Toddler nap

[HalfBloodPrince]

Hi there, hoping someone can give me advice/their experiences.

My 20 month old usually has a 1.5-2 hour nap after lunch everyday, however for the last week he has completely refused it. He seems to manage well without it and is quite happy until dinner time when he gets a bit tired, but even then he's not too bad (most days) . He's in bed and straight to sleep by 7 and sleeps through until 7/8. Before, he took a good half hour/45 minutes to get to sleep at night and would sleep for about 11 hours.

Does it sound like he's ready to drop the nap or should I keep persevering? Worried he's too young to drop it but also don't want to force it if he doesn't need it 😬

Thank you 😊

Hi @HalfBloodPrince

My 22 month old DS dropped his afternoon nap one day all of a sudden (granted I'd just had a baby and his routine was all over the place).. he hadn't slept in the day while I was in hospital having the baby and so I just continued with no nap once I could see he wasn't too tired. He was always a sleepy child and I worried that he'd be tired but no need. You can always offer a nap or perhaps go for a drive/walk if he seems a bit sleepy in the afternoon, but personally I would go with his cues. HTH xx

My DS2 dropped his nap at 18 months. Our schedule with nursery run and work meant he kept getting disturbed in the afternoon and he was able to power through.

Personally, I would aim to bring bedtime forwards perhaps rather than push for the daytime nap.

Sorry I hadn't responded yet, been an exhausting week!

He's been getting more and more exhausted with each day (even with earlier bedtime) , so I think he does still need the nap. Plonked him in the pushchair yesterday and today at naptime, 5 minutes of pushing back and forth and he was out like a light for 2 hours! Seems we may just have to do pushchair naps for now. If it means he sleeps and is a happier person in the afternoon then so be it 😁😂

Thank you for your help!

Aw bless him, it does sound like he needs one if he's asleep that quickly! Glad you've found something that works for now 😊