should i be stopping the naps now?

[xella]

hi everyone. My dd is 2.2, she sleeps through the night, which i know i am lucky, and she has a nap in the day too. sometimes it takes a while for her to fall asleep, but only a few times have i had to give up and keep her awake till bedtime (which is 9pm, and always has been. But i'm not sure if at this stage, she is should be stopping the naps. it gives dd some time to recouperate, and it helps me gets things done around the house (which ladies, you know is impossible with a curious toddler into everything but their toys!) But i'm not sure if i am doing the right thing? should i be stopping the naps by now? She also has a cup of warm milk at bedtime and after breakfast still, because its like her 'winding down' routine. I basically would like to know if i should be stopping these two habits, or are they harmless at this age?

could you make the nap shorter by keeping her awake bit longer?
the milk thing is good lots of adults still have hot milky drink before bed.

i've tried to make the naps shorter, they have already moved later in the day. Usually about 4pm. I try to give her about an hour, but if she doesnt wake up naturally, we have a very, moody, moany, whiny dd until she has woken properly. Glad the milk drink is ok, because she sees that as part of her bedtime routine. {when i say "ready for milk and bed"?, she on the first stair, waiting for me to hurry up!}

DS is 3.1 and he still often (but not every day) naps after lunch, and has milk first and last thing. He usually sleeps through the night, but isn't going to sleep readily atm BUT that is because we just moved him into a bed and he won't stay in it.

why would you stop them...? DS is 2.7 and still sleeps a good hour and a half after lunch and is still ready for bed at 7pm. He can manage without though if we go out for the day. I am quite happy to stick to this as, as you say it gives you some space.

Ds2 will be 4 in March and he still has an afternoon nap, ds1 was the same. I wouldn't stop the nap as it gives you a chance to get stuff done and she is happier through the evening. Also the milk thing IMO is absolutely fine.

Wow - that's a very late bedtime! What time does she get up in the morning? If she's napping that late then she may well be bordering on giving them up. Could you try no naps for a week (unless she actually asks for one) and bed an hour earlier?

No harm at all in keeping the nap and the milk unless you feel you want to drop them!
If you wanted to bring her bedtime forward then it might be a good idea to drop the nap, but if you are happy with the 9pm bedtime then stick with it and get your day time break! She will drop it herself when she is ready

dd is 23 months, and also bordering on giving them up btw. Thought it might help to see that not everyone still naps as far on as the rest of the posters on this thread.

xella,

My DD is 3.1 and although she rarely naps, she still goes to her bed every day at 1ish and will quite happily chat to her toys etc. often for 2 hours! If I were you, I would either continue the naps or at least encourage some time in her room so that you can get things done. Also DD is more rested from having some quiet time than she would be if she continued playing.

And she still has milk before bed (cold milk).

belianbun- i have also noticed the later they nap, the groggier they get!
cantsleepwontsleep- 9pm does seem like a late bedtime, i agree, but from 4months, she settled at this time, and she has always gone to bed at that time since. i felt no urge to change the times and disrupt a perfectly routined pattern. She can wake from times between 7:30am to 9am. depending on the previous days' events. Admittedly,(have i spelt that right?)her head doesnt always hit the pillow straight away, sometimes she chats to her toys, sings, etc then settles down gradually. I will eventually have to change the times to meet her schooling/nursery hours,gradual... half hour or and hour at a time. That is probably when i will try to cut a few naps out in the week, to tire her out, then she will go to bed earlier. does that make sense? if she is tired, i will let her nap of course. But if she can carry on throughout the day without turning into a screaming maniac because she's tired, then i will attempt it. is 9pm really THAT late?
P.S Thankyou for all who replied. Glad to know many dc's still nap and drink milk at this age and older. i dont see any problem with what i'm doing, but i wasn't sure if it was something that you reduce or wean them off by a certain time. Some people are very opinionated about stuff they should and shouldn't do by a certain age aren't they?
Thanks again all!