Three Year old wanting to nap too early in the day...

[kayte]

Our newly turned three year old (birthday is today) wants to nap before 11 in the morning.

She currently goes to bed at about 7:30, asleep by 8 at the latest. She gets up at 6:45 -7 EVERY morning no matter when she goes to bed (we have tried moving her bedtime- that was a disaster).

She gets tired and wants to nap at about 10:30- 11:00 am. SHe will tell us she is tired.

If she makes it into the bed by 11 she naps great. By 11:30 she naps but for not as long and if we miss the 11:30/12 cut-off it's 50/50 on whether she naps at all.

When she gets no nap it is AWFUL. Buckets of tears by 5:30 pm over something like the wind blowing, she doesn't sleep well at night when she misses a nap (waking periodically several times) and then it carries over into the next day. And on the next day she is liable to nap for an extra sleep cycle and then be beyond grumpy when she wakes up. So I am certain it isn't time to give up the nap. She really enjoys it and it seems like she needs it.

If I surrender to her body clock, it means no playgroup, no library story time and no music class-- all of which start at 10. Which translates to me not seeing any other mom friends too.

Thoughts?

[maestramommy]

Can you find toddler activities that happen during the afternoon? There must be toddlers around that don't nap any longer.

[Momof3Labs]

I think that you have to go with her schedule - if she needs to nap at 11 (and still sleeps fine at night), then that's when she needs to be home to nap. I promise that it won't last forever! Perhaps you can set up a weekly playdate that starts at 9 or 9:30 at your house so that you still both get the social contact you crave, but you preserve her naptime. I also agree that you can probably find moms out there with 3yos that don't nap any longer and would be up for afternoon activities.

[Octobermommy]

If it works for her and you have tried moving times around without success I think you are stuck with the current schedule. I am sure you can find others who will want to get together in the afternoon.

[SASM]

Personally, I would let her nap when her body tells her to nap. From experience...Don't mess with the nap! I'd rather DD1 (she still naps at almost 4 but that is a RARE napping age!) nap early than not nap at all. Believe me, your DD will probably not be napping before you know it...take advantage of the naps while you can. I will say that I hear you, though...story time and playdates are more for mommy than DCs and I get bummed when we miss those for ME. You can TRY to get her used to taking a later nap but, personally, I wouldn't mess with the nap. Your DD can get socialization other ways...earlier/later playdates, mall playgrounds, afternoon preschool, MDO, etc. Do you have a grocery store with child care or an IKEA/Smaland for socialization if other programs not available? :)

Good luck!

[kayte]

I should also mention that this a relatively new thing. She used to go down at 12 to 1 no problem. And the other possible down side to missing the early window is that she just fell asleep... at 2:45 in the afternoon, which is sure to mess things up later too.

I hate it when parents try to make excuses instead of just accepting things... but the new early sleepiness does seem to coincide with our lack of being outside (weather turned too cold). We used to play outside before 9 every day. Can the lack of running around make her tired early or am I grasping at straws???

[jayali]

I agree with pp, you may just have to go with it. What I will say is that I wouldn't be surprised if things start changing soon. I found that sleep patterns were always changing.

I know that most things started around 10 for children that age, but maybe you can try to find some stuff that starts a little earlier. We used to do a my gym class at 9 at that age. By 11 we were home, after a trip to the grocery store. I only wish my son would have napped then. I have a non-napper, sleep hating, almost 5 year old so I am a little jealous of your issue!

[Momof3Labs]

I should also mention that this a relatively new thing. She used to go down at 12 to 1 no problem. And the other possible down side to missing the early window is that she just fell asleep... at 2:45 in the afternoon, which is sure to mess things up later too.

I hate it when parents try to make excuses instead of just accepting things... but the new early sleepiness does seem to coincide with our lack of being outside (weather turned too cold). We used to play outside before 9 every day. Can the lack of running around make her tired early or am I grasping at straws???

If it is relatively new, it could be that this is her body's way of dealing with a growth spurt, or it could be that she is getting sick. For example, something like mono can affect kids in mild ways, and this could be her only symptom. How long has it been going on?

[gatorsmom]

We used to play outside before 9 every day. Can the lack of running around make her tired early or am I grasping at straws???

I think I"m experiencing this too. I"m not sure what it is, exactly, but my 5yo and 3yo have been so very tired lately. The reason I'm confused about this is because they aren't getting a ton of exercise. It's been really cold lately so we've been avoiding going out as much as possible. Yet, they sleep later in the mornings and are very groggy lately. I've also been thinking about this and trying to figure out why- does lack of exercise make you sleepy?

What would happen if you scheduled other activities during the time you normally play outside? Could that help? Maybe the excitement and activity will keep her stimulated until her usual naptime? If not, I'd say go with her schedule. If either of my older 2 boys said they needed to nap at anytime, i'd move mountains to provide that naptime for them (and me!). Believe it or not, you are lucky. :)