What age did your toddler stop napping?

[ppshah]

DS is 32 months old and refuses to nap for the past 2 weeks. He keeps getting downn from his bed....usually he brings several books to his bed and looks at them. He still needs his nap b/c by 5pm he's hyper/tired/crabby.

So what age did your toddle stop napping?
If his naps are done, how much sleep does he need at night?
I desperately want him to nap...any way to get him to nap again?

Thanks!

[Rachels]

Abigail stopped right at her third birthday. For a few weeks I thought I would die of exhaustion, but things evened out pretty quickly. She can still get crabby in the evenings sometimes, but bedtime is now a lot earlier and condiderably easier. At three and a half, she sleeps between eleven and thirteen hours a night. We usually do have kind of a quiet time around what used to be naptime-- books or a quiet video, etc.

-Rachel
Mama to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

and Ethan James
10/19/05
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/bf.jpg


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya

[Emmas Mom]

My DD is 27 months & is boycotting taking her naps at daycare. :( Plus, the only way I can get her to nap with me on the weekends is if I lay down with her...not that I mind though since I'm in my 3rd trimester! But when she doesn't nap she's definitely a little crab in the evenings. I don't know what to do since I can't be with her during the week. I try to put her to bed earlier those nights but she still wakes up in the middle of the night most of the time & if she sleeps past 6:30am it's a miracle! And when she wakes up (middle of the night) she won't go back to sleep unless I go lay down with her in her room. I'm going to be an exhausted mess if I have to deal with her & a newborn come January. :( My only ideas on napping are probably ones you've already heard....quite, fairly dark room, white noise, a lovey or two. Not much help but definitely lots of empathy for you.

[Piglet]

I am very lucky, but my DS (almost 4 1/2) still naps for about 2 hours every day. He can go without the nap if needed, but we are all happier when he gets that nap in. I have always felt that even if he were to give it up, I would make sure he was doing something quiet like reading or watching a DVD. I need the break more than he does most days!

[Piglet]

I am very lucky, but my DS (almost 4 1/2) still naps for about 2 hours every day. He can go without the nap if needed, but we are all happier when he gets that nap in. I have always felt that even if he were to give it up, I would make sure he was doing something quiet like reading or watching a DVD. I need the break more than he does most days!

[kellyotn]

With DD I started the "quiet time" thing at about 22 months. Her brother was a newborn and I simply could NOT do the drawn out pre-nap routine anymore. A big part of her problem was she just hated being up in her room alone and hearing us downstairs. Every little noise, she want to know what we were doing. So, fine, quiet time was on the couch or on the floor with a fun blanket pile. I didn't care where she wanted to be, I just needed that time! LOL.

Basically, I gave her something to drink (part of her sleep routine) and told her she needed to lay down. I'd let her be for at least an hour, usually she fell asleep. She was just much more relaxed to be downstairs with us.

As she got older she went about every other day with actually napping vs. just being quiet. If she napped, bedtime was 8:00. If she didn't it was 7:00 or so. (I worried that napping downstairs would ruin bedtime upstairs, but somehow it didn't.)

She's now 3 and quiet time involves books and rarely sleep. She doesn't seem to be overly cranky at night, so I think she just doesn't always need to nap anymore.

[Momof3Labs]

Just shy of his third birthday. We moved his bedtime forward to help offset some of the crabbies - he now normally sleeps 7pm - 6am, give or take a little.

[ppshah]

Thanks everyone. I thought DS was way too young to give up naptime, but maybe not. I'll continue to do quiet time with him- classical music and reading books. We have moved his bedtime from 8pm to 7pm- I hate doing that though b/c DH often doesn't get home until after 7 and enjoys putting DS to bed.

[Sarah1]

Audrey stopped napping a couple of months ago (she turned 3 earlier this month). She still occasionally takes a nap, maybe once every couple of weeks. It was rough at first, as she would get really cranky by like 4 or 5--but now she's generally in a pretty good mood all day.

The best part is, she's in bed by 6:15-6:45 and sleeps until 6:30-7 in the AM.

[mamalou]

My 2 1/2 year old has been pretty difficult around nap time lately too. It all started with daylight savings. Darnit. No advice. Just empathy.

[lisams]

DD just turned 3 this week and only takes a nap maybe 2-3 days a week so we are close to no naps. On the days she doesn't take a nap, I let her pick out some stuffed animals, turn on some quiet music and set the timer for 45 minutes. She is good about just laying in her bed - sometimes she sings. I like giving her the opportunity to settle down for a little, and me a little break. She sleeps for about 12 hours at night on the days she doesn't take a nap.

[fauve01]

18.5 months. The Weissbluth book doesn't devote much time to nap problems, but does say MOST kids nap til they're three, and if your kid acts tired/cranky he still needs to nap. well my DD hardly ever acts tired, so oh well for me! i still put her in at nap time every day, but she just doesn't get "it's rest time now" so she's back up--no break for me. every now and then (*maybe* once every three weeks) she'll sleep, but it's totally random. i shoot for a 6:30pm bedtime, but sometimes don't make it til 7pm depending on what we've been up to that day. she was sleeping to 7:30/7:45a til daylight savings time, but now wakes about 7/7:15. She sleeps GREAT at night and has NO PROBLEMS falling asleep, so i really can't complain.

HTH! Good luck.

Anne + DD 10-03