Parents of toddlers...question!

2

Replies

  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    My 2 year old still naps but my son who will be 5 in October stopped napping when he was between 2.5 and 3. But he would also get super grumpy in the evening! He STILL gets grumpy most evenings! :huh:
  • My little guy wont be 3 until the end of January and already has stopped napping here inthe las week or so.
  • 3 sounds like the typical age they want to avoid taking naps. My little 3 yr old is the same. My 6 (just turned) still takes the occasional naps. If they don't nap, then they have quiet time, and that works out well. Both my 3 and 6yr old know that if they don't nap and start to get ornery in the evenings, then they go to be early.
  • Klem4
    Klem4 Posts: 399 Member
    My oldest took naps until he was almost 4. If he didn't want to nap, he still stayed in his room for a little bit for quiet time, and would read or play in his room. My youngest, currently 2.5, still takes naps, about 2hrs each day. Sometimes we get busy on the weekends, and he skips them, but then he usually goes to bed 30min-1hr earlier. I think around 3 is normal to start refusing naps, they're afraid they're going to miss out on something I think.
  • Briko3
    Briko3 Posts: 266 Member
    Have a "resting time" for an hour or so in the afternoon. He doesn't have to sleep, but he has to stay in his room. He can read, play, etc., but can't come out until the "big hand reaches the 12". Sometimes they will fall asleep, sometimes they won't.
  • MamaKay3
    MamaKay3 Posts: 35 Member
    My son is 3 and he will occasionally take naps. Usually if he takes naps he's a bear when it comes to bedtime. I prefer to let him stay up and relax with me while my youngest naps. This way he goes to bed early and without a fight. :)
  • 2012asv
    2012asv Posts: 702 Member
    around 3 1/2
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    I'm fighting the no nap thing tooth and nail! My 3.5 year old still takes them (thank goodness!), and we can usually get our 6 year old to take one once a week (on saturdays after a long week at school). Even now though, we can definately tell when our 6 year old DOESN'T take one. But when he doesn't take one, we make him at least lay down to quietly watch a movie or something like that. Usually just that quiet time is enough for all of us to catch our breath and reset.
  • MrsPong
    MrsPong Posts: 580 Member
    My daughter will be 4 this month. and STILL takes naps.... When its the weekend we have no "set" nap time we just know when she gets tired she will fall asleep...

    But with her daycare/preschool they make them lay down and rest or nap. I can tell when she has one and when she doesnt. Major attitude. I heard I'm lucky that she still naps, I know alot of kids that stop at like 2.
  • NeonRainbow83
    NeonRainbow83 Posts: 118 Member
    My youngest has just turned 2 and he dropped his afternoon nap (himself, he just wouldn't go off) a good few months ago, in turn he goes to bed at 6pm and sleeps until 7am.

    I love this. Lol.
  • SWilkins75
    SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
    WOW! Perfect timing! My daughter will be 3 Oct 21st and about a week ago she stopped taking naps :( We always scheduled her nap at 3 and she would be in bed for good by 9 but still played in her room until she fell asleep. I tried to lay her down like ususal last week and 10 minutes later she is up crying. I open the door and ask her what's wrong and she bolts out of the door. So yeah, it's very frustrating bc that was the only quiet time I had. I have a 10m old son too and I always try to have them take naps at the same time. Not anymore.
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Thanks so much for all the responses! Right now my son is lying on the couch watching Scooby Doo (ahh, the life!) My daughter has gymnastics after school so I'm hoping he won't get grumpy until later if at all! I do enjoy him sleeping later in the morning though! I can get my workout in and shower all before the kids get up so I'm loooooving that aspect of it! :)
  • NiennaMariee
    NiennaMariee Posts: 48 Member
    My little girl stopped at 2.5, she was just ready to go through the day without it, so I didn't try and force it upon her. She didn't have tantrums but has a 7pm bedtime anyway. I think going to bed at 7 and not getting up til 8am is great! It's seems to me that he's ready for it, but that's just my opinion :)
  • HollyAus
    HollyAus Posts: 241 Member
    At 3 they started getting "quiet time" instead of naps where if they fell asleep, so be it, if not, they could quiet play on their beds with toys. At 4 it basically went away.

    This is what I did. I would put on a movie turn out the lights and shut the door. We have a playroom with a big sectional so this is a little easier. My three year old usually falls asleep, but my five year old watches the movie. They go to bed at 8:30 (except weekends, sometimes that's different) I call it quiet time too. They understand that there is no playing and no toys and no lights. If they need something then they can get up. But I've never had to deal with tantrums over anything
  • You are so lucky...both of mine stopped naps around 18 months! Since then it's only been if they are really tired and need to crash.
  • SWilkins75
    SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
    Thanks so much for all the responses! Right now my son is lying on the couch watching Scooby Doo (ahh, the life!) My daughter has gymnastics after school so I'm hoping he won't get grumpy until later if at all! I do enjoy him sleeping later in the morning though! I can get my workout in and shower all before the kids get up so I'm loooooving that aspect of it! :)
    My daughter is a tv addict :( I admit it. I can't exercise in the am because she'll hear me and want up!! Then be all up in my face whining about everything. I pray my son doesn't grow up to whine so much lol
  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
    Mine can read numbers so I made him a chart so he can match his nap time and his bed time. If he chooses not to take a nap and won't sleep then bed time is an hour earlier. Mine stopped wanting naps as well. He still needs them though other wise both he and this mommy are cranky bears by 5 pm :)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Just wondering when your little ones decided that they weren't taking naps anymore. My son will be 3 in November and just this weekend he has REFUSED to take a nap in the afternoon. Flat out refused! UGH! Dh thinks it's time to say bye to naps and I guess he's right but then around 7pm he has NASTY tantrums so I've been putting him to be earlier and he'll go right to sleep until 8am!

    Just wondering when you gave up naps and how you coped with the tantrums (if they had any). Also, did you move up bed time at night or keep it the same?

    Thanks so much everyone!

    My daughter was still taking naps when she was 4 and 5, but when I was little, I pretty much was done with them at 18 months. I used to climb out of my crib and play instead of sleeping.
  • tigersteph80
    tigersteph80 Posts: 34 Member
    I'm having the same issue with my twins who just turned 2 in July. As soon as we put them in big beds nap are few and far between. One of them is actually ok without nap but the other one ends up falling asleep on the couch while I am making supper and then won't eat because he is exhausted. Also bedtime used to be 7pm-7am now I am lucky if they are asleep by 9pm.
  • By 3 mine wouldn't nap at all. She still likes to stay up late. She's like her Daddy and thinks sleeping is a waste of time. I wish I had their energy!

    Mine is the exact same.

    I like how you put that "A waste of time" - describes the situation perfectly! LOL
  • BRANDYGR8MOVES
    BRANDYGR8MOVES Posts: 87 Member
    my 3yr old does not take naps if she gets additude then she has to have quiet time but she goes to bed at 830 or 900 and sleeps till 930am everyday
  • Beleg
    Beleg Posts: 227 Member
    My boys went from nap time at 3 to quite time at 3 which still ended up nap time but they thought it was quite time. :D and at 7 and 12 they still get quite time on weekends so dad can get nap time.
  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
    My boys still napped through age 6. Every so often, they will be extra tired from a morning of playing in the water or jumping on the trampoline and we all take a nap - it's kinda rare now though and they are 7 & 1/2.


    ETA: My boys bedtime during the school year is 8pm-6am; during summer 8:30pm-7am.
  • jd5351
    jd5351 Posts: 116 Member
    Naptime/Bedtime is non-negotiable in my house. My son is 3.5 and I just take him to his room and close the door, and he goes to sleep. I'm lucky, he's always been a cooperative sleeper. Only maybe 10 times since he's been about 8 weeks old has he fought sleep and that's when he was teething or sick, and then he just needed me to hold him and settle him.

    He has no TV or toys except for a few stuffed animals in his room. The no distractions helps I'm sure.
  • KimAggie04
    KimAggie04 Posts: 165 Member
    My daughter refused to nap around this age also. Since she has a younger brother and my husband & I need a break also, we have quiet time for her. She watches a movie, colors and plays with her toys while the rest of us rest. It also forces her to relax during that time. I'd prefer she napped, but on the rare occasion that she does nap, we regret it. She's fussy the rest of the day and won't go to bed at nap time. So, quiet time has worked for us for the last 2 years.
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    Oh my gosh. This same thing just started for us here too. Mine will be 3 in October, and some days she naps and others she won't. It is CLEAR the days she just sits in her room because even quiet time days she goes insane by 5:30 or 6. Today, for the first time, I put her to nap 90 mins after her little bro, and she appears to be sleeping now. I think maybe her circadian rhythm changed. He will be up in 30 mins now tho. Good bye mommy time.
  • My 3.5 year old still naps for 1.5-3 hours daily. He doesn't complain at all. I say 'go take your nap' and he goes to his bed and lays down. Once his nap phase is over we will institute quiet time in his room to replace the nap. He will be allowed to play quietly in his room for the give time frame.
  • cgraylyon
    cgraylyon Posts: 292 Member
    Mine stopped napping when they started Kindergarten. Once that started bed time was moved to 7:30-8:00. They were just tuckered out. My 12 year old will still take naps on the weekend. We love our sleep!
  • Lkoblara
    Lkoblara Posts: 137 Member
    My son stopped napping when he turned 2... he never had tantrums about it though (or about anything else for that matter) he thankfully skipped that developmental phase, lol. He has plenty of quiet time through out the day though, and if he falls asleep before 3 pm I let him snooze for a half hour or so... but that RARELY happens now.
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
    Our 5 yr old still naps - he sleeps about an hour every day after he gets home from kindergarten, which keeps him going long enough to enjoy play time in the evening and still get some quality time in after dinner; no naps = tired grouchy wreck still at this point. We tried phasing him out of it before school started, but it just doesn't work for him yet. His bedtime is 8 (stories, talking in bed about the day, etc, and usually asleep by 9) and he's up and cheery at 6:30 the next morning.