When did your child drop their nap?

[Tiredallofthetime]

DS is two in a couple of weeks, and I’m finding nap (or lack thereof!) incredibly stressful and would appreciate advice.

He used to sleep 12-2 without any problems. Even before his nighttime sleep improved he was a great little napper. Over the course of the last few weeks though he has just refused.

I would normally work on the assumption he doesn’t need it but I really think he does. He will sleep in the car (sometimes - not always) and most strangely he sleeps at nursery (3 days a week) without a problem.

I’m keen to sort it as he’s then so grumpy and overtired it’s hard to do anything with him and his eating is poor too. He won’t do quiet time in his cot - just goes mental! Help!

Mine is 3 next week and the nap is still going strong! He has to be woken up or he will sleep for hours! And still goes to bed at 7.30

But all kids are different. Some of his friends don’t nap and still don’t go to bed until 9/10/11pm!!!

I realise I might be different in this to others, but two of my babies dropped their daytime nap around a year old and the other only ever napped sporadically. I brought their bedtime routine forward an hour and just managed it that way. So they had enough sleep and I had enough time to decompress in the evening.

No one will be able to answer this. Every child is different! If your kid needs a nap then they'll nap. If they don't they won't. There may be a period where they need a nap but then don't go to sleep at night til 10 (this was us for a year). You just have to ride it out and trial different options

DC1 just after their 3rd birthday so just before DC2 arrived great timing there DC1

DC2 was napping about every third day until she started school.

Mine both dropped their naps just before 2. Broke my heart at the time (esp the eldest as I'd just had the baby), but got easier when I stopped fighting and just accepted it!

My daughter never really napped. I'd love to say I was joking, but I have the grey hair to prove it. She certainly never ever napped after 1. She went to nursery at 8 months old and they never once got her to sleep. Occasionally she'd sleep in the car for me.

DS1, 23 months (as DS2 was born). He's never been a big sleeper tho.
DS2, 3.5 years.

Our LO is nearly 2 and goes to a childminders full time, she pretty much has dropped her naps there now in the week, although if we are at home on the wkends than I still put her up for a nap at 12/12.30 and she will have a full on nap for 2.5-3 hours, its like she's making up for it from the week!
I dont think it will be too long before she will drop them all together

From about 2y3m she wouldn't be put down in her cot but would sleep in the pram or car. There's an extremely annoying phase of needing a nap but refusing until they just turn into an absolute screaming mess from 5pm. That's fun. Now at 3y3m she maybe has one nap a week in the car.

Mine dropped hers just before 2. She went to her CM three days per week and was more interested in playing with the older children so refused to nap. Then on the other two days when looked after by her dad, she decided after a month she wasn't napping.

At about 2.5, although at 3.5 she still occasionally has one if she has a busy day or a huge morning tantrum.

I know - it’s so easy to be blithe about it and say ‘ah if they need to nap they will!’ But IME DS just doesn’t, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t need it - it does mean something is out of sync.

Last night was bed at 7, awake for two hours in the night, up at 5 - there’s no way he didn’t need a nap, but he just wouldn’t. It just makes the day so stressful!

2.5 years for us, and he's 3 in a couple of months now. Gets quite grumpy before bedtime and might start to fall asleep downstairs if he's sitting down, but if he has a nap he won't go to bed until after 9pm which is difficult.

We had a sleep regression at 23 months (just as DC2 was born). We had night wakings all of a sudden, plus bed time and nap refusal and early waking. Could it be a regression?

It was temporary and then nap was dropped at around 2years 9 months

DC1 12 months
DC2. 3 years

About 3 - he loved napping, would come home from nursery / play school and nap for a couple of hours and still go to bed at 7pm and sleep through .

I wonder if it is a sleep regression - I hope it doesn’t last long if so! I’m in the first trimester and desperate for a nap or at least some downtime!

But the main issue is I definitely feel he still needs it - he just won’t - which is infuriating!

Same. Mine dropped hers at 11 months

Age 2.5, but the 6 months before that were shit. Basically DS wanted to stay awake until 3/4 pm then have a 2 hr nap then stay up til midnight. I did not agree with this plan 😬

He stopped napping in his bed the day I gave up breastfeeding and we drove him around in a car / buggy at 1pm for a while then stopped that at 2.5.

But depends so much on the child I know some that will curl up on floor and nap at age 5!!

I have a 3yr 5month old and he still naps on big days. Gave the majority of them up at nursery at just over 3.

I think your 2yr old will definitely still need a nap at least an hour anyway!

Sounds like a sleep regression! My DD done the same at around 2, lasted a couple of weeks. Still napping now at 2 years 7 months.

Mine is 2 in a couple of weeks too. He still naps most days for 1-2 hours but I'm noticing he drops it more regularly lately. But he still needs a nap (as do I).

Im not enjoying this phase as it means we can't really go anywhere in the afternoon if he doesn't nap as he will fall asleep in the car and any sleep past 1.30 means a late bedtime.

In a way, no nap would be easier but I'm too knackered to give in just yet!

2, she was one of the first in her nursery room. But she has always needed the bottom
of the sleep range. She needs 10 hours in 24 now at 3. She was always dire at napping even as a newborn.

I’ve gone with it, once I gave up worrying about naps it was much easier.

@Prizelighter this is exactly what I’ve found

I wouldn’t care about naps if it wasn’t for the fact that poor daytime sleep does not = a good night!