Anyway to convince a toddler that's dropping their nap to keep having it?!

[LaWeasel]

I suspect this is whistful thinking on my part, DD is 2.4 so I suppose that's not that early to get rid, but last week she was having 2hr naps every day! She is completely exhausted.

There isn't much room for adding more sleep over night either as she has slept 7 to 7 for an extremely long time and the last few days of no nap has made no difference to that.

I think it is wishful thinking tbh. DS1 gradually cut his down at nearly 3 yo, and still slept occasionally in the car. DS2 dropped his completely about two months later at about 2.0, having got wind of the fact that his big bro was up. At the time I remember it seeming like the worst thing in the world to not have an hour or two of headspace in the middle of the day, but honestly, that passes quickly and then it's great not having to work your day around nap time.

Darn it!

Ah well, we'll get used to it soon enough I'm sure.

we replaced nap time with rest time. He's allowed watch a dvd or something but has to lie down on sofa for it. if i go out room for 10 minutes or so then about half the time he'll drop off or at least i get some peace! sounds awful now i read it back, but I'm 31 weeks pregnant and need a rest in the day!

My DD is 2.2 and for the last two three months wouldn't nap unless we were out in the car.

But recently we moved her to a bed - and yesterday she was tired so I took her upstairs, told her to look at her books on her bed, and when she had finished to lie down and have a sleep. I then blew a kiss and shut the door.

10 mins later all was quiet and I thought I must have left the monitor off. But no - she was fast asleep!

Dribble - we sound in a similar position - am 30 weeks with DC2!

And I NEED DD to at least stay in her room looking at books for a bit while I sit down and switch off for an hour!

IMO you don't have to accept it - and it's probably a bad idea to accept it if you think she still needs to nap. Two options:

Skip the nap once or twice a week.
Shorten the nap, but still have it every day.

I used to tell ds1 that he didn't have to go to sleep, but he still needed to res. I would tell him to listen to the music while he lay down in his cot, curtains drawn and lights off. The music would be something peaceful and quite, like Chopin piano pieces. Worked every time. Eventually the sleep strike stopped and he resumed a good napping habit.

The problem I have atm, is that she has already been in a bed for several months, she can get in and out and open her door and get downstairs. So even if I insist and carry her up, she will be back down again in 20 minutes, and even if I keep sending her back she won't sleep.

She just won't stay in bed these last 5 days. We have had a fair bit of success with quiet time, and apart from the huge bags under her eyes her behaviour has been okay, so I suppose maybe she is more ready than I thought.

My DD (2.5) now has 'quiet time' in her room when she can play with some toys or look at some books but she is quiet and its down time from the running around and activity and gives me a break , some days she is really quiet and when I go to check she is curled up in bed fast asleep.

Weasel - stairgate on her door?

Like HowNow we do quiet time with dd, 3yrs. She has a toy oven and cooking stuff and she goes up to 'do cukking'. Occasionally I find her asleep with a frying pan in one hand and a cup in the other but she normally makes it to her bed before she collapses. She doesn't mind that ds, 5yrs, is still up - and he even goes up for 'rest time' when I need a break.

Sadly we have stupidly narrow doors! There are those cloth extendable type ones, but they're pricey so I think we'll see how we go with 'rest time' for now.

DD age 3.2 is dropping her nap. I know it's late but I am gutted, I'm 34 weeks & moving house & really need that afternoon off! She doesn't seem to sleep in past 6 am whether she has napped or not Same issue as above, she won't physically stay in bed. I think I need to accept my losses & move on. Grr. Feeling the pain!

At 2.4 I would lay the law down and keep putting back to bed. This is quite young to get rid of all afternoon naps. The alternative is to try every other day and tell her you are going to sleep too

I agree with others about duvet, film/ books to relax instead if putting back to bed doesn't work.

I'm glad you all still think naps are reasonable at this age. My MIL has been saying for ages that maybe DS (21mths) shouldn't be having daytime naps anymore. Touch wood his three hour naps will continue for a long time to come!!

acat they are all sooo different with sleep. Some hardly need any and some need loads. For example dd1 (5) would still go for a sleep even now going into year 1! Dd2 however is fondly known as duracel and seems to never run out of energy at only 3.4 she always lasts far better than her older sister and didn't nap from being about 2.6yrs. However, she still get forcibly put to bed if she becomes really bad tempered and irritable because she doesn't always recognise her tiredness.

Mine are at school in France. Ds started at 3 yrs and this September (he'll be 5) will be the first year when after lunch naps are optional. For the last two years all the children go to a room with mini camp beds and sleep for 1 hour minimum in the afternoon.

my godmother had 3 boys and until they went to school (and in the holidays until the youngest was 6!) she made them go to their room and read books quietly for 2 hours after lunch..how she did it I have no idea but it's a bloody brilliant alternative to a nap!