please tell me if your 18month old has dropped their nap?

[cadifflur]

DD is 18mo and naps have always been a stress. She's never settled easily for them, and still wants to BF before her nap (after which she will go in her cot asleep). She's not that interested in her nap anymore, preferring instead to stay up playing with her brother. She does get cranky at bath and bedtime as a result, and is flat out a couple of minutes after going in the cot, but we're getting to the stage where we'd rather push through this and just let her drop the naps. DS has always had to fend for himself (watch TV) whilst it takes me 15 mins to settle her, and I'd rather just have quiet time with them together after lunch instead.

She still wakes up at night, - we've never found more day sleep has helped the night sleep - the reverse in fact, her night sleep has been better after she's skipped her nap. Just interested to hear from any others if your DCs have dropped their naps early??? - I seem to be surrounded by people who say their LOs sleep for 90mins or so after lunch whilst they have a rest/catch up on jobs etc.

DD napped very rarely anyway and usually for about 20 minutes from birth. She stopped napping entirely at 12 months.

oh that's reassuring to know! just good to hear it's not just us then. I think I've been too brain washed into thinking they need to nap loads (read all the sleep books I could lay my hands on with DS, as I've been blessed with two sleepless wonders, so unfortunately a lot of the so called "sleep facts" have stuck, even though I've not gone near a book this time!)

another non-napper here too, DD is 21 months. Like you, she has never slept for more than about 45 mins unless she was ill (tops was about an hour and a half). Similarly day time sleep started to impact night sleep, so we've been dropping it most days for the last 2-3 months. Mind you, I am now worried that she is overtired because she is settling poorly in the evening, waking in the night, and waking early...

it's so difficult, sleep - I long for one of those kids who just falls asleep and stays that way until they are no longer tired...

yes, we had a horrendous bedtime last night, our worst yet. She screamed for over an hour -totalle over tired and not wanting to go to bed, but didn't know what she wanted. Up till now, she's slept better but last night was shocking (like having a newborn again, every 3 hours)! agghhhh.

try to drop nap but put her to bed earlier? This seems (sometimes) to work for us. Good luck - you sound like you have a similarly tricky sleeper to us - but (mostly) without the night waking. I'd say she's not getting enough sleep, but your experience suggests otherwise

DD seemed to be trying to drop her nap at about 18 months and it was a bit hit and miss as to whether she'd actually have it, but I kept making her have it because I needed the break! She's now 2 years and naps every day without fail, so I'm guessing she does still need it and it was just a developmental thing. I do have to drive around until she falls asleep though, costing me a fortune in petrol

DD is 20 mo and seems to be having shorter naps now- mostly 1 or 1.5 hr instead of two, although some days it's still 2 hrs.

She is doesn't go to bed til 9 in the evenings and often doesn't fall asleep til 10 some days, so I'm also wondering whether it would be a good idea just to stop them.

Depends on how cranky your DD gets in the afternoon, I guess.