When did your DC stop taking naps?

[Emmas Mom]

My older DD is almost 3 1/2 & still naps about an hour a day. She typically wakes up between 6:30 - 7:00 & isn't going to bed until 8:30 - 9:00 at night...she totally fights going to sleep. I'd say she gets about 10 hours of sleep at night, which is why I still prefer she takes a nap each day. She COULD skip it but I find she's still up until 8:30 - 9:00 either way. I'm not sure exactly how much sleep she needs at this age but 10 hours (with no nap) seems too little...am I wrong? So, at what age did your DC stop taking naps & how long was he/she sleeping at night?

[JElaineB]

DS was a month or two shy of 4 when he stopped taking naps at daycare (4x/week) and grandma's house (1x/week). He had stopped taking them at home on weekends quite a while before that. Now he just has a short "rest period" at daycare and grandma's - rarely he falls asleep but most of the time not. We had the same situation as you just before he stopped napping. It was VERY hard to get him to bed at night, and it took him a long time to fall asleep. As soon as they moved him to the "no nap" group he started going to bed much earlier (7 pm instead of 8-8:30) and he falls asleep much faster and easier. He usually wakes up about 5:30 am, but that is when he was waking up before, so that didn't change. I think it sounds like your DD is ready to transition away from taking naps most days!

[o_mom]

DS1 is napping right now!

He is down to napping about every other day for 1.5-2 hours. If he goes 2-3 days with no nap he is a mess. If I try and get him to nap every day he fights it. He goes to bed about 7:30-8pm and gets up around 7:30-8 am. So, 12 hours/day plus an hour or two every other day. On average probably 13 hours/day.

He will occasionally go 3-4 days and then we start getting into trouble. This past weekend he didn't nap at all, then would'nt nap yesterday. After swimming last night he could hardly keep his eyes open and just melted into a screaming puddle at every single step of the bedtime routine last night. So, he has been sleeping for 2.5 hours now and I am not about to wake him.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Probably around 3.5. He would go through phases from the time he was 2.5 where he wouldn't nap and I would wonder if that was it.

When the weather got hotter he napped again for like a month, right when he turned 4.

10 hours of sleep in 24 hours seems too little for her, imo. I'd keep her napping. I miss nap time. :)

My ds gets 11-11.5 hours of night time sleep now that he doesn't nap.

Sometimes ds would nap and then not be tired for bedtime. He would play and chat with himself for quite a while but since he was happy and we didn;t have anywhere we had to be early in the morning it was fine.

At that age naps were probably from 3:30/4-6:30/7 (or 3-6) and bedtime was 10.

Beth

ETA sleep recs:
Sleep patterns in children

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Children who get enough sleep are less prone to behavior problems and moodiness. They often develop better memory, concentration, and longer attention spans. With plenty of sleep, they may also recover from illness faster. Growth spurts are accelerated during sleep, as the human growth hormone is released. Behavioral problems can even result from lack of sleep.

While children may seem anything but sleepy at bedtime, they still may be. Their bouncing around the room behavior may be masking sleep deprivation. How much is enough sleep? Two year olds normally need 13 hours of sleep a day, including naps. By age five, 11 hours is the average amount needed. School-aged children need about 10 hours of sleep. Most teenagers need a good 9 hours of sleep at night to be alert during the day. Sleep patterns vary, based on the age of the child.

The following guidelines define common sleep patterns:

Normal newborn babies may sleep anywhere from 12 to 20 hours a day. The average is about 16 hours divided into 3 or 4 hour naps between feedings. Sleep is affected by the baby's hunger, environment, and activity. Rocking induces sleep. Babies begin sleeping through the night when they weigh 12 or 13 pounds. When this occurs, most babies may sleep soundly (7 or 8 hours without waking) for a few weeks or months and then return abruptly to a late-night or wake-up schedule. Growth and developmental changes may be the cause. Two naps a day are usually needed through the twelfth month.

Toddlers and preschoolers sleep an average of about 12 hours a day and take one nap. Naps may be stopped by the end of the third year. Sleep problems are common, especially when going to bed and falling asleep. Nightmares and night terrors may occur. Bedtime rituals (regular bedtimes, baths, snacks, quiet activity, bedtime reading, favorite stuffed animal or blanket) are helpful to ease insecurity and relax the toddler.

School-aged children require less sleep, as they get older. Their need drops down to 10 hours a day. The child's age, activity level, and health status strongly influence the amount of sleep needed. Bedtime rituals and later bedtimes reduce resistance. Common fears are fear of the dark, strange noises, intruders, or imagined ideas. Nightmares and night terrors may continue.

Teenagers get sleepy later than preteens and often have trouble falling asleep. They often complain of being tired upon return from school, and like to sleep-in on the weekends. Puberty brings changes to their sleep-wake cycle. Marathon snoozes are common at this age.
http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/childhealthdevelopment/chil3082.html

[fauve01]

My DD quit her naps for good at 19 months. yep, no kidding! she just didn't want to miss anything. i couldn't get her to nap for anything--and believe me i tried EVERYTHING.

she started going to bed earlier (6:30p) when she gave up naps and got up by 7:30ish am. before she gave naps up, she was going to bed later (730) and talking a LONG time before dropping off to sleep. her wake up time didn't change. when the nap stopped, she dropped RIGHT off as soon as she laid down. now at 3Y,3months, she sleeps from 7:30 to 8am.

i think every kid is different in their sleep needs, but 10 hours might not be enough. your DD might actually sleep better and longer at night once she stops napping.

i know transitioning to fewer or no naps is quite difficult for some kids and takes some time for them to get used to. sometimes they are cranky til they get used to the change. it usually helps to have some activity --outdoors was best for us-- doing anything to get them through their usual sleep time.

GOOD LUCK.

Anne + DD 10-03

[bisous]

If I'm reading your post correctly, I'm interpreting it to me that she sleeps the same amount at night regardless of whether or not she naps. In that case, I would still let her nap. The extra hour of sleep is probably really nice for her. My DS fought naps from 18 mos. onward. Until about 3 yo he would go to bed on time with or without the nap. So for about 1.5 hours we really worked on enforcing the nap and I felt like it was important. Around 3, he started going to bed REALLY late (like 11:00 p.m. or later!) if he fell asleep during the day. That was the only reason that I really stopped trying so hard to get my DS to nap as I truly cannot handle toddlers at midnight! I've heard that naps are extremely beneficial to children. If she still takes one that is great! FWIW one of my friend has two children that were great nappers and napped all the way through kindergarten. HTH!

[hez]

Not yet, though he does skip 1-2 per week.

He's not sleeping nearly as long at night as he would need to if he were napless, though he does sleep longer when he's skipped a nap. I get a nap when he does when I'm home, so I'm enjoying it :)

[lizajane]

we had to take away schuyler's nap at 2+. i think it was a terrible, terrible idea. i strongly regret it. dh kinda made me do it by being a terror (yes, DH was a terror) every time DS did nap because then he wouldn't go to bed.

schuyler is getting close to 4. he goes to bed at 7pm, but DH tends to keep him up until 7:30-8pm (which is a whole different issue because then DH complains about bedtime...) and he wakes up at 4am sometimes, 5:45 sometimes, 6:45 RATHER often... 7:15 is SO late for him to sleep, i sing and dance.

[KrisM]

We made him stop at 32 months - just before Christmas. He was fighting bedtime so much and not going to sleep until about 10pm. He'd get up at 6pm and only nap 1-2 hours. After a handful of days of no nap, we did get his bedtime adjusted to about 7:30. And, he sleeps until about 7am. It did take a few nights (maybe 4) to move the bedtime up.

He went from 9-10 hours total to 12 hours when he stopped the nap. It improved his every day crankiness a lot. He really was tired before, with the nap, but just couldn't fall asleep early enough.

While I miss the daytime nap and the break, I really like the extra 3+ hours at night! About 1 time every 2 weeks, he'll fall asleep on the couch or in the car and we won't be able to wake him, so he naps. Those nights, bedtime ends up about 8:30. Still better than before.

I do wonder if in the summer, when it's still light until 9:30, if we'll move bedtime to 9 or so and get him to nap again.

[muskiesusan]

Nick was 3.5 when he also started fighting bedtimes and would sleep the same 10 hour stretch you mentioned. So, we stopped the napping and he started sleeping 7-7, which is also his current schedule. FWIW, we also had to stop all late afternoon errands as he would fall asleep in the car if we went anywhere, but it was totally worth the hassle free bedtime.


Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04