How long does your 2 year old nap for and do you wake them?

[Summerdays2014]

Hi,

I have a 2.3 year old son who tends to nap for 1.5 to 2 hours during the day (about an hour at nursery 3 times a week)

He used to go to bed and sleep at 7 but now it’s getting much later 8 - 8.30. He doesn’t seem tired and gets upset about having to go to bed now. Whilst this means he is now waking later (6.30-7) I am resenting the loss of my evenings. I tried getting rid of the nap but by 2pm he was very grumpy and he still didn’t go to sleep any earlier. So I’m now thinking of shortening his nap, however when I’ve tried waking him up he’s been very grumpy and not happy at all!

Just wondering what everyone else does at this age. Thanks.

DS2 is a bit older and we've been going through this. I cut him back to an hour 2-3pm, and then brought it forward to 1-2pm, but now he sometimes has an hour nap, and sometimes doesn't depending on when he wakes, what we're doing and how knackered he is.

I think you have to go through a phase where nothing is right! Either there's a grumpy bit at the end of the day, or there's a battle at bedtime! We're coming out the other end now and 70% of the time he doesn't nap and is mostly ok. I do miss naptime though!

FWIW my 4yo dd s struggling with bedtime now it's light so late. It's possible it's not nap related.

He doesn’t anymore, when he turned 2 he dropped them but I trained him back into them for a few months. We were fully napless by about 2y4mo 😩 woe is me. But. He would nap for up to 3 hours, and no I wouldn’t wake him. Heaven!

When my DD was 2 she slept from 11:30 - 1:30 every day. I used to wake her or she wouldn't sleep at night. Bedtime was 7:30pm, and she started struggling to get to sleep at night at around 2 years 3 months. Dropped the nap and she started sleeping through for 12 hours. (She was an awful sleeper in general until we did some sleep training at 14months.)

I wouldnt let a toddler
Under normal circumstances sleep
Past 3pm

My 2.3 yr old is a bit hit a miss soon naps. Sometimes she has just 45min, other time 2 and half hours. No set time but mostly in the afternoon if not out in the car in the morning. Some days she won't sleep and by 5 is a monster so it's early bath, dinner, bed. However she sleeps 8pm to around half 6 /7. She has a later bedtime as it hits in with us as a family for now, I am awa 're she may need an earlier bedtime as school approaches.

My 2.8 year old still naps, usually around 1230-1430 or 1500. I consider this richly deserved and karma for his antics as a 3-7 month old . We always wake him by 1500.

He can sometimes manage without the nap if out and about but usually ends up being vile and really cranky without his daytime sleep. Bedtime is 1930-2000.

Oh, and he doesn't sleep through yet (or rather, has done so over the last three nights but don't want to jinx anything!). So I'm loathe to drop the nap to see whether his night sleep improves.

Thanks everyone.
C0unt - I never let him go past 3, this is the only ‘rule’ I have with napping!
Belly - I have noticed that this has been an issue since the clock changed, we do have Black our blinds though so not sure what else I could do if this is the reason! . Bendydick - I love his 2 hour naps and am dreading the end of them!

I think I might try waking him after an hour and trying to do 1-2pm for a nap. I’m just worried as people always say sleep leads to sleep and I certainly don’t want him waking up again in the night! I’m also enjoying not having to get up at 5.15 every morning. There is always another ‘stage’ isn’t there! I remember posting on here when I couldn’t get him to nap for more than 30 minutes at a time or anywhere but on me!

He’s 2.6. And the youngest of 3 so his naps are entirely determined by what suits everyone else. Poor fella. On normal school days he sleeps around 1.15 to 3.15. Non school days anything goes. Today he slept from 2.45 to 3.30. Yesterday 1-3.45. Last Sunday he had 15 minutes in the car at 5pm. Nothing affects his going to bed, except maybe if he had a very long very late nap, say 3-6. Which we might encourage if we are expecting a late night: fridays we go to family for supper and he stays up till 10.30 or 11pm.

We've just been through this with wondering whether naps were hindering night time sleep. Always wake DD up by 3, preferably 2:30.

Turns out it was nothing to do with naps but it was that she hated her cot. We've converted it to a bed and she's so much happier at bedtime and goes down at 7/7:30 once again.

I am so jealous of all of you.

DD dropped all naps by 18 months

Bergamot - I have been thinking of changing his cot to a bed recently. He hasn’t tried to climb out yet though (still in a sleeping bag) so I’m putting it off. Might give it a go though...

Muddy I’m sorry! I must admit I love my 2 hours toddler free. I quickly tidy up from lunch, prep dinner, hang washing out... then sit in front of four in a bed with a coffee...

My DD hadn't tried to climb out yet so I was worried about doing it too soon but she's coped brilliantly with it and happily gets into her bed by herself and hasn't even tried to get out. Will happily sit there for half an hour in the morning talking to her animals.

She was getting very distressed at being put in the cot and bedtime was taking 1.5 hours of trying to calm her down. Now gives us a kiss and cuddle goodnight and lies down happily.

It really worked for us but if your son is happy about going into the cot I probably wouldn't convert it.

DS 2.3 naps 2.30-4.30 (I wake him if he sleeps past 5) and he will go to bed at 8-8.10. It used to be later but I've wound it back a bit with the clock change.

We eat at 6 and can't seem to get up to bath before 7. I used to miss my evening but I've got used to it now and I like to all eat together to save on cooking twice and doing loads of washing up!

My 2.2 yr old has an hours nap around 1/2 pm and then goes to be at 6. Early in some camps but she falls straight to sleep for 12 hours

We stopped naps at two.

DD just turned 2, she started messing about for ages at bedtime (7pm); usually singing/talking to her toys, occasionally crying. She was napping for 2.5 hours a day and had to be woken from these, but it was taking her so long to fall asleep at night that we’ve cut the nap down to 1.5 hours, 12:30ish to 2ish. We always have to wake her up but she is much happier going to bed in the evenings now. Good luck with your DS x

DS is 2.9. Probably been battling the nap for the past 6 months. He’d go through phases of no nap, and then weeks at a time of napping. If he does nap it’s usually around 1-3 and then he would fall asleep on a night around 8.30 after lots of faffing. No nap and he’s out cold by 6pm. He’s probably been averaging 3 naps a week now for the past month so I think it’s definitely on its last legs. I miss my chill time during the day (although quiet time in his room for a bit is a partial success) but I do love the early bedtime

My youngest has just turned 2, she naps from 12-1:30. I have to wake her up or she will be a mischief maker at bedtime. I also have the school run so she needs to be up anyway.

My son stopped napping when he was her age, but my eldest napped until she was 2 and a half.

My toddler dropped her nap at 2 years old. On days she has 'accidental naps' in the car she is a nightmare to get to bed because she isn't tired!
When she dropped her daytime naps we started putting her to bed earlier and it worked really well.
Not sure if that helps!

My dd is 2.5, can nap for 2-3 hours during the day, sometimes sleeps till 4.30 then still goes to bed fine at around 8!

My 2.2 year old naps from 12.15-1.45 and yes I wake him up. It's getting increasingly harder to get him to sleep these days in the evening though so wondering if he needs the nap for much longer! He used to go at 7 ish now it's more like 8 and awake at 6!

That said if he didn't nap he'd be an absolute mess by about 3 can't imagine the tantrums!