Nap- Should I Worry?

Hi L., I went through the same thing with my daughter! She is now 5 yrs old, but at around 8 months she just stopped napping. Sometimes I'd get her to fall asleep in the car, but it was rare. I asked my pediatrician and they said that sometimes it just happens like that. My daughter never went back to napping. She just isn't much of a sleeper. She does sleep well at night, she just doesn't need a lot of it. FWIW, my daughter is a very happy, intelligent, well adjusted kid. I remember being tired of being told by other moms that somehow I HAD to get her to nap. But really it can be very normal. As long as she is getting all the sleep she needs, not necessarily what everyone thinks she needs, she should be fine. Take care, S. S.

11 hours is plenty. No napping is probably harder on you than it is on her. Still, make her lay down to rest 1 hour.

I have the same problem with my 13 month old. I am also a first-time mom and understand how hard and confusing it is when your child won't nap. She sleeps around 11 or 12 hours at night, which is great, but she gets crabby toward the middle of the day, so I know she needs a little bit of a nap. When I put her down for a nap, no matter how many sleep routines I follow and how calm I get her at nap time, once I leave the room, she just cries and cries for at least 30 minutes or more. She finally gets so exhausted from crying that she falls asleep, but doesn't stay asleep longer than 20 minutes. I still put her down to sleep once a day (usually around 11 am or 12pm) and she gets her 20 minutes, but after four months of doing this, she still hasn't gotten any better at napping. I have tried putting her down to nap much earlier and giving her two naps a day and it doesn't seem to make a difference (in fact, the second nap was even worse than the first - so I gave up and just went with one nap). I'm sorry I don't really have any good advice to offer, I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in your nap frustration. I say do what works best for you and your child. Good luck!
By the way, I did read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and unfortunately, for me, it didn't seem to make a difference either.
Take care
S.

Wow - my 4 year old recently started giving up naps and I'm distraught :) My 3 year old still naps for 2-3 hours. I don't think its something to worry about but I would not give up putting her down for naps - even if she just plays in her bed or has quiet time. I never gave my kids an option not to nap thats why I think it lasted so long. They knew that it was "quiet time" and usually ended up falling asleep.

No, but if you need to have some breathing time for your self let her lay in her bed for a little while anyway (as long as she isn't a screamer). Eleven hours at night sounds wonderful to me.

Oh, the sleep issue. I am going to have to learn to cut and paste because this comes up almost every day. It is not good for her not to nap, she will be overtired and you won't even know that her behavior could be different. I don't really know what the hour requirements are, but, you need her to take a nap. A time to recharge during the day will become even more important when she starts moving around, getting into things and talking, talking, talking! Plus, you need to be in charge in this area and others and not her. Seize the moment. Let her cry it out and put her back on 2 naps a day.

Don't worry but try putting her down at a different time. My children wouldn't nap if I put them down when they were super tired. If I put them down earlier, they would nap better. Also check the room. Is it quite, dark and cozy? Try white noise. My kids stoppped napping at 3 years old. I miss naptime:(

My twins are almost a year & they both take 2 naps a day & sleep for about 11-12 hours a night. The 1st nap about 2 hours after they wake up, around 9 am- which lasts between 1-2 hours & then I try again for nap #2 around 1:00. It's a hit or miss for nap #2. Sometimes they will go down like champs, other times they will talk through their entire 2nd nap. If they miss nap #2, they are really really fussy though until bedtime. This started at around 10 months & is still continuing right now. I allow my boys an entire hour before I go in & get them for naptime to fall asleep. They usually are out after about 30 minutes of chitter chatter, but when one falls asleep then, it sometimes takes another 30 minutes for the other one. Also, sometimes one will wake up after 20 minutes or 30 minutes & if I don't go in, they do fall asleep again after a couple minutes or so. But who knows, all kids are different. Make sure you talk with your ped. & see what they recommend too. Good luck.

I wouldn't worry, my daughter only napped when she was a newborn. The doctor told me that as long as she is getting 10 to 12 hours of sleep a day that is fine. I know it is hard on you but what I try to do is lay her down with a bottle and put the tv on (I know some people think that is taboo but a little while is fine) just to have her relax for a little while. This will at least give you some down time.

Good Luck!

If she sleeps well at night and doesn't seem over tired I wouldn't worry about it. But the books do say generally kids need 2 naps until about 16 months and then down to one nap. There are kids who don't follow the guidlines. Maybe the book Healthy Slee Habits Happy Child would be a good read for you. But if she's sleeping at night and seems well rested, you might be okay. Although I think it would be hard not to have any break for you!

L.,
My children (4 and 2) are happy, healthy and well rested. When they miss a nap it's like they are different people! Scary times for me! LOL! Research has been done on numerous things, sleep being one of them and everything points to naps being essential - especially in the first 2 years of their lives. I read this great book called, "healthy sleep habits, happy child" by Marc Weissbluth. It's GREAT! It made me realize that I was a "softy" with my first and I was doing harm to my child instead of being more firm and letting her cry for a few minutes. I highly suggest the book - you'll hopefully find some useful information in there - then you can form your own opinion. I hope this helps!

my son was always a great sleeper, he took 2 naps until about 18 months and then one nap for about 2-3 hours in the afternoon until about 3.5 and he always slept between 10 and 12 hours at night. I'm a firm believer in the theory that sleep begets sleep, when a child is well rested they are better able to soothe themselves and get the rest they need, when a child is sleep deprived it makes it hard for them to calm down and find the rest. The book everyone is recommending is a great one, I do believe falling asleep is as much a learned behavior as anything and little ones need to be taught.

My prayers are with you, as others have stated, naps can be as much for mom as they can be for your child!!

H.