Out growing naps?

[dukie41181]

How do you know when they are ready to stop napping? My daughter is 25 months old and has recently (like within the last week) been staying up when we put her down for a nap and is ticked when we put her down. We are still trying to get her to nap because she ACTS tired...crying, whining, etc. She used to sleep for a good 3 hours during her nap and it seems within this last week to just have stopped. Is this a phase or could it be something else?

[HIU8]

I DD stopped napping at 2. If she napped bedtime was WAY late (I'm talking 11 pm). She now does a quiet time instead of a nap and that seems to help. Quiet time is around 4 or 5 ish.

[dukie41181]

I DD stopped napping at 2. If she napped bedtime was WAY late (I'm talking 11 pm). She now does a quiet time instead of a nap and that seems to help. Quiet time is around 4 or 5 ish.

How did you do quite time with a 2 year old? My daughter has a TON of energy and I know I couldn't tell her to sit and rest. She woudln't do it...no way, no how!

[eh613c]

My DS has been doing the same thing in the past 4 weeks. He's 2.5 y/o and he normally naps after lunch for about 2 hours. In the last 4 weeks, he's been very adamant that he doesn't take a nap. It's been a struggle. Most of the days of the week, I can get him to nap but requires A LOT of patience. The other times we just end up hanging out in his bed. Our routine goes something like this: have lunch, read books in his room (for about 30 min) then we just lay there. He protests and cries but eventually quiets down and naps (if he gets bored). If not, we just hang out a little longer (at least 30 min) and then we go to the tv room where he can play with his blocks or cars quietly (no tv just light music) and no going outside to play.

[KrisM]

I DD stopped napping at 2. If she napped bedtime was WAY late (I'm talking 11 pm). She now does a quiet time instead of a nap and that seems to help. Quiet time is around 4 or 5 ish.

This is how DD stopped and she went from 3 hours to none over a weekend. She was 2 weeks past being 2.

I never had luck with quiet time though.

[dukie41181]

I don't know what to do if quiet time is a bust. I also have a 4 month old who needs a nap and I nurse her down so I really need a little time!

[catpagmo]

Maybe you could try stories on CD. That might keep her in her room long enough for you to put down the baby. I'm not sure what I would have done if my DD stopped taking naps at that age, with a new baby in the house! Poor mama!

[fauve01]

my dd quit naps altogether at 19 months. it was brutal (for me). the plus side is bedtime gets way early (6:30pm) when they drop the nap.

good luck,
anne + dd 10-03

[wellyes]

DD really started resisting napping at that age but luckily we got back on track after a few months.

We always required quiet time: sit or lie in bed with books. 60 minutes. She'd be a beast if she didn't have the downtime.

It was easy for DD because she likes to look at books, but I think any kid can probably do it. It's required at daycares, for example.

Oh here's an idea I saw online.... buy a little carpet, and she has to spend quiet time on the carpet. Maybe something cute, 3-4 feet around. You can put some toys on the carpet if she doesn't like books. The point is minimal external stimulation, no music or TV or opportunity for her to run from one fun area of the house to another.

[doberbrat]

dd1 was DONE with naps before 2.1 but for us, she didnt need it. if she did nap, somehow, then bedtime would be 11pm too. it was a mess for dc b/c the other kids had nap for 2-3h. even if we went on a long car ride, she just never slept.

if she's a bear and needs the nap, then I'd try to enforce quiet time or the nap it might be a phase.

[AnnieW625]

If she was still sleeping for 3 hrs. a coulple of weeks ago she isn't ready to give up her nap. DD1 went through this too when she was 27 mos. old and refused to sleep in her crib so we ended up getting her a twin bed. Not saying that is your situation but within a couple of week of putting her in the twin bed she started taking her naps again. She told us at 4/1/2 that 4 yr. olds don't need naps; prior to that she'd sleep for about 90 minutes on the weekends for us. She still sleeps for at least an hour a day at daycare.