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Original poster

DS dropping his last nap and no clue how to fill the day - any tips?

24 replies

marykitty · 18/03/2022 06:41

Hi everyone
My DS will be 3 next month and he is now dropping his last nap.
But....how do you fill this gap? He was napping 2 or 3 glorious hours and now he wants to play with me all the time. How do you organize your days when your toddler is not napping?
I have a newborn at home and need tips how to navigate this transition.

I love my son to pieces and happy to be with him but I was using his nap time to clean, tidy and cook and now the house is a disaster

Thanks a lot!

OP posts:

thebigpurpleone · 18/03/2022 06:43

Is he at home with you every day? No nursery or pre-school?

Duracellbunnywannabe · 18/03/2022 06:47

Bed time is normally earlier. We tend to do morning activity, home for lunch and then play in the house/garden in the afternoon but we have a school run in the afternoon. You can do full fay activities or go out again in afternoon.

Picklerickflag · 18/03/2022 06:50

Go out everyday. Ideally first thing in the morning then stay out until lunch time.
Then in the afternoon come home, put toys out and sit on the floor with them.
Do the absolute minimum of house work.
Send them into nursery as soon as they get free hours.

I had a two year age gap and this is what I did. I also worked in the evenings so my house was generally a shit tip.

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NoLunch · 18/03/2022 06:52

It's exhausting! I get mine involved with jobs more, when the napping stops. Its nowhere near as efficient, but sort of works. They get the duster, the sweeping brush, the window spray (I just use vinegar in water, so it's perfectly safe), and they sort laundry (they can recognise whose clothes are whose at least, even though they can't fold it too!), so we just slowly potter through jobs.

Is a big change for you though, so I do sympathise! I also added in some TV time where nap used to be, just so I can drink a hot drink in peace..!

Twizbe · 18/03/2022 06:53

When my two dropped their naps we did quiet time instead. We'd put on a film and snuggle together to watch.

Hercisback · 18/03/2022 06:54

You've done well to get this far, mine dropped his at 18 months!

byvirtue · 18/03/2022 06:58

I miss nap times so you have my sympathies. I tried to instigate quiet time in their bedroom where they play alone. That didn’t work so I now resort to CBeebies. It’s not ideal but by 3/4 in the afternoon I need a break!

LollyLol · 18/03/2022 06:59

Spend as much time outdoors as possible now the weather is nicer, it makes them less crazy indoors.

My DS will spend a lot of quiet time then:

Sticker books
Paper and crayons
play dough
a magnetic drawing board, those books that you can paint water on the picture and then they dry out and you can use them again
A pair of child safe scissors and a heal of colourful junk mail to chop up

My DS will also help me cook, he has a child-care knife so he can chop up vegetables and I give him things to mix and stir and he can lay the basics on the table (although then we all eat off plastic plates!)

When he wants to play with me, I try to absolutely throw myself into it for ten minutes then he is less annoyed when i suggest a game that involves me less (cooking me a meal in his toy kitchen for example)

A long bath before bedtime

NotMyDayJob · 18/03/2022 07:00

Mine dropped her last nap just before the first lockdown at 2.5. it was horrendous.

Because of the particular challenges of that situation we enforced bedroom quiet time (so she wasn't having a nap but she was in her room and we all got a bit of respite) for about one hour in the afternoon and also brought bedtime forward.

Would also endorse getting out in the morning, even if you can't do much (like we couldn't)

LollyLol · 18/03/2022 07:00

Loads of typos in that post, oh for an "edit" button!

TonkaTruckduck · 18/03/2022 07:02

Playgroup if he doesn't already go. At 3 they really benefit from it IMO.

Mol1628 · 18/03/2022 07:03

I agree with getting them out all morning , something tiring. Then come home, have lunch then have some quiet time. Put the tv on if that’s gives you a bit of a break!

That’s how I got through it. My eldest stopped naps when I had a newborn too.

GentlyGentlyOhDear · 18/03/2022 07:04

I also did afternoon quiet time of TV or film with duvets on the sofa so I could sit with a cuppa and zone out on my phone. Then we would go out to the playground before dinnertime.

Thatsplentyjack · 18/03/2022 07:08

At nearly 3 you can just tell him to go and play because mum is busy cooking/cleaning/doing washing . Stick him up at the table with some drawing stuff or puzzles, put something on the telly for him. You don't need to constantly entertain children.

A580Hojas · 18/03/2022 07:15

At 3 your son should qualify for 5 x half days at school nursery? If not, can he go to a pre-school for at least a couple of sessions per week? It's hard when they drop their naps but actually, as with all stages of parenting, you quickly get used to it!

Lazypuppy · 18/03/2022 07:19

You carry on as you were,he's 3yo,pop the tv on or get him to help you, or tell him he has to play on his own for a bit.

When my dd dropped her last nap we used it as quiet time, normally up in her bedroom either toys or her kindle so on the weekends when she is home all day we still got a break

AuntieMarys · 18/03/2022 07:20

I had lots of friends with dcs same age, so we'd swop children to give us a break or all get together.

Original poster

marykitty · 18/03/2022 07:27

Thank you everyone!

To answer a few questions

We live outside UK, so we do not have free nursery hours
He was going to daycare 3x week before my maternity leave, now going 1x week. I found a playgroup for him, 2 hours 2xweek but starting in August.

He loves to be outdoor so we go out every day - gives me a break too

You are right, it will be fine. I guess I just need time to adjust.
We had a very stable routine for a while.
He was sleeping until 8AM before so I could get me and baby ready for the day before he was waking up...now he is up at 7AM and i have to "park" him in front of the TV to get us ready. So I feel bad in offering him TV again in the afternoon.

I will try to offer him different games and activities to keep him busy for a while and then I guess we will just go to the playgroung earlier than usual.

The house will be a tip for a while untile i get the hang of it

OP posts:

Hugasauras · 18/03/2022 07:29

DD dropped hers before 2; it was very upsetting!

If I need to get stuff done and want to contain her in one place, I just set her up at kitchen table with pens and paper/playdoh/crafting stuff and do what I need to do!

Partyatnumber10 · 18/03/2022 07:30

Get him into some sort of nursery place, he'll benefit from the socialisation.
I really feel for you, I mourned that last nap when it got dropped
You do soon develop a new routine though.
Often children initially replace it with "quiet time" either in their bedroom with books and music or a bit of time watching tv.
As pp said though now is the time to start training your child to play alone and not expect mummy to be a 24/7 entertainment system.

BendingSpoons · 18/03/2022 07:33

We insisted on quiet time. They went to their room and looked at books.or played with toys alone. It would generally be 45 mins to 1 hour, so shorter, but gave a much needed break! A friend did similar but with TV. It was a bit of treat so the child sat still!

Longingforsunshine · 18/03/2022 07:38

like PPs have said, we replaced nap time with quiet time where I let DD have the TV on and I can tidy/clean while she sits still. She does seem to need some chilled time as she’s quite on the go otherwise. Although if we are out and about you can guarantee she will fall asleep in the car still

CoffeeDay · 18/03/2022 07:41

It's tough! Our routine is typically to get out of the house as soon as possible after breakfast. Neighbourhood walk, park, supermarket if it's a slow day or a longer trip like zoo, scenic spot, another town if DH is also around. Get home in time for lunch or early afternoon. DD has dropped naps for 6months now but still clearly tired. She'll happily sleep in the car during a longer drive so that works if we're coming home from someplace far. Otherwise it's just "quiet time" after lunch where we play in her room or she gets to watch her ipad. I lower the blinds so everything is darker. Sometimes we sit in bed and I read books like before naptime but she won't really sleep afterwards.

Another thing that worked is bringing bathtime ahead. After quiet time I run a bath and let her play in there for 30-60mins with bubbles, foam, toys etc. Very good at killing time and I get a small break. Around late afternoon she wakes up a bit so we might go outside again for a little bit and then dinner at 6. The good part is that bathtime is already done so as soon as she starts looking sleepy I just pack her off to bed.

CatRatSplat · 18/03/2022 07:57

As well as "helping" with jobs, I did a bit of TV time, books and I had toys out and let my DD learn to play on their own without being directed.

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