Support for "Dropping that last nap"

[aisling]

Ok Meg, we have the same child!    I learned a huge lesson the other day letting him sleep 2 hours.  He was a grump and a mess all day on a 10 hour night with a previous 2 hour nap day.  No more! I swear to you, unless he is ill and even then he is not a sleep when not well kid. If I think back from when he was a newborn/baby, he has always been a better and happier child with his long nights and shorter naps.  Even though I fought those 45 min naps and with the 2-1 nap transition don't go there, I am still traumatised!  I think that is why I hate waking him from naps now, but I must.

SO we have been having a happy boy lately with late mornings, 7:40-8:10.  On those days, since he needs a good 6hours to nap yet still needs a good 6 hours to bed, I am waking him or skipping it or like the other day he had a small car catnap and I got him into bed earlier.

A x

[Mom to M&M]

The park sounds fun - wish we could go but it would be soaked today. Hope you have fun and a nice afternoon - nap or no nap!

Well I put DD in her crib just before 1 today. It's 1:50 now and she's not asleep and doesn't sound close. Hopefully she at least stays in there a little longer. Had planned to take her to the library today which is a good 15 minute at least walk so she can doze off if she wants or just relax. If no nap definitely in bed by 7:45 (woke at 7:40 today).

[aisling]

That is us today Karen.  After an 11.5 hour night, I thought he woudl do a half hour nap from 2-2:30.  He went to the room at 1:00 played nicely and quietly, I popped my head in around 2:00 his eyes were slits watching Tv, I said that is it, I'll give him a half hour but about 5 min later he asked, "break over yet?!" LOL.  So I let him come out and he'll go to bed at 7:30 tonight.  All good.

[Mom to M&M]

Yea I'm giving her until 2:30 and then assuming still awake (which she is at 2:20) I'll get her up and give her a snack and we'll leave here by 3:30 for library. If she dozes in stroller will keep it to 30 minutes tops, maybe 20.

[PeepersMom]

wow you guys sound so calm about no nap. 

Yes, Aisling I think we do have the same kid.  PJ is a short napper by far.  He always has been. It started way back when he did 22 min naps about 5 of them at day still at 4 months and it has been a fight ever since.  LOL about "break over yet?"  hysterical. 

He has always really needed that nap, though, even if it was that short.

Ok, well, I think I have a plan.  We just spent 2 hours at the park and I am going to do lunch at 1 stories at 130 and nap right after.  We'll see.  I am going to try my hardest to get him to nap if only a little.

still learning here.

Meg

[debo620]

well yesterday:

Noah was asleep at 1:40-and slept til I woke him 2:55.
bed for 7:50 and asleep about 8:20

I heard him awake from 4:15-4:45 or so and then back to sleep until 6:50 or so.....not bad but not 11hrs
we had a bday party this am 30min out of town that went til after 12 so he was not in crib til 1pm, 1:15 and I think he's asleep, so we will see how it goes...he probably would have napped earlier today but it just didn't work out that way.


Stacy...hope Kaleb is feeling better soon...all this nice weather...

[Peek-a-boo]

Meg--just to confuse you,  , I have been taking the other approach and limiting night sleep in order to get him to nap.  He does okay for a day or two with no nap, but from the third day on, he's a nightmare from the moment he wakes up--even after a nice long night.  (He's 26 months btw.)

I cut him down to 10.5 hours at night, which seems to be getting him to nap the majority of days.  If he skips a nap, I was still keeping his night sleep at 10.5 to prevent too much night sleep leading to another skipped nap.  He had a super short nap yesterday and I let him sleep a little extra this morning--mostly b/c I was too tired myself to hop up and wake him--so crossing my fingers that he'll nap.  

[Mom to M&M]

Same as Stacy - I don't really try to get DD to nap. I put her in her crib and tell her it's nap time but beyond that it's up to her. I ended up getting her out of her crib at 2:30 (when she happily told me she woke up LOL) and she had a snack and at about 3:15 we headed out for the library. she didn't sleep but she did relax/zone out on the way there and also relaxed and read books in my lap there and then a bit more on the way home so at least she had some down time. Now she's playing with spoons and pots and pans while I cook.

Sorry about the cold Stacy - hope he's better soon!

[Stacie:Emma&Josh Mom]

I didn't read through all of the responses, but just wanted to chime in not to give up if you want them to still be napping.  My dd went through a long phase of napping and then not napping and we just went with the flow, but she always went to her room for quiet time.  She slowly went back to napping.  She's 4 now and still naps for about 1 hr every other day on the couch (she's at school on the in between days and MUCH more difficult on those days by the time bedtime comes around).  Granted many of her friends are giving up their nap and I'm prepared for that to happen soon, but 2 or 2 1/2 just seems young to me, at least with my kids' personalities.  My 2-year-old is a great napper and I'm hoping to milk that as long as I can with #3 on the way.    Please don't misunderstand me, you can't force them to sleep obviously, but offering down time is always good in my opinion so they don't get overwound up by the busyness of the day.  Good luck!

[PeepersMom]

Thanks Stacie.  I know that a lot of kids go up and down with napping/not napping.  I have a friend with a dd PJ's age and she went 2 months with no napping and now is suddenly napping daily again. She had all but given up on it.

PJ did fall asleep at just after 2pm and I am just going to ride it out.  I can't imagine he'll sleep long - although it is 245 right now so he might wake while I am typing....

I wish I had the personality that can just plop him in his crib and see what happens but if I do that he won't nap.  He just simply won't. He has always needed a lot to convince to nap - which is why my worries and posts were always on the nap boards and the nap threads.  The naps have, and always will, drive me insane with this sweet boy.  Funny, my friend pediatrician tells me that the mom's with babies with nap issues are the more tormented moms.  I think she found it is easier to sort out night sleep with training than it is to sort out day sleep.  It certainly has been in my house!!  She has 4 kids and they are all horrilbe sleepers and she is the first to admit it is her fault.  AP all the way.

thanks for the help figuring out his day today everyone! 

Bethany, I am torn about shortening nights to save the nap.  He sleeps 11 hours at night, but the time can vary so much when he wakes up.  Now, obviously, this morning I could have woken him, but most mornings aren't like that. 

ok, well, I guess I am still in learning mode as to how I will handle these situations in the future.  You all seem so sure of yourselves!  I just don't know what to do! 

[aidenmc]

Meg. You are not alone. Aiden also needs lots of convincing to go to sleep for naps and I am not always very relaxed about the issue. I see what happens when he doesn't sleep well. It is also hard when things change. You think you've figured out their pattern then it all changes.That is why when we are at home we take him out in the car for naps. I know they just would not happen otherwise and I really can't put up with the fight. Even when he was tiny he would lie in his crib for hours sometimes at nap times. Now that he is big and in a bed he just gets out and and don't want to go through the hours of 'training' him to sleep in his bed for naps when he fights them so well. He sleeps okay at school (although certainly not every day) and he does it on his own at night (again, thankfully).

Aiden was asleep by 8 last night up a couple of times during the night then at 6:20 for the day. He didn't nap at preschool today so we are trying for an earlier bedtime. I was hoping he's be down by 7 but it is 7:10 and dh is still in there with him. He was pretty tired this afternoon and then became pretty hyper this evening. We got him calmed down before bed but then he was all clingy for me. DH has just come out. I am really hoping Aiden just decides to go off to sleep but I have the feeling he will start crying for me, fall asleep late then wake early.

Stacy - hope Kaleb is feeling better soon. I have been dealing with what AIden probably was suffering from and it has been awful. I feel bad for the poor guy  - no wonder he was waking so much at night!

[Mom to M&M]

It is hard sometimes to be relaxed but I've learned to partially because there's no point in driving myself nuts and partially because I can't make things happen and also because if/when we have another LO I know that some routine will go out the window anyway (like most second kids he/she would probably have to have more catnaps in car/stroller, etc). But I'm also lucky that in general DD has always been a good sleeper (once we got her intolerance/reflux issues under control) minus a terrible nap blip from like 2-6 months.

Sadly, by 6:30 DD was totally melting down. Refusing dinner, crying, etc. Thought just tired then realized she was warm and voila - 101.4 temp. Not sure if a bug or teeth (she also kept chewing on her straw cup back by her molars). Got her in crib at 7:30 and hoping for the best - don't think she's asleep yet though.

[LeesMom]

Hi everyone,
DD's been going back and forth with napping for the past several months, but now she usually goes a week if not more without napping. Ugh. Anyway, I was wondering, do most kids go to sleep pretty much right away at night if they don't nap? DD wakes around 7 am so I try to have her in bed by 7 pm. Up until now, she always fell right to sleep at night, but lately she's been chatting in there for 20-30 min. before falling asleep. The past couple nights I've actually gone back in there to check on her (thinking maybe there's a diaper issue) because she never did this before. She's 29 mos. by the way. Thanks  !

[aisling]

Jenny, we had no nap today (counting that is 4 missed naps in 29 months  ) he is asleep in 15 min.  It is important that I get him down so he is asleep in and around his wake up time.  he wole at 8 today, so we head to toilet, teeth, story etc...at 7:30 with lights out at 7:50 and asleep bu 8:05.

Karen, maybe the teeth.  Hope she is ok tonight.

[debo620]

well I may have to try 1-1hr20min naps afterall.

today:
woke 6:45
nap 1:15-2:45 woke on his own and very happy all afternoon
in bed for 7:55, but he is not asleep yet as of 8:45!

we had lots of physical playing etc this afternoon so thats not it...

so tonight will probably be a shorter night....I really hope he can at least sleep through for 10hrs.....nap will hopefully be a bit earlier tommorow..

but 2:30pm is our new cut off time too.. seems I choose btwn a happy toddler who falls asleep late at night or a grumpy toddler who sleeps better at night.??