Support for dropping the last nap age 2-3 yrs

[sherry lynn]

If you want her to nap more then you could still keep the same time and see how she does with waking her after an hour or so. I would definately say no more than 1.5, max!! That might be a place to start.

[EloysH]

Well after all that no napping business, we have been on a two weeks napping run!  J is getting his second 2 yr molar and has been sleeping minimum 3 hours from 1-4pm everyday and going down at 8-8:30pm at night!    I was orginally waking him after two hours but he would be cranky for the rest of the day, I figured he really needs the sleep right now.

[louis-mummy]

Louis has refused a nap for 3 days straight now...........seems okish on it though - a bit wild in the pm and had one short nw not long after going to bed but then sttn

wonder how long this good run will last 

[sherry lynn]

I let Lyle sleep for 2h40m yesterday.
He was up for good at 4:53 this morning. After falling asleep at 8:20. Sigh. I heard him at 4:20 and 4:40 then up for good at 4:53. Sigh. That hasn't happened in awhile. He slept that long after sleeping 11.5 hours the night before. Crazy. I actually woke him up at 3 to preserve bedtime yesterday. I wonder how long he would have slept otherwise.

[louis-mummy]

Louis unexpectedly fell asleep at 3.30pm!  We let him have an hour so it will be a late bedtime tonight...

[EloysH]

yay for the 3:30pm sleep!

Poo on the short night Sherry,  that sucks.  Do you think it is OT again, even though he had a nice long nap and long night the night before?   

We had a totally wierd night last night.  J woke at 1 am screaming asking for a "towel" pretty sure it was a nightmare, his first one that we know about. I stupidly gave him neurofen and bonjella, niether had any affect, he was wide awake for ages.  I stupidly let him hold me hostage in there for a good two hours. I am very out of practicew with night waking, forgot that you just gotta get in and out quick as possible.  Eventually woke DH up to go down and give a few stern words.  That worked.  So he slept will 9:30am today and is currently in the cot for nap time refusing to sleep.  (of course)  I am wrecked of course,  good practice for the baby coming I guess.   

[louis-mummy]

well Louis is now refusing naps at home, no nap on Friday and sttn 

Saturday he fell asleep in the car 3pm-4pm and then absolutely refused to go to sleep at 8.30pm (DP was at home at bedtime which is quite unusual so think this had something to do with it too) finally went to sleep at around 9.30pm! which i suppose on A times is about right.........had one nw afterwards

plan now is to let him have his 1hr nap on nursery days (which i am still amazed he does - on a mattress in the middle of a room of 10+ playing toddlers!) and try to avoid late accidental naps at the weekend

sound about right? he's only been refusing naps since Xmas

[EloysH]

Girls,    help  I need to moan!

Jarrah has oly napped twice since Feb 12th!  Thats over 15 days!    I have been putting him down same time each day at 1:30pm his old nap time and he just plays and plays.   He finally hit the wall two days ago and cried on and off all afternoon.  The next day my Mum had him and magically got him to nap at our place by doing an extra long windown story session of 45 mins and signing him songs whilst he lay in the cot.
   So today I tried a longer windown of 30 mins, and putting him to bed at 12:30pm as I decided he's now OT, but to no avail he played and played in his cot as usual for an hour!   I am grateful that he stays in the cot for a hour each day, don't get me wrong.    I know he has been heading to drop his nap for some time now, since about 20 months, skipping naps here and there maybe one day a week or twice a week.  But this has come on so sudddenly, going 4 and 5 day stretches with out napping!  He's not teeting or in pain, he seems to cope well for the most part.

Arrgh, with a baby due in 4 weeks I was hoping for some more napping!

Any bright ideas?  I am currently trying and earlier nap for a few more days since he seems to be OT.    If that doesn't work I will go for a little later nap just incase he's not worn out enough.

His routine is
wake 6am  (he has woken at this time since day dot!)
nap 1:30pm - 4pm
bed 8 - 8;30pm




ON a no nap day he goes to bed at 7pm.

[louis-mummy]

Hi

I would say try a later nap, I think they can cope with a longer A time now that they are so close to dropping the nap. Maybe i read this wrong but is he having a really long nap? I gradually cut Louis down to 45 mins, it took a while for him to like it as he'd happily sleep for 2 hours but then of course it eats into night sleep and wrecks the afternoon A time. 
He is (amazingly) napping reliably at nursery, 1.30-2.15 with a 7am wake up, 8.30 bedtime.  Which is ideal.
But he absolutely refuses to nap for me at home. i've resorted to taking him out in the car, which usually does the trick, but even then i don't try before 2pm as he would still be awake after an hour! He still really needs the nap, a later bedtime just doesn't cut it for him.  But with a newborn on the way that's not a great plan for you - sorry

i would definitely try a later nap but it sounds as though he may only need a short one and maybe not every day. Is he happy to have quiet time in his bed?

[EloysH]

aww thanks for replying Laura!

Annoying how he won't nap at home,  but great to hear that he's settled into a new routine that ensures he's not getting OT.

Well we've had a few developements.  He napped once for my Mum, then for DH.  Yesterday he finally took a npa at home with me.  I tried a few times for an earlier nap for a few days, it didn't work.   Then I just went back to the old nap time and it worked.  I really don't think its anything I did. I stupidly let him sleep 2.5 hours, then he couldn't get to sleep till 9:15pm that night.  I know I know, cut that nap! 

I do think he needs a later nap, maybe 30 mins later, so will try that for a while now.  AFter all, he's been on the same nap time for some months.   Jarrah defo needs a nap everyday, I can see his behaviour deotoriates through the afternoon as he hits the wall.   We just sneed to find a new rhytmn.       Wish us luck!!!

[Lilysmummy]

Hope someone still listening on this thread:-) DD is 3 on MOnday and been dropping nap for about 3 weeks now. Doesn't look like she's going to do it gradually, she is adamant that she doesn't need it. I am enforcing a quiet time in her room for atleast 1 hr when she's at home, and daycare do a res time also. She wakes anywhere from 6:30 to 7 (once in a while 6ish) and have been aiming for bedtime of 6:30 for around 7pm asleep. Problem is bedtimes have become a nightmare. I'm sure its chronic OT but don't know what to do about it. She tried every delay tactic in the book and every night turns into "I'm going to count to 3, if you not back in your bed I'm leaving.." and so on, lots of tears. She's always been really good at bedtimes unless the routine is out.

I was really hard tonight, told her if she put her feet on the ground she's lose her stars(reward chart), she did so I took them away then counted to 3 for her to get back in bed to blow me a kiss - she didn't so I left and didn't go back in. She cried for about 2 - 4 minutes full on and then went to sleep.

Have been doing this for weeks now though and its not getting any better!! Any suggestions? Should she be in bed at 5:30 or something??

[sherry lynn]

Some LO do do bedtime as early as 5:30 when dropping the nap. I don't think it would hurt to try earlier.

[babybarr]

I agree with PP, it's worth a shot and if she doesn't go down straight away at least it's earlier and therefore bedtime will still be earlier iyswim?!

[EloysH]

I agree to, the only thing you can control is the bedtime so best to set it to give her chance to catch up and get out of the dreaded OT cycle.  If that means being in bed at 5;30 for a few days then so be it.


We are still dropping the nap. Thankfully he has napped 7 our of the last 8 days since we have our new born  , - he is teething with last two molars so he really needs the nap right now.

[sherry lynn]

YEY!!! So glad to hear he sis napping for you. Especially since he is teething. No napping and teething is a nightmare combo for you I'm sure.
Go J!!!