2.5yr old DD - is it time to drop the nap? Please help!

[CinammonGirl]

Hello everyone,

Our DD is 2.5 and has always been a pretty good sleeper - up until a couple of weeks ago her sleep pattern looked like this:-

7.30am up
12.45pm - 2pm nap
7.15pm bed

This ran like clockwork and then suddenly she started refusing to go to sleep and would be awake crying (no tears though!), having tantrums and using every excuse - something making a noise in her room, wanting a different blanket/dummy, etc - you get the picture! This would go on until 9.30pm, sometimes later. She would then wake though the night and when I went through it was the same thing, wanting this, that and the next thing. We were all exhausted! So, I decided to try dropping the nap and this had an instant effect - she went to bed no problem and slept right through. However she was so, so tired by late afternoon and if we went out in the buggy or car, she fell asleep (albeit for about 10/15 mins, not long) After three or four nights of thinking the problem had been solved, she then started waking early (for her) - around 6.15am/6.30am.

I've read before that early waking can indicate they are not getting enough sleep so for the last few days Ive put her for a nap 12.30pm to 1.30pm. We are now back to fussing at bedtimes and waking through the night!!

I guess my question is would you drop the nap again and persevere with the late afternoon tiredness/grumpiness? At times it felt almost cruel keeping her up when she seemed so tired but maybe this is something that passes? This is our first child and I'm just not sure what to do for the best for her. Also if dropping the nap means early morning waking, any advice on how to remedy this?

Really sorry this is such a long post and thank you if you've read this far!

My 2.5 yr old was like this so we dropped the nap, all improved, but somedays he is just too tired, so he has one now about 50% of the time! That probably doesn't help though!

Personally I think most still need a nap at 2. ( our eldest still naps at almost 4)

However you could just introduce it as 'quiet time'. So that from say 12.30-1.30 she goes up into bed but with some books at the bottom. Explain she can choose to nap if tired but if by she can quietly look through some books. She may choose then to sleep, read or half/ half.

It means that as she gets older she can still have a quiet hour of just reading if she likes ( I mean look at pictures at this age). Giving her time to have calm and rest a little so she isn't so tired late afternoon.

Does she have her back molars in yet? My DDs came through about 2.5 and caused plenty broken nights of her fussing about, without complaining of actual pain.

Can you try a nap roughly every other day for a bit?
Might help, and on the none nap days, have some quiet time, either in her room, or on the sofa with Mummy?

We're in the same situation with DS who is almost 2.7. We seem to be in the process of dropping his nap and some days he has it but other days he doesn't. We have brought his bedtime forward regardless of whether he's napped or not and he's actually been sleeping in longer in the morning.

He is very resistant to napping now which he previously wasn't but on the days he doesn't nap he is exhausted by bedtime and has a meltdown over the smallest thing as do I

Thanks everyone for your replies - last night was horrendous! She had a nap yesterday at 12.30pm to 1.30pm and did not seem very tired by bedtime - had a bit of fuss and she fell asleep about 8pm only to wake around midnight - and that was pretty much her for the rest of the night :( I ended up laying on the floor of her bedroom with my pillow (back now in agony and not the answer, I know but DH has to get up for work at 5.50am and I was also thinking of the neighbours!) no idea what time she finally went to sleep. I let her sleep until she woke about 7.50am and she napped for about 25 mins in the car - now in bed so far with no fuss. We shall see what tonight brings (uninterrupted sleep hopefully!).

Her teeth all seem to be through strawberrie so I'm pretty sure it's not that.

Thanks again for all replies

If she drops her nap, put her to bed a bit earlier. Ds only sleeps some days on the days he doesn't, we put him to bed much earlier at first. Not so much now that he's used to dropping the nap, but in the beginning. So if bedtime is usually 7:30 I would have her in bed, lights out by 6:45 if she's missed her day nap.

Thanks BlingLoving I will try that :) It's such a difficult transision isn't it!

It's a nightmare. And goes on for ages. I thought we would go from naps to no naps in a matter of weeks. It's been 6 months! On plus side, if he skips naps these days we don't have to obsessively get him to bed early any more. He'll even sleep in a bit the next nothing usually. (Having said that, I did get him to bed a bit early today and was aiming for much earlier).

Good luck!

The last two days have been a bit of a breakthrough - or so I'm hoping :) She's had naps both days (no longer than an hour), gone to bed with no fuss at 7.15pm and slept the night through!! I reintroduced the naps because she was going to bed no probs but then waking early next morning. Will see if she sleeps well tonight. When I think of it she does seem to be stretching just now so maybe a growth spurt threw her sleep all to pot?

When they are teenagers we will be trying to get them to come out of bed haha :)