When do they require a shorter nap?

[jojo2324]

The last two days, Gannon has not really napped. He'll play in his crib, jump around, read a book, make some noises...But not fall asleep!! Even after an hour. At what age can I expect his 2-3 hour nap to be whittled down to (sniff) 1-1.5 hours? :(

I know the time change might have something to do with this, but he also just doesn't seem tired.

[lukkykatt]

Joanne, what time are you putting him for his nap? I have had to shift DS to a later nap time, but it still lasts for 2 hours. Just wondering if you've tried adjusting the time he goes for his nap?

[egoldber]

Right around when Sarah turned 2, we had a ROUGH nap period. She started napping only 45 minutes to and hour. It was awful. I did everything I could think of and finally gave up and just accepted it. After about 4-6 weeks, she went back to 2 hours naps. But her naps have become more variable. They can be anywhere from 1 to 2 1/2 hours, with 1 1/2 to 2 hours being the most common.

So don't despair, it could just be the weird 2 year old thing looming early. :)

[doubleL]

I would just keep at it. Don't give in this early.

DS has gone through a few phases resisting naps. I would just tell him, it's rest time and he could bring whatever favorite toys to bed with him. For a few days he would play with the toys (for over an hour) until he fell asleep. Then he would go back to not even wanting to bring toys to bed and sleep 2-3 hours.

However, in the last few months, (33-35 months old) the naps have been getting shorter...and just in the last week, he has really decided to give up naps entirely (he's almost 3). And I don't know what to do :(

Good luck!

Lou
~David 5.01
~Elisabeth 6.03

[Karenn]

Joanne,
We just went through this about a month ago. The nap did get shorter, and it got later too. So according to Colin's timetable, Gannon is right on target! I just kept putting him in his crib each day at naptime with a crib full of books and he started sleeping again after a couple of days. I was sure he'd given up naps for good! He now falls asleep around an hour or so later than he used to. Good luck!

[KathyO]

My DD will be three in a week (egads!) and still naps 2 hours most days. She has had phases where naps shorten or even temporarily disappear; hang in there, because, as folks have said, odds are good that things will come back on track shortly.

However, for the last 6 months or so, she's been close enough to getting through without the nap (although that makes her a total bear for the rest of the day) that she needs help unwinding and getting to sleep. It needs one of us to lie down with her and confine her arms and legs (she doesn't mind this) for her to relax, or I have to pop her into the stroller with DS and go for a really good walk, and she'll sleep for most of that. The walks have been great for peeling off the post-partum pounds, not to mention good for my mental health, since it's the only time I get to be alone in my head! Unfortunately I'm off it for a few weeks (hip problems requiring physiotherapy) and am climbing the walls a teeny tiny bit (okay, a lot), but soon, soon!! But, I digress. Do whatever you can to hang onto naps for as long as possible. One thing that Mary Sheedy Kurcinka said about spirited children is that they resist sleep more than other kids, but they NEED sleep more than other kids, and IMHO she's absolutely right.

Cheers,

KathyO