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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

When did your toddler stop daytime naps?

23 replies

amyboo · 09/10/2011 18:04

DS is in creche 4 days a week and apparently naps fine there for up to 2 hours. Until about 2 months ago he'd happiky nap at home too. But now we can hardly ever get him to nap at home, which can mean he's exhausted by the end of the day! He's 18 months old. Could this be the end of daytime naps? I just wondered when other mumsnetters' toddlers stoppsed napping.... We've just had a meltdown at bathtime because he's exhausted. Argh.

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Sleepglorioussleep · 09/10/2011 18:09

At about that age I began my daily drives with ds! He wouldn't sleep at home but would go to sleep in car and then transfer to bed after ten mins. Not ideal but at nearly three he still naps two hours and we don't have a hideous witching hour.

kelloo1 · 09/10/2011 20:09

My DS is 2.7 and he still naps. He goes to nursery in a morning and usually sleeps for up to 2 hours at home in the afternoon. On a weekend when he's not at nursery we can usually get him to nap in a morning for roughly 2 hours. He would be a nightmare if he didn't nap!

MangoMonster · 09/10/2011 20:13

I would have thought 18 months was quite young to stop napping. Mine still naps for an hour or two and he's 2.

AngelDog · 09/10/2011 21:41

Could be a napping strike linked to the 18-21 month developmental leap. 18 months is the worst end of it I think and causes the 18 month sleep regression (more info here and here and here.)

Sleep books say most children (not all) need naps till about age 3.

I'd try the car / pram solution for the time being. If he doesn't sleep, it'll help to move bedtime earlier - I'd guess at least an hour earlier than usual.

If it is developmental, it will probably fix itself on its own.

pookamoo · 09/10/2011 21:46

DD1 has just stopped her afternoon nap at 2.10. It has co-incided exactly with the arrival of DD2

Unfortunately, she is really not ready to stop her nap, and consequentially we have hellish afternoons, although on the whole, bed times are easier (and earlier!) than before.

Mollydoggerson · 09/10/2011 21:50

My 3 year 4 month old is only droppin6 his naps now.

NomDePC · 09/10/2011 21:50

pookamoo my DS1 gave up his nap within a few weeks of DS2 being born, too. He was probably ready anyway, to be honest (it was around his 3rd birthday), but still quite bad timing!

FeelMyWraith · 09/10/2011 21:52

12 months. She was up from 7am till 9pm and never stopped.

frutilla · 09/10/2011 21:52

Mine hasn't napped since 3...

tifflins · 09/10/2011 22:13

Ds stopped napping at age 2. It was a nightmare as I knew he needed a nap but he refused. Did bring bed time early tho, 6.30' which is great.

OvOntToSuckYourBlood · 09/10/2011 22:18

My 3.11 year old still naps. He had phases when I thought he was dropping them but he always goes back to them. I'm 30 and still love an afternoon nap so I positively encourage him!

effingwotnots · 09/10/2011 22:24

When not at school, my 5 year old will nap for about 2 hours in the afternoon. ( the others stopped at about 18-24m)

mamaduckbone · 09/10/2011 22:27

My DS2 has just stopped daytime naps at 2.3 - he would still have one given half a chance but he became a complete nightmare going to bed so we're going cold turkey.

ChocolateCalculator · 09/10/2011 22:29

DS1 stopped his naps at home at 19 months, about a fortnight after DS2 was born (sob!). He went from a 3 hour nap to nothing overnight. He carried on napping at the childminder's (a couple of days a week) until he had just turned two. Now at 2.9 if he has even 15 mins during the day he really struggels to get to sleep and can be up for hours.

It took a couple of months after he stopped napping for him not to be dog-tired all afternoon.

Debs75 · 09/10/2011 22:31

DD1 was probably 3 when she stopped napping. I remember she had stopped when she started nursery although sometimes she came home and fell asleep on the settee. We had no car to drift her off to sleep just long walks then a buggy ride home.

DS1 was about 2.6, up until 2 he had 2 long naps a day and then they just seemed to stop. No car again

DD2 stopped her morning one at 6 months and altogether at 20months ish. Has just turned 3 and if she has any length of nap she is a nightmare to get to bed. If she has had a long day, or an early morning she sometimes nods off in the car

DD3 13m and happily napping 2-3 times a day. I often join her if she manages one around 3-4pm

yawningmonster · 10/10/2011 10:17

I think whatever gene is responsible for sleeping was faulty in our makeup. DS gave up all naps at 18mths and dd at 13 months. In both cases they coped really well without them and dropping them made fantastic impacts on night sleeping which until that time had been something nightmares are made of (well I guess you need to actually get some sleep in order to have nightmares so perhaps that is a bad analogy)

Iggly · 10/10/2011 11:24

DS at 2.1 still naps once a day. Sometimes if they're really overtired, they resist then crash later in the day.

I second the pushchair/driving idea. Other option is to nap a bit earlier as he might be too tired by the time you try (as I found when DS went to one nap a day).

sparkleshine · 10/10/2011 22:04

DS is 22 months and has a nap during the day, anything from 1/2-2hrs in the afternoon.
He is a nightmare around 6pm if not...like yesterday he just decided at 5.30 to sleep. Hated to wake him but too early for bed and he'd not even had his tea.

Skillbo · 10/10/2011 22:32

Am very at a lot of these posters... DD dropped hers fully about 20 months but it was only every few days from about 18 months onwards.

However, as yawningmonster said - she sleeps through a treat and is always ready for bed so you kind of take the pros with the cons!

lostlady · 10/10/2011 22:34

Mine is three and still better for a nap

scarlettsmummy2 · 10/10/2011 22:40

my daughter stopped at around 2.5. She does get a bit ratty at around 5pm, however is now in bed and asleep at 7pm every night until 7.30 next morning. Which is bliss.

mamalovesmojitos · 10/10/2011 22:41

Can't remember exactly but certainly before 18 months.

Original poster

amyboo · 11/10/2011 09:31

Hmmm, so general consensus seems to be that he's a bit young to stop napping. The thing is, he does really seem to need it, as if he doesn't nap he has a really knackered time around midday. We haven't changed anything we're doing - we still put him down in his cot after lunch as we always did, and exactly as they do at creche. I didn't know there was a big developmental step going on at this age. Will go and have a read of those pages and gently pray that his naps might miraculously come back. DC2 is due in May, and I was really hoping to get some rest time at the weekends, as I'm exhausted!

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