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Sleep

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Original poster

When to drop lunchtime naps?

13 replies

sunnyjim · 01/03/2007 13:07

Ds is going to be 2 in early april. He is NOT a good sleeper (long history behind that) but he has settled down now we have his health sorted out.

He currently has oen nap from 12-2, goes to bed at 6.30/7pm and wakes up between 5 and 7am in the morning.

(he also wakes at least once during the night and often 2 or 3 times)

At nursery he sleeps 12-1.30 and I have started to try and cut back his nap at home to 1 1/2 hrs. I ALWAYS have to wake him up though and he is frequently dropping with tiredness by 11am, getting lunch into him is a real struggle.

I am dreading the time when he drops his nap as thats my recharge time after being up with an active toddler since 5am. But a few people have said that once their kids were 2 they dropped all naps and they slept 12 hrs at night. So, do I continue to cut it back to 1 1/2 hrs, to 1 hr? or try and cut it entirely? and then what do we do in that time space?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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wurlywurly · 01/03/2007 13:10

ds2 dropped his lunch time nap himself, just refused to have a sleep. but i do know other kids that still have a nap right up til they started full time school. Could younot let him have his nap a little earlier, then give him his lunch after, then he will probably wake up hungry and eat better??

PizPizPiz · 01/03/2007 15:20

My dd stopped when she was 2.4. She's always been a fantastic sleeper but seems to have decided that there are more important things in life than sleeping! She still sleeps really well at night though, thankfully.

PizPizPiz · 01/03/2007 15:22

I wouldn't stop his naps just yet, he clearly needs them. Why not put him into bed at 11 and feed him when he wakes up?

compo · 01/03/2007 15:25

My ds stopped at 2 and a half. You might find that once he drops his daytime sleep he will start waking up later. My ds often falls asleep on the sofa if we've had a hectic morning which gives me a bit of repsite (or what usually happens is i'm giving 6 month old dd a bottle...)

ScottishThistle · 01/03/2007 15:26

Could you put him down for a nap at 11am then give him lunch on waking?

Most children drop the lunchtime sleep of their own accord...he must need a sleep in the day.

Dropping the day time nap rarely means a child will sleep longer at night in my experience.

PrettyCandles · 01/03/2007 15:41

IMO a child is ready to drop the daytime nap when he or she can get through to bedtime without melt-downs through overtiredness.

Waking several times at night is not about having had too much sleep during the day. If anything, I find that my children (who are good sleepers) are more likely to wake during the night if they are overtired.

I wouldn't cut back on his nap just because htat is what nursery are doing. It's a different environment. Besides, he may need the longer naps at home to recover fromt he shorter naps at nursery.

Does he have a substantial mid-morning snack? I found that, if my LOs were struggling to get to lunchtime without wilting, a substantial snack and drink helped them out. Even if it meant that lunch is a smaller meal.

Original poster

sunnyjim · 01/03/2007 20:04

thanks, I didn't want to drop it as he still needs/wants it so much.

I think i'll wait until he starts waking up of his own accrod in less than an hour or refusing to go down.

OP posts:

Whoooosh · 01/03/2007 20:14

Scottishthistle-you are so right!

Dd dropped her 2 hr nap two weeks ago (22mts) and ever since has been waking over an hour earlier in the morning-wtf?

She's not grumpy in the evenings either but boy am I missing those 2hrs toddler free time [knackered emoticon]

ScottishThistle · 01/03/2007 20:17

Whoooosh, oh I know so many people think they'll sleep later in the morning!

Luckily I have a 3yo whom still sleeps after lunch! (I'm so nasty I make her walk for miles)

Whoooosh · 01/03/2007 20:59

Grrrr ST [blardy jealous emoticon]

divamumplus · 01/03/2007 21:03

dd is 2 in april, too she sleeps 12-2, 1.5 hour sleep. then goes bed 8-8.30 up at 8ish. before or later. she is been good sleeper, she seems happy when have naps during day. we did have no sleep during the day couple times all ended up disaster at about 5-6. so im happy to have her naps as long as she wants. i think they all seem to drop when they are ready for no naps.
hth,

Whoooosh · 01/03/2007 21:07

Took sides of the cotbed yesterday too to see if it made a difference-did it hell?
She did fall asleep on her trike going to the park but if If I put her in bed she will literally scream for over an hour and I just can't do it.

Life has changed again....and so it goes on....

Relish those daytime sleeps for as long as you can make them last-may be a PITA to be at home at that time but boy will you miss them when they are gone!

lizziemun · 01/03/2007 21:33

DD is 3yrs, i leave it to her whether she has a sleep or not.

It does depend on what we have been doing, but most days if we are at home she will have a sleep for example today at 12.30pm she asked to go to bed and i woke her at 2.30pm.

on the days she hasn't had a sleep when she needs one are the days shr doesn't want to go to bed.

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