming in four have been challenging.

Looks like your age gap is gonna be the same as my kids. It's been so lovely.

 

[jessmke]

I don't think you have to drop the nap entirely right from the start, maybe try a nap only every other day, or every three days, or only on the days when he really seems to need it. I totally get the desire for the quiet time, that's one of the reasons we've persisted really hard to keep my toddler napping, so she and the baby go down at the same time and I get 1.5-2 hrs of time to myself! It will be a sad day in our house when she drops that nap entirely!

A friend of mine was having the same struggle with her three year old. She started to do quiet time for an hour in her room while playing a 1 hour long CD of relaxing/meditation music. Her daughter isn't allowed to come out of her room until the music stops. She says that 8/10 times when the music stops and she goes in to check her daughter has fallen asleep on the bed.

 

[treeroot]

She says that 8/10 times when the music stops and she goes in to check her daughter has fallen asleep on the bed.

This. This is a foreign concept to me! Never has my son just fallen asleep other then in the car (or at bed time). Always been a bit jealous of sleepy babies.

 

[krissie328]

I asked him today if he wanted some quiet time or a nap and he walked to his room for a nap.

This will probably sound bad but we have a large puppy bed that he lays on in the living room. Well he asked to sleep on it in his room and we haven't had a any issues since.

 

[krissie328]

I definately think I'll try the hour of music though. I suspect he'll fall asleep most days too.

 

[krissie328]

This. This is a foreign concept to me! Never has my son just fallen asleep other then in the car (or at bed time). Always been a bit jealous of sleepy babies.

My daughter is this way so far. She fights sleep so hard. I am not sure she'll ever be a good napper at this rate. My son established a napping routine fast and has stuck to it since he was a baby. Hopefully DD figures out she enjoys sleeping too.

 

[MrsMA]

Our boy was born Jan 2016 and would still nap for 1.5-2 hours but then would play in his cot and not go to sleep at bed time until about 8.30 so we dropped the nap and he's straight to sleep at bed time now.
He will still sleep in the car or for half an hour in the pram if we're out in the afternoon