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Original poster

Poll: 2 year olds do they still have an afternoon nap?

39 replies

Em32 · 26/03/2006 14:11

And what do you do during the transitional phase? Ds is now doing a poo in his nappy on purpose so we have to come and change him and he then asks to come out of his room. He is absolutely shattered at the moment as hasn't slept at lunchtime for three days. He goes until late afternoon then crashes and his behaviour is awful at the moment as he is so tired. He used to sleep before as was left in a cot but now he's in a bed it just isn't working. How do you cope with this? (He is 2 and one month)

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cece · 26/03/2006 14:20

My ds 2.5 y still has at least an hour (or two) in the afternoon..

harpsichordcarrier · 26/03/2006 14:43

imho he needs a nap
my dd1 is nearly three and still has an hour/two in the afternoon
I would treat this is as it was nighttime sleep problem - as if he wanted to get out of his bed at night
(any reason why you got him into a bed already?)

gladbag · 26/03/2006 15:01

Ds (2.1) still very much needs an afternoon sleep. He usually goes at about 1pm and sleeps between 1 and 2 hours. He's still in his cot at night, but started to refuse to go down for his nap a month or so ago, but he will quite happily sleep in our bed, so we do that. I read him a story, then stay with him for 10 mins until he's asleep. It's a bit of a PITA, not being able to just put him down in his cot and go, but it's worth it as he needs the sleep, and I still get a break! I did worry that he'd start asking to sleep in our bed at bedtime, but he never has, and seems to understand the distinction between "little sleep" in mummy's bed, and his "big sleep" in his cot.

No help on getting him to stay in his bed, as we haven't moved him yet....so sorry, but I think harpisicordcarrier is right in that you need to treat it in the same way you would a going to bed at night problem (straight back in, no discussions etc). Good luck.

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ProfYaffle · 26/03/2006 15:06

My dd is 23mo and usually has an hour in the afternoon, any more and she won't sleep at night. She had a phase a couple of weeks ago where she didn't sleep in the day for about 4 days. It was a monumental pita, we had all the probs you describe, but then she suddenly got over it and started sleeping again with no prompting from us.

dollybird · 26/03/2006 15:50

Boh my ds and dd officially gave up their daytime sleep before they were two (and before they were in a bed), but would still sometimes go up for a sleep if they seemed really tired. DD (2.7) sometimes crashes on the sofa at around 4pm if she's tired and I'll let her have 15-20 mins. I f she sleeps more than that she lays awake in bed for ages.

cod · 26/03/2006 15:50

little bill seems to ahve one and he si 5

ahve always owndere dwhy

harpsichordcarrier · 26/03/2006 19:01

I had a "nap" until I went to school - I didn;t have to sleep (I could read if I wanted) but I did have to lie down in bed quietly
blody smart woman my mother

yomellamoHelly · 26/03/2006 19:25

Ds stopped sleeping at 26 months. Spent 6 weeks playing around with what to do with him midday to give him some time-out. He was always completely shattered by bedtime and couldn't really cope with no day-time sleep. During this period I moved his bedtime forward an hour. In the end I started putting him in his room for a minimum of 30 mins quiet time to at least give me a break. (I was shattered too.) Lately he's started to sleep again (now 29 months) - so I'm not sure what's going on, but really appreciate getting that down-time back and pray that it'll last a while. So it might be worth trying the same in the hope your ds also mends his ways. (He's in a bed btw and can get out and play with his toys if that's his fancy. He can't get out of his room, though.)

NannyL · 26/03/2006 19:31

almost all 24 month old that i have known seem to have needed a nap of at least an hour... and many quite a bit more than that

By 35 months most seem to have drop their naps... or chat / read quietly to themselves for alot of their nap time.

Ive known several 4 year olds who still often have a nap in the afternoon as well, tho more often maybe only half an hour!

rarrie · 26/03/2006 20:20

my DD is 28 months and has not napped since she was 25 months. Exactly the same as you... she was fine until she moved into a bed, and then she refused to nap and it became a daily battle of wills. In the end, I decided it just wasn't worth the hassle. Now she has no nap, but her bed time is kept fairly flexible. If she has had a very tiring day, then she might well go to bed at 5.30pm. But thsi is not the norm. I do try to make sure that she is now in bed by 7 (before it was 7.30), which makes up for part of the time, and I do find now she sleeps in a bit longer!

I think they all have their own way of coping.. so if naps aren't working, then just try to jiggle round with the bedtime a bit, and you might find if he needs a nap, he'll return to one!
HTH

traceyshep · 26/03/2006 22:08

my dd is 2.8 and is only just starting to drop her daytime nap. She definitely still needed one at 2 and sometimes still has one if we're having a very busy day or if she's in the car, even if it's only 30 mins. Much more than that though and she's not keen on bedtime!

Flum · 26/03/2006 22:17

My dd is 2yrs 1 mth and sometimes naps and sometimes not. She goes to nursery everyday and they have quiet time for an hour and a half so sometimes she goes to the sleep corner (giant duvets and bean bags - really cool)for a snooze and sometimes not.

At weekends and days off she always sleeps if we go on a car journey so clearly gets sleepy.

She manages till about 6.30pm with no nap and then usually gets a bit tearful and sometimes little tantrummy.

Tonight is her first night in cotbed as bed!!! Ahh bless big girl.

At least she won't hit the floor with quite such a thud when she climbs out now!!!

Donk · 26/03/2006 22:25

DS (3.3 yrs) stll has a long afternoon nap most days - and definitely needs it. If he misses it for any reason he is shattered next day.

SleepySuzy · 26/03/2006 22:29

dd aged 27 months always has an afternoon sleep, sometimes up to 3 hours, and wakes up really refreshed.

harrisey · 27/03/2006 03:44

my dd2 is 28 months and sleeps between about 2 and 4 (with a 7.30 bedtime) maybe 5 days out of 7 - the other days she doesnt sleep except in the car! If she has a really good sleep one day she doesn't need it the next - think she is slowly moving away from it but hoping for slowly - dd1 still slept for an hour aged 4, ds gave it up at just about 3.

wanderingstar · 27/03/2006 09:01

My ds3 (27m) gave up napping at 24m; we went cold turkey as he just wasn't sleepy at bedtime and would also wake up at say 3am and STAY awake for a couple of hours, demanding my attention. If he is ill, or in the car late afternoon he goes back to napping, but otherwise no more ! I miss the break, but otoh bedtime is a dream, and he now generally sleeps through...bliss.
Oh, and he's in a cotbed, complete with grobag which I've used since he was a couple of weeks old. Escape is impossible on the days he does nap.

Original poster

Em32 · 27/03/2006 09:27

Harpischordcarrier - put him in a bed as really don't want to have to take two travel cots on holiday (have dd nearly 7 months as well) but if necessary will do (sighs)

Generally, not sure whether just to put cot side back on (it went back on last night) or whether given this is second time round we should keep trying. I'm worried we're giving him confusing messages. This morning his first words were 'don't like that' points to replaced cot rail ( internally from me) He was getting it about going to bed but getting up very early in the morning. Main problem was his pm nap though. Has anyone tried a travel cot in the room where they go if they don't stay in the bed? My mum says I should just put the cot side back on.........

OP posts:

edam · 27/03/2006 09:37

Ds is 2y 8mo and definitely still needs a nap, usually 1.5 hours, although some days he refuses and I eventually give up. On those days, though, he is shattered by bed-time, stroppy and overtired. Thing is, he won't sleep any longer than 11 hours at night, even when he hasn't had a nap. If I put him to bed early, he just wakes up earlier... so am persisting with putting him down for a nap.

acnebride · 27/03/2006 09:38

ds is 26 mo, in a bed, and still napping at least an hour - we do a shortened routine (i'm sure you do too) of tuckup, story, cuddle, curtain drawn, then some sleep training if necessary. I wouldn't have stuck with this if the nanny hadn't proved it could be done...

Original poster

Em32 · 27/03/2006 09:50

Acnebride yes have tried the shortened routine - no luck, he just gets straight out of the bed and wrecks the room.....

OP posts:

ghosty · 27/03/2006 10:05

Like others on here DS started to muck around with his nap when he went into a bed at 2 years and one month. I got round it for a while by taking him out in the car for a drive and he would fall asleep. I would go home and transfer him from car to bed, no bother. But by 2 and a half I found myself spending a fortune on petrol driving around and he would still be chatting away to me at 2pm (a good hour of driving ) so I knocked it on the head.
DD has always been a better sleeper than DS from birth ... until she turned 2 (in February) and now she is having a laugh to be honest. She needs a nap and can't get through the day without one really but she now won't go to sleep until 8.30pm at night and wakes up at 5.30am/6am in the morning ... she used to sleep 12 hours straight.
It is a vicious circle really because she needs the nap to catch up on the missing night sleep but sleeps less at night because she has had a nap.
I am not sure what to do about it really ... I need the break during the day aswell.
I can't drive her around because she won't transfer to her bed and wakes up as soon as I switch the car off ... On the rare days she doesn't nap she is shocking by 4pm.
I think I just have to ride the storm really ... and stick to the normal routine ... and not give in to bringing her in to us or letting her sleep with us which is what we did with DS which was a shocker.
Sigh.

ghosty · 27/03/2006 10:06

Oh, and she is NOT coming out of her cot and into a bed until she is 10

dollybird · 27/03/2006 21:39

Ghosty, how long does she nap for? could you cut it short - then maybe she'd be tired earlier?

Pruneau · 27/03/2006 21:45

definitely a nap of 1 or 2 hours
but can go without if we're doing other things (eg out)

blueteddy · 27/03/2006 21:47

My DS2 was 3 last Tuesday & he still has a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

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