Support for Dropping That Last Nap, Thread #2

[aisling]

We had this Rachel. We are on week 3 of no naps.  We have struggle free bedtime at 7:30 with 7:30-8am wake ups-fab!  This week I am finding him much easier at coping and his behaviour has much improved.  We still have lunch at 12-ish with him staying inside watching a DVD like Kipper and playing quietly with his toys or reading until about 1:30-2:00.  I then find it helps if I give him another chill out time at around 4:30-5:30 before dinner and then we are home free.  So hang in there!

Aisling x

[marensmama]

We are finished with the nap for good here.  It took awhile for the behavior to even out as she adjusted, and that really was about a month.  She wasn't horrid, but the tantrums were frequent.  Bedtimes have recently become an absolute dream and she's getting about 11.5 hours a night.

[vuhoo]

Hi! I'm new on this thread and I have been reading through some responses but I have not had the time to read through it all.  How do you know if your LO is ready to drop the last nap?  My son just turned 3 in July.  He's had a nanny and has always napped well with her (2hrs).  On the weekends with mommy and daddy, he always fights us during naptime.  Recently we have decided for me to be a SAHM.  My DS has been challenging me for naps and always say "he's not tired".  I know he's tired because if I fight him long enough, he'll lay down still for 15mins and be completely out.   When my sister visits us, she can put him down for a nap every time without a fight.  I'm wondering if this is a 3yo power struggle with mommy or if he's really not tired during the day anymore?  Rather than calling it naptime, it's been "quiet" time because sometimes he'll lay in his bed or read his books quietly.   How much should I fight him to actually sleep?

He goes to bed at 8pm and is up at 5:30-6am.  Lately, he's been getting up in the middle of the night asking for his cozy blanket.  This doesn't happen every night.  We basically just walk him back to his bed and he goes bak to sleep.  I'm wondering if he is sleep walking?? He's also been getting up at 5:30am lately and we always tell him to get of his bed when the sun comes out.  With the night waking and early wake up, is he OT or sleeping too much?

For the most part he is happy during the day with / without a nap.  After a few days if he doesn't get enough sleep though, he does starts to be a very challenging 3yo without his listening ears on

Any thoughts?

[marensmama]

My thought is that it's certainly age appropriate for him to be dropping his nap.  My DD has always napped well at daycare, and until recently she's nap there one day a week and not at all at home.  (Something my DCP seemed a little smug about! )  It was impossible to convince me that my DD didn't need the nap when she was always tired/crabby without, but tbh, that's part of the transition.  I wouldn't fight him at all for sleep (you'll never win!).  I'd call it quiet time, offer it to him as such and let him be in control of it.  If he really needs to sleep he will, otherwise he'll maybe need an earlier bedtime for awhile.  I think his NW and EW are from being UT, and they'll go away when he makes it through the other side of this transition.   That's what happened in our case, anyway!  HTH!

[aisling]

I'm with Nicole.  As well, I really stuck to getting him to bed exactly 12 hours from wake up.  I found if I went even that 10 min extra, it took him longer to get to sleep and then a shorter night leading to the OT cycle after about 5 days of no nap.

A x

[rinajack]

Hey guys

We are back, I see most of some of you are now nearly done with transition.  Zara doesn't want to nap anymore, and I don't really mind, since she was only getting about 9 hours at night, to keep her nap (which was usually only an hour!).

Anyway, going well so far, her behaviour is not bad, but her quiet time is nice and long at present, so perhaps that is helping. She LOVES dora, and has 1 DVD of that, so I won't let her watch it any other time, that is her quiet time DVD, and she lays there transfixed LOL. It has made bedtime MUCH easier. 

We are getting some NW, although I think they are more related to moving into her own room out of our room than to her napping tbh.  Once she sees us, she settles back down and goes to sleep no probs, she is probably just checking we are still there LOL.

Anyway, one massive sign here that she won't sleep at lunch time is she doesn't even ASK for her dummy.  She doesn't go near her room or try to get it...previously when she didn't nap, she DID need the comfort of her dummy, now she doesn't, so I guess she is pretty much done.  I still offer each day, so if she needs a nap, I feel confidant she will tell me.

[amywiz24]

I can't believe I am posting here (I don't want to be postinghere----no offense to all of you lovel ladies!!!); I was oping Sam would nap until he went to school. 
BUT, the past few weeks; he has only napped intermittently at daycare and of the 3 days I was home with him this weekend, he only napped once. 
He seems awfully young to be dropping his nap (2 in a couple of weeks). He doesn't scream or anyhting when I put him in his room; he just doesn't sleep and TBH doesn't appear tired. I have kept him in there for 1 1/2 hrs or so for quiet time and I think I'll keep doing this, so he has the opportunity to nap if he wants/needs to.
WE have been going through so many transitions lately; I hate to do too much at once and almost wonder if this nap strike could be related to the transitions at all. 
WE transitioned to BBB 2 weeks ago without any problem.
Just this weekend we started PT becuase he was asking to use a potty----we are not forcing it at all--just trying to follow his lead. He has used teh potty about 5 times successfully in the past 48 hours.
ANd now no nap???
It's a lot at once.............oh and I'm 28 weeks pregnant    more change on the way.

So, I thought, I would just keep putting him in his room for nap times and see what happens.
Any thoughts.
He sleeps anywhere for 7-8PM to 6-7 AM. (naps were from about 12-1:30/2:00)

[rinajack]

Sounds to me like your plan is perfect.  My DD started dropping naps when she was about 18mo, and is only now pretty much off naps at 2 yrs 5 months, so if you keep offering, he may go back to napping at some point.

[amywiz24]

he may go back to napping at some point.

hopefully when the baby comes

[rinajack]

LOL, probably not when the baby comes, most people have trouble when the baby comes, but it gets better a few weeks in.

[carla_s]

Hello, I'm new to this particular thread, having posted recently in the general Sleeping for Toddlers area.

amywiz24, I read your post with interest because it is almost exactly what we're going through (DD is 22 months). We're going on 5 days now with no naps, but she will stay in her crib for 1.5+ hours talking and singing quietly (and usually thumping around in her crib). She never fusses or cries, she just doesn't fall asleep. She sleeps from about 7:00-7:30pm until around 6:30am.

I also thought DD was way too young to start dropping her nap, but she doesn't seem overly tired or cranky (at least no meltdowns; just a little more rubbing of eyes at night time). I'm going to continue to offer her "nap time", since she seems to enjoy it even if she doesn't sleep. She might just go back to napping at some point -- or am I deluding myself

However, for most of these past 5 days when I've gone in to get her from her nap, she's stood up immediately, grinned and told me "no napping!!" in a very proud little voice, so I'm wondering if this is part of her asserting some independance, or if she really is dropping her nap.

If there are any suggestions on how to encourage a nearly 2 year old to just lie down quietly and try to fall asleep, I'd be eager to hear them!

Carla

[marensmama]

Oh ya, Maren's drooping of her nap was all attitude.  There were times when she'd fall asleep and wake up 20 minutes later totally unimpressed with herself for falling asleep, she'd be so tired, but crying because she'd 'napped'.    Have to tell you, though, bedtimes are a dream these days... she doesn't fight it like she used to in the napping days.   

[amywiz24]

LOL, probably not when the baby comes, most people have trouble when the baby comes, but it gets better a few weeks in.

I'm sure you're right Rina-----unfortunately.
Carla, interesting to know you are going through the same thing. However, DS has been pretty cranky on the days when he doesn't nap. I think I read soemwhere here (?) that just comes with the territory...............or do you guys think it is a sign he is not ready. ALthough, apart from setting up the environment for a nap and givivng him an opportunity; there is not much else I can do. I can't force him to sleep!

[Peek-a-boo]

We found my DS (2.5 now) was a bear without a nap, so we've had success limiting his night sleep to 10.5 hours, which creates enough sleep drive for him to nap.  He's much happier all around this way. 

[marensmama]

Maren was cranky on no nap, but then it got so that she had EW and a later bedtime if she did nap (and getting her to nap was getting harder by the day).  She still has days where she might nod off in the car for a few minutes (or on daddy's lap ) but the crankiness has evened out, and she really hasn't napped much since she turned 3.