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Original poster

To stop afternoon naps at 24 months!

65 replies

Ayla182 · 29/04/2021 18:55

DS is 24 months old. He has always had slight sleep issues. We had to drop his 2nd nap at 6 months and life turned a lot easier as it was a complete struggle putting him to sleep.

For the past month it has become an absolute nightmare putting him to bed. He howls, screams starts shaking bangs his head for 2/3 hours until he finally gives up and goes to sleep. He then ends up sleeping until 5/6pm which then ruins his night bedtime.

I am considering giving the day naps up because its so exhaustign and stressful to see him go through the stress. However it worried me that he will be awake from 7am up until 7pm every day!

Any advice??

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 29/04/2021 18:56

DD dropped naps at 2. She just didn't need them.

ChrissyPlummer · 29/04/2021 18:58

Why not just say he’s 2?

Iknowtheanswer · 29/04/2021 18:59

DS dropped his nap at 20 months. He was fine. DS kept his until he was 4 years old..

Original poster
Ayla182 · 29/04/2021 18:59

@RampantIvy Did she struggle with it at all? and if you dont mind can I know what her wake and sleep times were?

Thank you :)

OP posts:
IhaveaBigBum · 29/04/2021 19:02

Try dropping the nap one day a week and drop it gradually. Also would try capping it at 45 mins to an hour first.
@ChrissyPlummer there's a big difference in sleep needs between a 34 month old and say a 35 month old, so it's appropriate for the thread topic.

IhaveaBigBum · 29/04/2021 19:03

24 month old and 35 month old I meant to say

Puntastic · 29/04/2021 19:04

Try going out in the car or with a buggy at 11 a.m. and see if he falls asleep. If he does, he will wake earlier and not struggle so much at bedtime. If he doesn't, keep him up until bedtime from that point.

Problem is that, in my experience, it's not like a switch flicking and there's a good few weeks or months where they will occasionally need the nap, but not every day. Very frustrating.

Original poster
Ayla182 · 29/04/2021 19:06

@Iknowtheanswer

I guess it just depends on the childs needs then. For now it seems DS doesnt need a nap

@IhaveaBigBum

The thing is when he does eventually sleep he is so exhausted from crying he sleeps a good 3/4 hours. We tried waking him up after 90 minutes yet he ends up grumpy and moody all day.

I think I will try for a week. Thank you for the suggestion

OP posts:
Original poster
Ayla182 · 29/04/2021 19:07

@Puntastic

Try going out in the car or with a buggy at 11 a.m. and see if he falls asleep. If he does, he will wake earlier and not struggle so much at bedtime. If he doesn't, keep him up until bedtime from that point.

Problem is that, in my experience, it's not like a switch flicking and there's a good few weeks or months where they will occasionally need the nap, but not every day. Very frustrating.

He does sleep in his buggy! However then when we get in and try to transfer him to his bed he wakes up and ends up grumpy all day
OP posts:
thenonsensepotter · 29/04/2021 19:07

@ChrissyPlummer

Why not just say he’s 2?
Yeah I think after 12 months surely you just go to 1.5, etc.

OP listen to what he's telling you. It's not you dropping the nap, he's dropped it. He's probably only sleeping because he's worn himself out screaming. There's no way he should be left in a cot howling and screaming for up to three hours.

kowari · 29/04/2021 19:07

DS dropped naps at home before two, unless he was in the car for an hour in the afternoon, then he sometimes dropped off to sleep for a cat nap. Napped at the child minder as they all did, but then wouldn't sleep until after 9pm on those days.

Starlightstarbright1 · 29/04/2021 19:08

How long is he napping for ?

You could cut naps down.

00100001 · 29/04/2021 19:08

@ChrissyPlummer

Why not just say he’s 2?
Because it makes it obvious he's just turned 2 and not that he's almost 3....
00100001 · 29/04/2021 19:09

@thenonsensepotter there's a huge difference between a 12 and an 18 month old Confused

twinmum2007 · 29/04/2021 19:11

The going out in the car in the morning is a good idea. I was tearing my hair out with my twins not sleeping in the day when they were babies until a lovely health visitor suggested putting them both back to bed at around 9.30am. My God it was a revelation. They slept for a couple of hours in the late morning then woke up in time for lunch and that way it didn't matter if they had a bit of a nap in the after noon or not, they were ready for sleep at 7pm. They didn't completely give them up until.tbey were nearly 4! Not as simple as that now yours is 2, but worth a try. If he has 2 shorter naps in the day, he may sleep better at night.

Rootsmanouvre · 29/04/2021 19:12

I’d have did jut turned 2 but that’s neither here nor there!

My almost 3 year old, started refusing naps at just turned 2. We just went with her and sometimes she had a quick nap on the sofa or in the car i

KingdomScrolls · 29/04/2021 19:12

Have you tried a different nap time? If I put DS down much before 1:30 he's not tired enough, get to two thirty and I've missed a window , I also never let him sleep past 3/3:30 some days he doesn't have a nap but if it's more than one he starts to get ratty and over tired. It sounds like your DS might be over tired if he's getting so upset

Rootsmanouvre · 29/04/2021 19:13

Still does. Her big by time sleep which had always been awful, vastly improved when she stopped napping.

User0ne · 29/04/2021 19:14

Why not just leave him to sleep in his buggy? I did this with Ds1 and 2; literally just left it in the yard (could see through the kitchen window).

Outside naps are common in many countries, just make sure they're suitably wrapped up

MuckleMadMoose · 29/04/2021 19:15

If he falls asleep in his buggy I would just leave him there and not bother trying to transfer him.

Notmyusual80 · 29/04/2021 19:15

My DS dropped naps at 20 months. Took me ages to realise that him spending an hour singing at nap time before dropping off was a clue that he didn't want to nap anymore. The good thing was that once we dropped naps, he was really tired in the afternoons and to prevent overtiredness he would go to bed at 6pm and sleep a good 11/12 hours.

Some people suggested I should put him down later so he would get up later but I knew from bitter experience that trying to force a tired child to go to sleep later will only result in a really bad night's sleep! His bedtime naturally got later anyway over time.

Thesheerrelief · 29/04/2021 19:15

There's a big sleep regression at 2. My son's sleep went haywire for about 5 weeks and then settled down again. He eventually dropped his nap just before 3.

CharlieChickenson · 29/04/2021 19:15

Just drop it. Why would you let a child scream and bang it's head for up to three hours a day? If you think he needs a rest in the day, routine some quiet time of TV, books and quiet toys to play with.

And if he's more tired on an evening with dropping naps, move bedtime up.

Cannotgarden · 29/04/2021 19:16

I've dropped naps with both my DC at 18 months as it meant they just would never go to sleep so they were up the same number of hours, just ruining my evening spending it in a darkened room trying to get them to nod off. They only ever napped in the pram anyway, while it was moving, so I was glad to drop them as it meant I didn't have to walk in the rain for an hour

ChikiTIKI · 29/04/2021 19:16

You shouldn't leave them screaming in bed for hours on end. That's not good. Just accept he doesn't need the nap any more. He will get grumps in the evenings for a while but will start sleeping longer at night.

And definitely don't let him nap until 5 or 6pm!!! Of course he won't settle at bed time if you do that! I've always done 2 hours maximum naps and latest time waking them up is 4pm. Bed time at 6/6:30pm.