What did you do with your toddler when they stopped daytime napping?

[hairtwiddler]

DD (2.2) has decided to stop sleeping during the day. After getting over the inital feeling of being absolutely gutted that I will no longer have time for a quiet cuppa and time on mn during the day , I'm now coming to terms with the fact my daytime routine is going to be a bit different from now on [large sigh emoticon].
She clearly needs some downtime, as she's worn out by 4pm. I think she will nap somedays, but am not sure how to engineer this, unless she drops off in the car.
Today I've introduced 'quiet time'. We're in mummy's room, with the curtains drawn, and we've had about 20m of stories while lying in bed. She's now playing on her inflatable ready bed, pretending to go to sleep with her teddy.
Tips and ideas gratefully received.

[policywonk]

I remember finding the transition quite difficult both times (I have two sons, both of whom stopped napping at around the same age as your DD). The big problem for me was the period between 5-ish and bedtime, when they were both desperate for sleep. I found that if I left either of them alone for any length of time, I'd come back to find them sparked out on the sofa.

The best solution I found was to play with them pretty intensively - nothing too exciting or they'd get overwound, but just purposeful, low-key stuff like colouring, painting, play dough, reading and so on to keep them awake and hopefully not whiney.

Chocolate was occasionally used as a last resort

Your 'quiet time' idea sounds good. If you find that she does drop off in the car or anywhere else, you might want to be ruthless about it and wake her up after 15 mins or so, or she might have trouble getting to sleep later on. Both of mine would be awake until midnight if they had as much as 20 minutes asleep after about noon.

[hairtwiddler]

Thanks. We've been so steeped in routine here that her only cues to sleep seem to be if put in her cot after stories, or while in the car. She doesn't seem to be a child who will cuddle in or lie down on the sofa and sleep. So instead she gets really tired and has tantrums.
I've brought bedtime forward to 6:30pm, which she's ready for. She's watching a DVD now, having decided 'quiet time' was a bit too quiet for her. Glad to hear I'm not the only one finding this tough.

[moljam]

you sound fantastic.my ds has kind of stopped although hes occasionally having 30 minutes-not the 2 hours everyday i was used too!the only thing im doing differently is tearing my hair out

[hairtwiddler]

Yes... am also feeling slightly 'on the edge' of hair tearing!

[kindersurprise]

My 3.5yo DS still naps, but only at home, not at kindergarten. Last week he fell asleep on the couch at 6.30pm. He normally goes to bed at 8pm so I think I need to bring his bedtime forward.

DD (5.10yo) still has a quiet time when DS is asleep, 30 mins in her room. She can look at a book or listen to a CD. She likes listening to story CDs. Occasionally, if we have been very busy, she falls asleep.

It does get easier as they get older. You have a "hair-tearing-out" phase at the moment but once they start to play alone more then you will still find time for that cup of tea and MN

[fludnelb]

My DD dropped her nap around the same time - we tried 'quiet time' but it never really worked - she would lie still for a minute and then start jumping around again. Telly will always keep her quite for a while, but I have ishooooos with her watching too much - so used story CDs instead - she might not stay in bed while listening to them but at least will play quietly in her room - giving me time for a quick cuppa! Same issue as policywonk - if she falls asleep in the car in the afternoon I am ruthless about waking her up or bedtimes go out the window... Good luck; it is hard going at first but now she managed to keep going most days without having a meltdown!

[MingMingtheWonderPet]

OK, I'll admit it. I let DD watch tv for about 45 mins or so now that she is dropping her daytime nap.
She gets home from pre-school at about 1.30pm and watches Go, Diego Go, or a bit of Peppa Pig. or whatever. She is nearly 3, btw.
I find it makes her sit down for a bit else she would be running round using up more energy and then would be flaked out by 5pm!

[BITCAT]

Jigsaws, books, crayons, paper and when the weather fine going for a walk or a trip to the park does the trick for me!! And then maybe some tv from 5.30-6.00pm, then dinner, pudding and bath a little quite time before bed and a cuddle with daddy then it's off to bed!!

[hairtwiddler]

Am liking the idea of story cds, may investigate those...
She was so tired by 5pm tonight, cuddled into her father on the sofa. In bed by 6:30, which makes the evening longer for mn!

[Nanoon]

my DS (3.5) has 'quiet time' in his room where he is allowed to play quietly or look at books. More often than not he ends up geeting into bed and falling asleep. We let him take himself up to his room on his own for this and he loves this so happily trots off up the stairs.

He is a full on little boy so without this i would really struggle as i also have a 9 wk DS.

[tassisssss]

Ds stopped sleeping but would lie in bed for an hour while his CD played. I'd bribe him with a snack - something like cut up apple that's not messy but takes a lot of eating and a small foil wrapped chocolate or similar. He'd play with toys, "read" books etc. Worked for us, but he was very easy. Can't see dd agreeing to similar.

[lucyellensmum]

about 6.30 bedtime HOW on earth do you manage that? Im lucky if DD is in bed before 8/30, and if she falls asleep in the day, its more like 10! or even later. She gets up about 8, later than id like.

Im liking the idea of quiet time though

[farfaraway]

Probably going against the grain here but have you tried being a bit more insistent about the nap. She may not sleep at first or on the first day but I would put her in the cot/bed anyway and insist a bit more. If she is ready to flake by 5pm then she still needs it.
I know it makes me sound like mean mummy but you as the parent knows best. I did not insist on my DD1 and she dropped her naps early and when I look back I can see that she was so tired but I did not pull rank enough to insist. DD2 (almost three) still sleeps and I will insist with DD3 also when she hits the same age.
Not a popular point of view but I live in a place where the kids nap until the age of four. Little beds provided even at school because the nap is considered so important.

[ruddynorah]

dd dropped her day time nap very early at 19 months. at first she'd nap every other day or every third. now, at 21 months not at all however, after lunch her routine is so ingrained she asks to go to bed, stays there for half an hour, sometimes 45 minutes, just singing, playing with her soft toys etc. when she's had enough quiet time she'll shout for me and that's that.

she's never been much of a napper. only ever had about half an hour from a very early age. and her bedtime has always been early, about 6.30. then sleeps until about 8am.