For the past couple of weeks, we've had a heck of a time getting my 25 month old daughter to nap. Prior to this trouble, her schedule was to go to bed around 9 pm, get up around 7 am, and nap for about 2 hours somewhere in the 12:30 pm - 4 pm time frame. For the past couple of weeks she's only been taking a nap every second or third day. And on the days that she does nap, it's not an easy task to get her down. We've tried rocking her, letting her play in her crib, letting her scream in her crib . . . nothing seems to work. On the days when she doesn't nap, she's a little bit crabby in the evenings but she doesn't go to bed any earlier than normal. My main question to all of you moms out there is this: Is she really outgrowing her nap this young? My secondary questions are: If she is outgrowing her nap, is 10 hours a night enough sleep? And, any ideas on how to get her back on her nap schedule? I don't know if this information is relevant, but I'll add it just in case. She is a super-active kid. I know all toddlers are busy, but we're in a couple of playgroups and she moves at twice the speed of the other kids. She rarely ever sits; she's very adventurous; she's very head strong.
Hi L.
No, she is not too young to outgrow her naps, both of my kids stopped napping at this age, but they do need about 12hrs of sleep at this age, so my kids go to bed around 7/7:30 and sleep about 12 hrs. Some parent's give me a hard time for putting them to bed so early, but they fall asleep right away and it is nice to have the whole day to do stuff with them without having to be home for naps.
Good luck
I don't know, but maybe it is time to get her a 'big girl bed'. It might not be naps she is outgrowing, rather she may be outgrowing her crib. When our girls transitioned to big girl beds it was a whole new thing and they love their beds. It was a whole new facet in their lives and it enriched their sense of independence.
My oldest son, who is also very active, gave up his naps around the same age. I would spend so much time getting him to take the nap... And then he'd hardly sleep or he wouldn't go to bed at night. He's been without a nap since shortly after his 2nd birthday and he is doing fine. Now, instead of nap time, we have quiet time so his little brother can rest. We usually read books, play quietly, or watch a movie. His bedtime naturally started earlier in the night and he sleeps about 12-13 hours at night.
Every child is different and you can't expect every one to take the same naps... My youngest son is coming up on his 2nd birthday and I can already tell, he will NOT be willing to give up his nap for quite a while. It's just a difference in their personalities.
Don't worry if she decides she doesn't want a nap anymore but, maybe try to keep that a quiet time so she still has the option of resting if she needs it. Good luck... It will all work out!
S.
My daughter quit napping at 18 months. It about killed me because my son was 4 months old and I needed the quiet time for myself. But I ran into the same problems, if I was able to get her to nap, bedtime was just a headache. With no naps, she went down great. My son is now 3 and he just recently quit napping in the last month or so. Every child is unique as to what they need for the amount of sleep. Good luck to you!
I have 2 boys and they are polar opposites of one another. My oldest was 24 months when he outgrew naps. He has always been a really mellow guy; not super active, but not lazy either. We found that on days when he got even a little cat nap, he couldn't fall asleep for a long time after putting him down. He would be trying to go to sleep and still be awake at midnight. We required some down time each day (quiet time with a book and mellow music) and adjusted his bedtime schedule to go to bed earlier to allow him to still get enough rest. My other son has been on the go since conception! He goes 90 miles an hour when he is awake, but needs down time too. At 9 & 12 years old now, they are still like this. Find what works for your family. In my opinion, it isn't worth the battle to expect a child to go to sleep. Best wishes!
My daughter gave up naps pretty early also. I switched to a quiet time in which she had to stay in bed and read books (actually look at them). I would make sure I would tell her she doesn't have to sleep but she had to stay in her bed. This helped a little. My sons both napped for a longer time. My youngest was still needing naps when he was in 1st grade. The teachers finally gave up and let him sleep for a hour each afternoon.
Seems pretty early to be giving up her nap. Maybe she has become overtired and this is causing her to resist naptime? I think between 12-14 hours of total sleep per day is the norm for that age. I would try an earlier bedtime. I think it should definitley be earlier on the days she is not napping at all. If she gets more sleep at night she may nap more easily during the day.
No, my daughter was 21 months when she gave up naps and my nephew is 16 months and has just given up his naps. Kids are all different, but her doctor did say it is common for some 1 1/2- 2 year olds to give up their naps. It stinks for the parents, but is fine for the kids. My daughter sleeps about 12 hours a night. If we do get her to nap then it is a pain trying to get her to go to bed at night and messes with her sleep schedule, so we try not to even let her nap now unless she really (or I do lol) needs it.
You should really get a sleep book. It will help guide you as your child gets older on what is normal for sleep. That is too young to give up naps. And actually nine is too late for bed time. She should be going down between 7-8. And that means alseep no later than 8. And nap should start between 12:30-1:00. And should last anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours. I would say your daughter is overly tired and that is why you are having troubles. I think once you get bedtime early and naptime early she will start taking them again. But I would get a sleep book. We use Good Night Sleep Tight by Kim West. And it has worked great with our 27 month old and our 4 month old. But keep at it. They need those naps. Especially if she is a busy one. Our 27 month old also moves twice as fast as the other kids!
L.,
Every child is different, but 2 year olds need to nap. All of my four children have gone through phases where they fight against the nap. Sometimes they are teething; sometimes they are just trying to push the limits. You have to be persistent and consistent to get them back on track and it could take a few weeks to a month before they go back to napping without a fight, but they will.
Good luck,
S.
My daughter gave up naps at the age of 2. Literally, she stopped the day she turned two. Not that I would not have LOVED a little quiet mommy time. She just outgrew it. IF I was able to get her to nap, she was up super late (think 1 a.m.). She never got cranky.
My son, on the other hand, needs more sleep than his sister ever needed. He naps for 4 1/2 hours in the afternoon and goes down for the evening at 8 and will sleep until 9 a.m.
God forbid we miss his nap. Trust me, it is not pretty.
You know what your daughter needs. If she is fine without a nap, she may be like my daughter. Nothing wrong with that!
