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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

Dropping Nap - what on eatth do I do?

10 replies

EgonSpengler · 12/03/2013 16:07

Hello there lovely mners! I was wondering if you have any advice... My dd is 2.5 and is a very good sleeper. She usually naps for 2 hrs in the afternoon, but recently these have been getting later and later with her wanting to sleep at 4pm. If left she wakes at 5.30pm / 6pm. This is no good to me as she's grumpy when she wakes, won't eat her tea and doesn't settle until 9pm. Should I try and keep her awake all day and then get her down at 7pm? Any advice most welcome!

Thank you E x

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Original poster

EgonSpengler · 12/03/2013 16:09

*earth! Ghastly predictive text

OP posts:

fififrog · 12/03/2013 16:12

Sounds like a good plan. Or even 6.30!

Pascha · 12/03/2013 16:20

DS1 is 2.5 and I wouldn't want him sleeping any later than 4pm at the very most. He naps for 2 hours, 4 or 5 days in a week usually, weekends are more likely to be catnaps in the car. He would go every day without a proper long nap but he's too grumpy to cope with that so I put him to bed by about 1pm and he will settle luckily.

I think if she doesn't want to sleep any earlier its probably time to start dropping it and just having some quiet time just after lunch. Not looking forward to that myself yet though.

lynniep · 12/03/2013 16:34

ah, the dropping the nap months.
Not long ago for me - DS2 started dropping his nap at 2.5 as well. It took about four months to completely get his system into a new routine. He goes to nursery, so initially he would stay up all day at nursery, then on the Wednesday (my day off) I'd let him nap. In fact I'd drive him to sleep to make sure he conked out about 2pm rather than any later. I did try shortening his nap, but he'd just resist me waking him, or be foul until bedtime. He would also nap for one or both days at the weekend.
Eventually, he started resisting sleeping on the car trips and the naps disappeared completely.
If you can't do say, alternate napping days, I'd try to drop completely and get her to bed early. 6pm if needs be. Not unreasonable for a 2 year old. If doing this, I'd try to lightly rouse her at 10pm too, to try and reset her clock a bit and stop her waking at 4am!

DerbyNottsLeicsNightNanny · 12/03/2013 16:39

My sons a bit older (3yrs 2.5months) but we are definitely dropping naps as otherwise he wont settle until 9-10pm which then means he is tired the next day (unless its a day where he can have a lie in).

He has just asked me if he can have a sleep now (4.30pm) as this is the time of day he is most shattered but I am not letting him - its hard to keep him going when he is so tired but its better for all of us to have him in bed & properly asleep for 7-7.30pm.

I do miss the daytime naps though, he was having about 2hrs each afternoon until 2yrs 9months, it all went pear shaped for us when we moved him from a cot to toddler bed at that point- just wouldnt stay in the bed for daytime naps. But obviously he would have reached a no nap point anyway at some time I was just hoping he would have daytime naps until he started school

Original poster

EgonSpengler · 12/03/2013 16:54

Thank you so much everyone!! That's all fantastic advice. As of tomorrow it'll be goodbye naps and I'll have to keep her going at 4pm. So dreaded the naps going! Used to have a lovely 2 hr period to tidy up and do some work. Oh well. I knew it was coming I guess. stupidly I let her sleep today so it'll be an evening of tears (both of ours)

Egon x

OP posts:

neshi · 12/03/2013 17:02

My son is 2.9 now and over the last 2 months he has definitely dropped his nap. He was always a great sleeper and also slept 3 hours every day. Then, as you describe, naps became later and later, with me having to wake him up at 4.30 otherwise night time would be a disaster! Then I would wake him up and he would be in a foul mood...just as you describe. Even if I woke him up, bedtime our at night was turning into a fight, with him going down only at 10 pm and leaving me and hubby nervous, tired and with no evening time alone.
At some point I decided to just stop the fight of him going to bed at nap time, allowing him to choose and in 2 weeks he had dropped the nap. First days I caught him falling asleep on the couch by 6 because he was tired of course, but then I guess his system just got used to it and he's now a happy bunny until bedtime our (8pm). He now goes to bed happy with no fight at all and sleeps the complete night as he has done for a long time.
Maybe she's reaching the same stage? I know it's hard to let go of the naps...It was my only "quiet time" by myself, but it will go eventually, in my case early, but on the other hand I got back my quiet evenings!

ChazDingle · 12/03/2013 21:09

my DS is 2.9 and dropped his naps about a year ago!

He got to the point where if he slept in day in wouldn't go to sleep till 9 or 10 at night. Now he goes down between 7 and 8 and will sleep till about 7.30 in the morning.

I find from talking to other people that if you have an early riser they tend to struggle more to last the day

brettgirl2 · 12/03/2013 21:26

You're lucky she kept napping this long

Skiffle · 12/03/2013 22:38

Where does she nap, will she fall asleep in the buggy or car at an earlier time of day? If so you could try that to 'force' a nap and then wake her after an hour or so. But if not then you'll have to go with the dropping naps suggestions. It's a tough time, you have my sympathies (and my fear of when DD2 comes to this point!).

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