How did you know that your dc was ready to drop their daytime nap?

[TAFKAtheUrbanDryad]

Ds is 2 and a half, and usually has a nap after lunch for a couple of hours. Lately it's just been a total nightmare to get him down to sleep, it used to take 20 minutes, now I'm lucky if I can get him to sleep before 2. Obviously then he sleeps till 4 ish and the whole day is wasted, not to mention bedtime being all out of sync.

Once he's asleep, he's fine, and if he doesn't sleep he's vile by about 5, but I can't spend over an hour putting him to bed - it's stressing me out and wasting my day, not to mention the fact that dd is getting sorely neglected.

I can hear him in his room just chuntering away to himself and it's driving me insane. I want to scream GO TO FUCKING SLEEP in his face but fear that might be slightly counterproductive.

ha, you could have been talking about my 2 and a half yo! Know what you mean, it's hellish when they don't go down for a nap. I sometimes have the same problem with DS so if anyone has any tips I'd love to hear them too!!

I had a friend over last week and would DS go to sleep when she was visiting...no. He was scared he missed out on something, so he was a nightmare the rest of the day and crashed out at 4.30pm (not great for nap time, clashes with dinner).

Toddlers!

Just gone in to see him and he was lying in a puddle of wee having taken his nappy off. I shouted at him and stripped his bed and put fresh sheets on. Then shouted some more. What's wrong with him? The reason he's miserable and unhappy is because he's exhausted!

I'm such a shit parent.

It was when bedtime was getting later and later, she couldn't get to sleep at her usual bedtime. TBH DD has never been a great sleeper, especially in the day, and dropped her daytime nap at about 18months. It is really hard when the nap gets dropped and we had to really organise the day so that she wasn't in the car or buggy (or I did a lot of singing at the top of my voice to try and keep her awake) but after a couple of weeks she seemed to get into it.

I have given myself a sore throat shouting at him.

When my DS was about 2.5 he was so difficult to get down for a nap. When he eventually got to sleep he slept for a couple of hours and was like a different person when he woke up - all happy and smiles. I sometimes left it later so he didn't go to sleep until about 3pm and he woke about 5pm, had tea, had bath and went back to bed at 7pm. I was worried it would disrupt his bedtime routine with him sleeping so late in the day but it didn't seem to make any difference!

He's 3 now and still has naps, but not every day. He even asked if he could go to bed at 11am the other morning , he went upstairs, got himself into bed and slept until 2pm! (its not happened again since!)

I know where you're coming from with just wanting to yell 'go to sleep!' You know they're tired but why won't they admit it! If I get like that now DS says to me 'mummy, you're tired aren't you' which only serves to wind me up more!!

I find sitting him in front of a DVD for 10 mins seems to calm him down - maybe you could have a little routine like watching TV for a bit, going upstairs to read a story, and then he knows its time to sleep. DS still sometimes gets out of bed and plays in his room, but eventually gets bored and puts himself into bed (or falls asleep on the floor!)

My DD is dropping hers, we know because she either just WON'T go down for it, or if she does she stays up until 9 or 10 at night!!!

I don't know - I wondered if maybe he was overtired, so I purposely did everything a bit earlier today. I tried putting him down at just after 12 - he has just gone to sleep now. An hour and a fucking half, ffs. In the meantime, dd has woken up, grumpy and still tired, and refuses to go back to sleep. She is grizzling in her playpen at the moment.

You'd think I was asking him to walk over burning coals - what's so bad about going to sleep in a comfy bed, with a tummy full of lunch when you're tired from a morning playing? What have I done wrong?! I had the day planned and it's all gone to shit.

He doesn't usually sleep till half 8 - 9 anyway, regardless of nap. It's just that if he has a sleep in the day he's considerably less vile by bedtime.

TAFKA - I feel your pain, DD still naps MOST days, I had some bad news this morning and REALLY need some space to just relax and she has decided today is a no nap day and is bouncing around and squealing in her cotbed.

DD2 (nearly 4) has napped for the last 3 years on the sofa next to me. She refused to nap in her cot and this routine just kind of developed. I put on a disney DVD, give her her favourite cuddly toy and cover her with a blanket. I then stay next to her so she stays still so she can sleep. Today she fell asleep about 5 mins ago, when she was younger I would sit down with her at about 12.30 and she would be asleep by 1. Even if she doesn't sleep at least she has some 'down' time.

She is getting close to dropping her nap as some days she misses it.

With dd1 at this age I used to arrange errands in the afternoon so she would sleep for 20 mins in the buggy/car on the wasy somewhere.

However, lots of my friends childrens stopped napping at about 2 yrs.

DD1 wouldn't go to sleep at 'normal' time and when she started not going to sleep until abotu 10pm I dropped the nap. This was at about 18 months. DD2 is only 5 months old but not good at sleeping during the day and already if she naps too late she won't go to sleep at normal time so guess she will drop it early too.

If I was you I would start aiming for nap time to be around 2ish.Put him down at 1:30 so it gives him 30mins to go off.Wake him at 3 regardless of how long he has napped for.The put him to bed at normal time for his bedtime.The first few days will be hard as if he doesnt fall asleep at nap straight away he may only get 30mins kip but as his body adjusts and he starts getting tired he should start falling asleep pretty close to 2pm.Would still always wake at 3pm though so gives plenty of time before bed again.He might after while want to go to sleep earlier than 2pm so by putting him down at 1:30 it gives him this option

DD stopped napping before she was 2y apart from if we went in the car. She just wouldn't sleep in the day otherwise.