To think that 1pm parties for 2yo are just wrong

[sometimesalways]

Ok I suspect this will prove controversial but I am genuinely at a loss here.

DS soon turns 2.5yo. He sleeps reasonably well, that is about 11 hours every night (7.30-6.30 or so) and 1.5hr on average for naps (usually 1-2.30). I thought this was pretty much the norm for his age group. I know he will drop the nap soon but he still does need it for now and he certainly did six months ago.

So the thing is we are often being invited to parties (a wonderful thing in itself of course!), for kids around his age and younger, which start at 1pm. Of course I always want to go as he has fun etc but how on earth do I fit the nap there? If I put him down earlier, it's too early and he won't fall asleep. If I try keeping him up, he just goes crazy as too tired to last till bedtime.

But my main question is, what routine do the parents who set the party at that time follow to make it work?? It seems to be happening a lot so I am starting to think that our nap might be the unusual one? I am genuinely asking as I don't understand and I don't want to ask them - don't want to seem ungrateful or rude as it's all people I like. I am just wondering what am I doing wrong

Does your 2.5yo do naps and when?

My DS stopped napping by about 20 months. I’d love it if he napped for 1.5 hours per day!

@dontrain. Wouldn’t they then fall asleep on way home so 4ish? Whiz. Wouldn’t mean waking up and grumpy child or sleeping and not going to bed till much later

In op case. And I’ve done this Before for friends party that started at

SNack 1130. In car for 12’ and Go for a drive And sleep in car 12-1
And read a book outside hall /friends house

Nine of mine napped past about 18 months old.

My DC are grown up but I did parties 3-5 pm at that age on the basis most who are still napping would be likely done napping by around 2 and hopefully have some time to ‘come to’ and get into their party togs by 3 ish. I do think 1pm could well be mid nap time for a proportion of 2 year olds who might well be grumpy/sad if woken too soon.

It’s not wrong just because it doesn’t fit in with your child’s routine. In 2.5 years have you never gone out for the day? How restrictive.

DS1 stopped napping when he was 18 months old.

My 14 month old normally naps 11-1 but can cope if he is woke a. Bit earlier... But then he doesn't sleep through the night either so it would be hard to make night time sleep worse 🙈

2? I’m 52 and I still like a nap!

Really surprised to see so many people say that their children had stopped napping at age 2. DS is 2 and 7 months and goes to nursery 4 days a week. They all sleep from about 12.30 to 2 (I’ve seen it, it’s amazing, all those little bodies snoozing away under blankets on the floor!) and I know they also nap in the preschool room which they move up to about 3 months before turning 3.

On days he is with me he refuses to sleep in his bed but will drop off in buggy or car. I don’t stick to rigid times and on occasion we try to go right through, although that has often worked out badly for me as he might just conk out at about 5pm and then he ends up with a horrendously late nap and correspondingly late bedtime.

If we had somewhere to be at 1pm I’d be treating that as lunchtime and expecting him to sleep 2.30 to 3.15 ish. These parties don’t last all that long so they?

But come to think of it he’s never been invited to a party, at 1pm or any other time!

How many do you have Thesearms if 9 of them napped past 18 months? Presumably these arms are long and strong ones?!

@Lalliella

bloody autocorrect! Just the three here.

It's naptime here, and tbh I'd decline the invite unless it was a close friend. I need the break from DD, she's a whingy mess if she doesn't nap, and that little 10 minute snooze on the way home from the party could see her staying up past 11pm. Pass!

@blonds

No, mine hasn’t car napped in a long long time. How I wish!

Sounds like perfect timing to me - my DD probably wasn't napping at all then, but if she did it would be up at 6, nap 11-12.30 then lunch then up until bed time at 6-7.

Everyone is different.

All mine napped at 2.

I wasn’t a slave to the nap time though.

DD1 napped usually at that time, but would have been fine to miss it as a one off. She'd probably have slept on the way home instead.
Dd2 had dropped naps for a year at that point.
Dd napped in the mornings and would have been fine. He never would sleep in the afternoon.

Ha as expected naps divide opinion! And of course you are all right, every child is different etc
Which is exactly why I never openly complain of course and never say anything to the parents - it's their party and their choice/rules.

Just thought MN would be the perfect place for thinking out loud and a little poll...

We do go to the 1pm parties and of course we can be flexible as anyway this is not something that happens everyday. And we will certainly be more free to do stuff and be out and about all day as soon as he shows signs of not needing the nap. But he def still does for now..

We just try and do a shorter one and arrive a little late (I usually warn the parents so they know) or skip and deal with the consequences of a meltdown in late afternoon at home. Although @thewinkingprawn you are absolutely right and if they are having fun they do forget to be cranky! Some times.

All in all it has never stopped us from going. Just always confused me and I wouldn't have planned a party at that time myself - but I obviously wouldn't dream of expecting everyone I know to follow my schedule

My 2.5 yr old naps 10:30-12 when at home. A 1pm party would be perfect.

My two year old naps from about 12-2pm so yeah a 1pm party would be rubbish timing for us too but if it's just every now and again I would keep him awake and deal with the 5pm meltdown later 🙈

For me would be perfect timing.
At around 24 months was napping 90% of the time (never ever 1.5 hours though!), by 2 and a half down to maybe napping 40% of days and within a few months down to very, very rare naps.
Since from 1 year the nap was always a short one I was never that bothered when or where it happened. I’d scheduled things at 1 before and just facilitated a cat nap at 11. Or just powered through.
1pm generally good timing though as if he was going to get overtired by 1pm he’d still be happy and often parties include food so early lunch at home and then snack/ party food an hour later.

My 2 year old and all of her 2 year old friends nap roughly 12:30pm-2pm so a 1pm party is madness.

Mine had both stopped napping by 20 months.

My ds naps from 11.30-1.30 and he just turned 2. I hate these party times too!

Those who nap at 11/1130. Are your dc up before 7?

Dd2 needs a good 5/6hrs to be ready for bed and notice she takes longer to settle if wakes 745/8am

Plus do you do lunch early so 11ish or have late lunch 1/130

I’m forever grateful dd sleeps well (tho if she didn’t I would never hear the end of it as a maternity nanny)

12hrs night and 2hrs nap. The odd time she wakes /gets woken by skip arriving or bloody hammering of doorbia amazon and gets an hr the teatime 5/6 is hard so she still needs 2hrs every day

Once she got past the newborn stage my DD’s naps lasted 40 mins if I was lucky. I was so jealous of friends’ babies who slept for 3 hours. And she dropped her nap by about 20 months.

I wouldn't be able to go to a party at 1. DD turned 2 last month and still has 1.5-2.5 hours nap. She can skip her nap but with burn out by 5ish and bed time is 7 so why would I want to put myself through 2 hours of crankiness