naps

[Dopolis]

I have a daughter who is 3 next month and I was wondering whether I should be dropping her lunchtime nap by now. Any advice?

I read that an after lunch nap is beneficial until they start going to school (think possibly still a good idea then, but you'd miss the afternoon session at school?)
I'd carry on until she really won't go for one, ds1 is 3yrs 8m and only recently will rarely nap, it's been in gradual decline since christmas when he was 3yrs 5m, but even now he will nap on a longer car journey or if he's had a few busy days in a row, if he doesn't nap I bring his bedtime forward to 6pm. He sleeps until about 6 irrespective of him going to bed at 6 or 7pm.

I'd carry on until either she refused herself in the afternoon or her having an afternoon nap means she's not going to bed at a decent time. A friend of mine let her dc sleep in the afternoon but could get 11/12 o clock before dc went to bed, friend was ok with this as she never went to bed early herself whereas for Me I preferred my dc not to nap in day and be asleep by 8pm. Whatever works best for you.

Mine napped for 3 hours (and slept all night the wonderful girl that she is) until the month she turned 3, then she started not wanting to nap and if she did nap she'd then wake really early for her the next morning.

Swapped nap for quiet time (while her brother sleeps)sometimes after a busy day she'll fall asleep in the car late afternoon if we are out in the car but otherwise is fine with just a rest on the sofa for an hour, watching a film/reading/drawing etc

I would say drop the nap only when it interferes with nights.

|I wouldn't consider stopping a lunchtime nap unless:

(a) Child starts refusing to sleep in the afternoon
(b) Night time sleep becomes affected.

Mine have always kept their lunchtime nap until 4 (ish) years old. The process of dropping the nap is gradual too. We did it by initially stopping 'going to bed' at lunchtime but allowing sleeping on the sofa. Gradually some days no nap would happen, but other days nap did happen. Sometimes it was long, sometimes short. Gradually it reduced until it was only every now and again.