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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

If your almost 2 year old dropped the afternoon nap, what happened?

11 replies

FeelingLucky · 20/05/2009 18:48

My almost 2 year old DD decided not to nap today and I thought she would just go to bed as usual, just a little earlier ... BUT NO!!
She had an amazing tantrum just before 6pm and in the end I had to force her nappy and pyjamas on before putting her in her cot where she fell asleep straight away.

Should I have done something to prevent the tantrum? Should I have put her to bed at 5.30?
What was your 2 year old's routine when they dropped their nap?
I don;t mind her dropping her nap but I just don't want a repeat performance of tonight.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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simpson · 20/05/2009 18:53

DS dropped his nap at just before 2 as well.

His bedtime did come forward slightly from what I could remember.

But also for a few months before no nap at all he started having a nap every 2 or 3 days first.

fruitstick · 20/05/2009 19:00

Without wishing to be negative, there is a period where it's a rea pain and you can't win. I f they nap, they won't sleep at night and if they don't they melt down by 5!

DS dropped his nap every other day or so and then completely. We made sure he always had some quiet time after lunch, often just watching tv. A couple of months later he would often fall asleep on my lap while he was watching (which was lovely)

jabberwocky · 20/05/2009 19:08

what fruitstick said

busylizzy28 · 20/05/2009 19:11

yup quiet time such as reading on an afternoon and judge it from there, some days they may still need a nap others not.

Original poster

FeelingLucky · 20/05/2009 21:41

oh dear, sounds like I might be in for a period of potential meltdowns.
any tips on how these meltdowns could be averted ?

OP posts:

feedthegoat · 20/05/2009 21:44

My ds dropped naps at 2.1 and I agree with fruitstick too. I just used to calm things down about 4.30 and we'd cuddle on sofa and watch a film. He used to perk up again after he'd eaten his tea anyway so it was just an awkward hour or so to get through.

whooosh · 20/05/2009 21:45

Well my DD dropped her 2hr nap (from 2hrs to nothing in 24hrs) and I though my world had come to an end.Those 2hrs were so I found (and DD may not be the norm) that bedtime stayed the same as did overnight sleep patterns-I just lost those 2hrs of "me" time per day.
Not any help but just my experience

snickersnack · 20/05/2009 22:05

ds has just dropped his nap - he's 2 next month. He's fine in the evening - when he started showing signs of not wanting to sleep in the day, I didn't push it as he was being a monster at bedtime. Since we ditched the nap he's been easier to settle. He still goes to his cot and yells reads books for half an hour or so after lunch.

I would have been distraught had dd done this at this age - I really needed her to nap as it was the only time I had to myself. But with dd around and definitely not sleeping, I'm less bothered. In some ways it's nice to have the freedom to do things after lunch if we feel like it.

naomi83 · 21/05/2009 13:07

DS tried to drop his nap around 20months. Cue tantrums every day around 5.30/6pm. We tried putting him to bed earlier, but it was never quite early enough, so eventually we reinstated nap time (he's in a cot so easier to do), left him for 1.5 hours every day in darkened room to talk, play quietly until eventually he started falling asleep again. Some days he doesn't sleep but at least gets chill time so he's less likely to tandrum, and then we do 6pm bedtime, ie- dinner at 5, bath at 5.20/5.30, story at 5.50 and in bed by 6, as opposed to nap days, when he goes to bed between 7pm and 8pm. He doesn't resent this "quiet" time, in fact he seems to enjoy it, and we can often hear him singing/talking to himself before he goes to sleep.

nct73 · 28/05/2009 10:27

Same as whooosh. Really missed my me time for emails & phonecalls but also preg with DC2 and I needed a nap. I have found that some post lunch quite time helps to reduce bedtime hyper/tantrum/crash occuring - reading on sofa or a bit of cbeebies or going somewhere in car or buggy (last one occasionaly leads to a nap still)

Sycamoretreeisvile · 28/05/2009 10:35

Oh, poor you. This is a tough time. It's a period of transition and it is always a bit rough - not a whole lot you can do. They will be over tired by tea time and proper grotbags by bedtime.

I tried to make sure DD had some quiet time across her usual nap time. She was sometimes happy to actually go to bed, even with the curtians closed, but just play and chat with her toys. Occasionally this resulted in her eventually falling asleep, once, it was 2 hours after she'd gone in

She was perfectly happy all that time just playing away.

Eventually they just get better at lasting through the day, but if you can, do tea time a little earlier so she's not too tired to eat well.

Time to invoke the Mumsnet Mantra - These Things Shall Pass

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