Dropping naps at aged 2

daisydays88 · 2023-05-27T05:56:06+00:00

Is dropping all naps at aged 25 months ok?? I find he is not sleepy at all even at 9pm. He naps for about an hour early afternoon but only in the pushchair or car when I take him out. All other toddlers I know at his age still have naps.

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Bellabon · 27/05/2023 07:17

Not my DS yet as he's only 19 months but just wanted to say that both my niece and nephew completely dropped their naps at 2 and were completely fine. I really wouldn't worry and would just be led by what DS appears to need.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 27/05/2023 07:21

Mine stopped napping about this age

Sunshinegirl82 · 27/05/2023 07:23

Mine had both stopped napping by the time they were two, just put them to bed earlier whilst they adjusted.

Smartiepants79 · 27/05/2023 07:34

Both mine had stopped naps by the time they were 2 and a half. It’s fine.

Hardbackwriter · 27/05/2023 07:39

DS1 had completely dropped naps by then. DS2 is 2.5 and naps at nursery but not at home (and takes ages to go to sleep on nursery days!). It's fine. I remember friends saying how terribly unlucky I was with DS1 stopping napping so early but he was a good night sleeper, never went through an early morning phase and I found planning around naps a right pain, so I didn't think it was so bad!

LGBirmingham · 27/05/2023 07:40

I'm finding this nap drop to be a fluid thing. Mine is 29 months and been not napping some days fora couple of months now. It just won't happen everyday because he will just get too tired. He'll fall asleep in the car at 10:30 am for instance even after 11-12 hours sleep the night before.

I'd definitely try some no nap days but be prepared for your days to be unpredictable for a while.

ChocHotolate · 27/05/2023 07:55

Maybe a nap every 2-3 days to start with rather than dropping completely? DD naps well at nursery but can cope without a nap at weekends if needed

YouHeardTheRumoursFromInes · 27/05/2023 08:04

Yeah fine. Ds1 dropped his nap at 2. Ds2 still naps sometimes at 3 - everyone has different sleep needs!

PlasticPotPlant · 27/05/2023 08:21

Every child is different - if hes not tired, he is doing fine without them (and hopefully means is sleeping well overnight!)

Geneticsbunny · 27/05/2023 09:24

All 3 of mine dropped naps at this age.

ladygindiva · 27/05/2023 09:36

2 of my 3 had stopped napping at this age; dc1 at about 23 months, DC 3 by about 18 months ( she doesn't appear to need as much sleep as the average person) only my middle child still napped although not every day until about 3 yo.

Sussexcricket · 27/05/2023 09:49

Almost 24 month old and has similar
An hour in her cot 12.30-1.30 but still not tired until 9pm at night. She can't seem to go all day however without one. She only naps 30 mins in a pushchair though rather than her usual hour at home so might just start letting her have 30 mins out and about but she's so grouchy if I do that

VivaVivaa · 27/05/2023 09:55

DS has started dropping his nap by this age. He wouldn’t go to sleep in the cot until 3pm and even later in the car, so we just ditched it. He carried on in nursery for a little while (until maybe 27 or 28 months?) but then fully dropped it. It was lovely as he slept for 12h straight overnight after!

Seeline · 27/05/2023 10:12

Both mine stopped at 18 months. One after several weeks of trying to ensure it happened and him being certain it didn't (I was Pg - I needed a nap!!). The other had 3 HR afternoon naps, slept fine at night and then the next day said no - didn't want a nap and that was the end of that!

Anon204 · 27/05/2023 14:16

My little boy dropped naps around 2.5 (he's 3.5 now) but he has what we call 'chill out time' where he hangs out in his room for an hour to an hour and a half, lights dimmed, and he can read his books, go on his tablet or go to sleep if he's really tired.

We see a big difference when he doesn't have chill time, he will go loopy around 4/5pm and doesn't listen. I find if he is tired or ill, he'll have a sleep and it won't affect bed time, but the majority of the time he'll just read or play with his toys.

Poesy88 · 31/05/2023 20:54

I'm in the same situation. My boy is a week off being 2. He's always been hard to get to sleep - fights it so much. If he doesn't nap he goes to sleep well, and I've been thinking about dropping the nap to save myself a minimum of 2 hours a day (lunchtime and nighttime) rocking, singing and breastfeeding, which gets so exhausting, especially when you've got a 2.5 stone toddler wrestling to climb the walls. He is tired though, at lunchtime and at night, but he won't give in. It makes me think he does need a sleep and it would be selfish not to give him one. I don't know the answers 🤦‍♀️

DelilahBea · 01/06/2023 10:52

Hello all,

Posting on this thread as it's a similar question...

Our daughter is 2 years and 5 months and has barely slept through the night for months now. She's cranky and exhausted and so are we. We are expecting our second this November so really want to get her sleep sorted by then. We have tried shortening her nap at lunch to half an hour/an hour and not letting her sleep past three. She still fights bedtime until 8/8.30pm and wakes at least once in the night. Sometimes it's night terrors, otherwise she just wants me and won't go back to sleep til I've gone in. Then wakes at about 7/7.30am.

We are going to try an earlier lunchtime nap from 12 for an hour and try and get her in bed by 7pm latest and if this doesn't work, we may need to drop the nap. She's still in a cot which she is outgrowing so maybe transitioning her to a bed might help too.

Any advice would be really appreciated! Thank you x

HoppingPavlova · 01/06/2023 11:11

Every child is different. Mine ranged from having dropped naps completely by 12mo to still napping until 5yo (delayed school start for that one). There is no ‘normal’ as such.

cptartapp · 01/06/2023 11:22

DS1 stopped napping at twelve months.

JandalsAlways · 01/06/2023 11:38

ChocHotolate · 27/05/2023 07:55

Maybe a nap every 2-3 days to start with rather than dropping completely? DD naps well at nursery but can cope without a nap at weekends if needed

Yeah try and push through it, it's more closer to 3 when they drop it, although all kids are different.

Seeline · 01/06/2023 11:44

JandalsAlways · 01/06/2023 11:38

Yeah try and push through it, it's more closer to 3 when they drop it, although all kids are different.

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I don't think any of my friend's kids were still napping at 3. As I said both mine were 18 months, and most were between 2 and 2.5.

LGBirmingham · 01/06/2023 18:16

DelilahBea · 01/06/2023 10:52

Hello all,

Posting on this thread as it's a similar question...

Our daughter is 2 years and 5 months and has barely slept through the night for months now. She's cranky and exhausted and so are we. We are expecting our second this November so really want to get her sleep sorted by then. We have tried shortening her nap at lunch to half an hour/an hour and not letting her sleep past three. She still fights bedtime until 8/8.30pm and wakes at least once in the night. Sometimes it's night terrors, otherwise she just wants me and won't go back to sleep til I've gone in. Then wakes at about 7/7.30am.

We are going to try an earlier lunchtime nap from 12 for an hour and try and get her in bed by 7pm latest and if this doesn't work, we may need to drop the nap. She's still in a cot which she is outgrowing so maybe transitioning her to a bed might help too.

Any advice would be really appreciated! Thank you x

Mines the same age as yours and naps at nursery for 40mins somewhere between 1 and 2. It's a good night if he's asleep for 9 and after that he always sleeps through. At home we try not to nap but it doesn't always work out, he'll wind up falling asleep.

The late bedtime isn't ideal but he can't manage no nap all the time and at least he doesn't get up early, we mostly have to wake him on nursery days atm.

I think you need way way more awake time after that nap.

DelilahBea · 02/06/2023 08:28

Thanks all, very helpful.

we tried half an hour nap at 12 yesterday and she woke at midnight completely wired and upset and inconsolable- making me think it was too short and she was overtired. So hard to know how to get it right!! Will keep trying slightly different timings and drop the nap completely if we have to.

thanks for the support

LGBirmingham · 02/06/2023 08:39

Perhaps she needs a longer nap and a later bedtime instead?