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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

2.4yo giving up nap?

31 replies

InsaneDame · 17/08/2016 13:56

For the last few days 2.4yo has been falling asleep for nap but then waking up after 10mins/half an hour. Isn't this a little young to be losing the nap? He seems happy enough for the rest of the day - doesn't get grumpy and despite not really napping he doesn't go to sleep until 8.30 (although in bed for 7pm!). He still wakes erratically through the night, occasionally sleeping through but this is a rarity. I usually wake him in the morning around 7.30am. I would rather he carried on napping until he was a bit older, especially since he still has broken nights. I could probably enforce one if I were to put him on the car, or should I just go with it?

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Seeline · 17/08/2016 13:59

2,4yo? You've done very well.
Both mine dropped their last nap at 18 months!!

Propertyquandry · 17/08/2016 14:00

Same as Seeline. We never managed to get to 2yrs with any of them.

EnglishRose1320 · 17/08/2016 14:03

They are all so different, ds1 dropped daytime naps super early at around 10months, ds2 polar opposite still had them till he started school, although not every day by then.

Bythepath · 17/08/2016 14:07

All 3 of mine had stopped by 2. Some children I know still have them at 4. I wouldn't bother forcing a nap, if you are going out anyway and they fall asleep in the car great but if not I wouldn't worry.

SaigonSaigon · 17/08/2016 14:10

My DS literally went overnight from having 2-3 hrs sleep after lunch to nothing, at age 2. It was a shock to the system! Maybe once every week or 2 weeks he'd need a nap, but generally he could cope. But others I know still need 2 hrs right up until they started school. They are all different.

InsaneDame · 17/08/2016 14:55

I wouldn't mind if he was doing a straight through 11 - 12hr night sleep but he isn't. This means he is having even less sleep and the sleep he has is broken. I worry this will have a detrimental effect. When he was napping at least I was safe in the knowledge that he was able to catch up a bit.

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InTheDessert · 17/08/2016 15:03

Mine is 7 now, usually wakes once or twice in the night, and dropped napping at 2 years and 1 week (3 days after his baby brother arrived.....).
Reading his last school report, it doesn't seem to have done anything other than his spelling any harm.
Go with the flow. Some just need less sleep than others.

AliceInHinterland · 17/08/2016 17:24

Would he still have quiet time for an hour in his cot with a few toys and books? My son is not always quiet during this time (! - but generally happy) but it does lead to a nap on the days he needs it, and at least it is a rest of sorts.

InsaneDame · 17/08/2016 18:51

Thanks for the suggestion Alice but he really wouldn't be happy to sit in his cot in the day - it's a struggle to get him up for a nap as it is, he just wants to stay downstairs and play!

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AliceInHinterland · 17/08/2016 19:20

I guess that if he's not showing signs of being tired then he might just be one of those people that doesn't need much sleep - are you or his dad that way inclined? I'm sure the kids who actually suffer from sleep deprivation are the ones whose parents just let them run riot, don't have a proper bedtime etc. It doesn't sound like that happens in your house, so you can't actually force him to have more sleep can you.

isthistoonosy · 17/08/2016 19:25

At 19 months my eldest slept 1930-500 with no nap. That continued for at leat six months but gradually his bedtime got earlier and now at almost three he has the occasional weekend lie in until 600/630.
If your lo is happy id go with it but be prepared for more change later.

jollo · 17/08/2016 19:26

My daughter had a nap til she was 3, only dropped it when she started nursery. Loved the afternoon downtime

InsaneDame · 17/08/2016 19:29

I'm a very routine led person - no running riot in my house! Sunday he had no nap, Monday he had 1.5hrs, Tuesday 30 minutes and today 10 minutes. Put him to bed at 7 and he is still chatting to himself. I guess he does need less sleep than most, although he will be difficult to wake up in the morning. Me and DH love our sleep (or used to before we had kids who won't let us do it....!).

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isthistoonosy · 17/08/2016 19:29

We spent a few.weekends forcing naps (serious two of us getting winter cloths on, into pushchair etc, while he dropped and rolled while screaming) (I'm not proud!) it made no diff to nights, or his general behaviour, or his ability to learn and do things.

InsaneDame · 17/08/2016 19:31

isthis he isn't a morning child thankfully - I'm usually trying to prise him out of bed at 7.30/8. I would rather have him ho to sleep earlier and wake a bit earlier but the clock change should sort that out I expect.

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isthistoonosy · 17/08/2016 19:36

Oh if your struggling with mornings def drop the nap and to bed earlier that's helped far too much with our kids.
Although clock changes have rarely affected them, sadly.

Now your turn how do.i stop my little monster waking at 4am, she has done it since a at least two days old and is 18months now. Diff houses/rooms/routines etc -- roll on her being able to.go.down and get the kettle.on

InsaneDame · 17/08/2016 19:45

I've always treated any wakings before 6am as a night waking so no lights, drinks, talking, nothing. We used to settle him by patting his bum if he woke in the night so did the same in early morning too.

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GlummyMummy · 17/08/2016 20:02

I'm going through the same thing with my daughter (2.2) at the moment!!

One day she just suddenly refused to go for her nap in her cot (howling the place down.) It caught me off guard to be honest...I was expecting a sign that she was dropping it, such as refusing to go to bed at night, but her night routine is unchanged.

After two weeks of no nap, I've managed to get her to sleep in her buggy but she's not doing that till 3pm (two hours later than usual nap time.)

I think if your little one isn't grumpy without the nap, then I wouldn't worry too much.

At least you are getting him to go to sleep at nap time, is this in a cot? I would think 10 mins/30 mins is ok if that's all he needs. It's a shame to lose your peaceful hour or two though isn't it!!!

InsaneDame · 18/08/2016 08:48

Glummy I usually cuddle him to sleep for nap then put him in his cot but he has been waking when I'm putting him down and not dropping back off. I'm going to give up on the cot naps now as we are putting him in a bed in the weekend anyway so just going to do car naps from now on - much less stress! I don't know how he keeps going to be honest, no nap yesterday didn't go to sleep until 8.30, was up in the night about 3 times then up for the day at 6.30am. He is getting less sleep than my 7yo! Not to mention I feel pretty zombie like at the moment.... It's just a phase..... It's just a phase..... Please it's just a phase!!

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InsaneDame · 18/08/2016 13:32

He's had 45 minutes in the car so hopefully will be ok until bedtime and start adjusting to an earlier sleep time in the evening. I remember this stage vaguely with my eldest - nightmare!

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GlummyMummy · 18/08/2016 20:13

When you lay him in cot, does he protest angrily? Perhaps you should just come out and leave him in the cot if he's happy enough as I suppose quiet time is better than nothing. That's good if car naps are working, it's not really practical for me unless I am out in car anyway as my daughter can take 20-30 mins to drop off and don't want to waste petrol driving aimlessly! Fingers crossed my daughter is still sleeping through ok...hope I'm not tempting fate saying that! Poor you, zombie state is hard going.

InsaneDame · 22/08/2016 20:59

He wouldn't even let me lay him in the cot during the day - he would just stay standing up asking to be let out and get frustrated/upset. He didn't even nap in the car today despite seeming tired. Everything I read says kids should still be napping until at least 3yo

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waitingforsomething · 23/08/2016 07:12

DD went from a 1.5 hour nap to no nap at all very suddenly at 2.4. She was quite a sleepy kid too! It's not that young I know loads of kids who stopped napping before 3. (My mum says I didn't nap at all past 12 months)

InsaneDame · 23/08/2016 07:55

Well he slept 7.45pm until 7.30am after no nap yesterday (although woke twice briefly). I guess he is making up the nap loss quite well by tacking onto his night sleep - with a nap he was having about 10hrs a night. I guess I will just go with it for now.

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GlummyMummy · 23/08/2016 19:02

does anyone know if early wakings are a sign that nap needs dropped?

If he's sleeping okay at night then I wouldn't worry too much (frustrating though it is for you to lose your hours peace!)

waitingforsomething - did your daughter's night sleep start to change before she dropped nap, eg refusing to go to bed at night or anything?

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