Do you think 21 months is too young to drop afternoon nap?

[spookykitty]

DD2 21 months usually has between 1 1/2-2 hours nap in the afternoon but I have been finding that at night she doesn't go to sleep when put to bed (she sleeps 8-7.30am) she sits in her cot "reading" her books or playing with toys or singing to herself. Sometimes it's gone 9 before she falls aslee, after one horredous Friday night we decided on Saturday not to put her down for a nap so she was dead beat by 8pm, it didn't seem to faze her and she was irritable or falling asleep at dinner.

I haven't put her down for a nap since then and it doesn't seem to be bothering her oh and she's spark out practically as soon as she is in her cot.

I just feel 21 months is too young to be cutting out her nap, also for selfish reasons her nap time is DD1 and I's time where we do big girl things like painting, drawing, baking etc things DD2 would just ruin TBH.

I don't know what to do for the best, cut out her nap have her asleep quickly at night or have a nap DD1 gets time on her own but DD2 takes ages to settle at night.

Any ideas?

Is she cross when she goes to bed at night if she's had a nap? I'd leave her with a nap, you with time with DD1 and DD2 having a bit of a read to herself at bedtime if she's not roaring cross.

DS2's taking longer to fall asleep in the day now - but he finds it hard to go to sleep at bedtime as well, whatever the case - he hasn't been an easy-to-sleeper since he was about 3mo.

(How are you, SK?)

it happened to my Niece as her mum said literally from birth, she always had trouble to put her DD in bed at night time as its usually about 10pm she managed to get her into bed...but just about! and is awake on and off throughout the night.......till she stopped letting her dd having afternoon naps when she turned 2, it was the best thing that ever happened to her as she is now in bed @ 8pm and sleeps right thru. She sometimes after a little nap though.

hi hunker I'm good thanks no no3 on the way yet.

She was a horrendous sleeper for the first year until I refused to feed her in the night, she weaned about 14 odd months. Now she sleeps great, it's just that when you put them down at night I don't settle until they are asleep IYSWIM, sometimes she throws the pillow and duvet and everything else out the bed then shouts me to come and get them for her.

It's only about the past month she hasn't been going straight down.

You have my sympathies, but no 21 months is not early really - my DD dropped her regular daytime nap at about 18 months.

She was taking ages to get to sleep at bedtime so I stopped putting her down for a regular nap after lunch - she then went through a phase of napping a couple of times a week (she would just conk out in the car or in the buggy or wherever), then after a couple of months it went to once a week or so.

Now she is two and a half she rarely naps, only if we go on a long car journey, and then she has to have her bedtime put back - so we try and avoid it if at all possible!

I would say that it is quite young to be dropping the daytime sleep. Re the not going to sleep in cot is prob just a phase and would probably change again if you persisted with the lunchtime sleep. Perhaps the time of the sleep was the issue? Ie i find if my 27month old is waking too close to 3 she wont go down well at 7 but if she is up 2ish it is fine. Worth still experimenting with the sleep if you value that time with your other DD. I personally think that most of them do still need it til about 30 months if they have been used to it but of course they are all different and there is always the exception that proves the rule.

Hi SK ! DD was this age and did exactly what your dd is doing - not going to sleep at night, often I couldn't get her to sleep until 10 although she wasn't being as considerate as your dd and would scream and shout ao I would be up and down. I decided to cut out the daytime sleep - DH doesn't get in often until 10pm or later so I needed her to go to bed earlier and also I found it easier going out and about if she didn't sleep in the day so it suited me. If it suits you the other way though keep the nap.

Otherwise if she gives up the sleep in the day, could you put her to bed earlier than 8 or would she be up at the crack of dawn ?

No ideas I'm afraid but dd started dropping her afternoon nap at 20 months and it was all over before she was 2. Yet ds was still napping when he was 3.

If it's any consolation I have had to wake dd up more or less every morning since she started Reception (2 years ago).

I do sympathise though - your one and only break looks like it's over and it's hard to adjust.

No I don't think it is too young as it depends very much on the child. There is on no one size fits all regarding sleep.
My DD1 also dropped her nap around this age because she had problems to go to sleep in the evening if she had slept during the day.
Bit tough on me at first as missed that hour alone but found she went out like a light at 6:30pm.
Now DD2 (2.5) could do with her nap but I have cut it as I need her in bed by 6:30 so DD1 and I can tackle her homework pile.

Where you win you will also gain. Maybe you and DD1 could have special time in the early evening if DD2 sleeps earlier. It will also open up the opportunity to get out and do things during an afternoon rather than stay home and DD2 might really enjoy baking and drawing too.

By the way what time they went/go to bed makes no difference to the time they woke up in the morning.

hi thanks for all the messages they really help, well I put them both down to bed tonight (on my own DP away) read DD2 a story first left her sitting up in bed reading a book went and read DD1 a book so was away about 10 minutes went back to check on DD2 and she was fast asleep.

I like them going to bed at 8pm I know it's seen as late but most nights DP isn't in until 7 and he likes an hour with them before they go to bed otherwise he won't see them. We have always had an 8pm bed and it works well with us as I've said we are usually all up 7.30ish which suits me fine.

I really don't know what to do maybe her nap is too late in the day (was 2 until 3.30 and I wake her at 3.30pm) maybe I'll try 1.30-2.30pm tomorrow see if that works. DD1 always asks when it is DD2 naptime as she knows we do something just the two of us then she will be so disappointed if we didn't get mummy time.