Soon to be kindergartener still really needs naps - what to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would redshirt. I had an august boy who was still taking naps last year, still wore a diaper at night (despite being day potty trained since 2) and he couldn’t read yet. He’s matured so much in a year and we can’t wait to send him to K now.

How are his other skills? Reading? Numbers? Writing his name? K isn’t the same K that we went to, they expect a lot now. I remember napping in K

Have you lost your damn mind? You kid should not have been wearing a diaper at night at that age.
Reading, writing name, etc is not obligatory to start kindergarten nor is it expected.

You haven't been on a KG class room lately or your children are too young for you to know any better that this is not true. Writing name definitely and the beginning of reading before KG.

Also, night training can be separate from being potty trained. Even older kids are sometimes needing pull ups for several years.

Many kids who are in a good preschool or have parents who work with them will be reading and writing before K but its not an expectation nor are many kids reading or wring.

OP needs to drop the nap now so child can adjust. It will be a rough few weeks but they will be fine.

If a child needs pull ups at night they are not potty trained.

Night wetting can be common depending on family history. You saying that they are not "potty trained" (like any 7 year old uses the potty ) is just one of those things parents judge other parents on. But who really GAF

[Anonymous]

You are overthinking. It isn’t helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is turning 5 in July but still naps every day at preschool and most weekends and then goes to bed between 7-8 at night with no issue. If he does skip his weekend nap he is a total cranky mess by about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I had hoped he would grow out of needing naps so much by this spring but that’s not happening. Now I’m concerned about him handling the kindergarten school day and aftercare next school year. I hadn’t planned on redshirting him but am now wondering if anyone has made that decision just due to a high sleep needs child?

Im incredibly jealous and your child sounds like a unicorn through which all other childcare and advice is viewed from -0-5. Kindergarten was the first time we didnt have issues.

[Anonymous]

As someone whose kid dropped her nap at 2.5 and is considered low sleep needs am reading this thread with fascination (and jealousy).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone whose kid dropped her nap at 2.5 and is considered low sleep needs am reading this thread with fascination (and jealousy).

SAME!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Our oldest was a very high sleep needs kid. When she started kindergarten she would end up eating dinner when she got home from school and would be in bed by 5:30pm. Our youngest slept more than her but at his 5 year check up we discovered his tonsils and adenoids were so enlarged they were causing sleep apnea. Once they were removed he was sleeping a solid 12 hours at night but no longer needed naps. So, my advice is confirm there are no medical issues causing the need for high sleep needs. Then just try to get you kid as much sleep as possible.

[Anonymous]

My oldest and youngest always needed a lot of sleep. (My middle one was allergic to sleep.) My oldest was a Jan bday, fortunately, so it was easier to drop the nap for K. She still brought a pillowpet and the teacher dimmed the lights and did a 15 minute rest after lunch. She was still a bit of a wreck after school, but fortunately with my then-work schedule, she did not need to do after care. My youngest is a May bday and just dropped his nap at daycare 2 weeks ago - it might just happen organically. He is still napping at home. On school days, we put him to bed at 6pm.

[Anonymous]

I would redshirt. I redshirted my July son - he is turning 15 and I’m still very pleased with the decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would redshirt. I had an august boy who was still taking naps last year, still wore a diaper at night (despite being day potty trained since 2) and he couldn’t read yet. He’s matured so much in a year and we can’t wait to send him to K now.

How are his other skills? Reading? Numbers? Writing his name? K isn’t the same K that we went to, they expect a lot now. I remember napping in K

Have you lost your damn mind? You kid should not have been wearing a diaper at night at that age.
Reading, writing name, etc is not obligatory to start kindergarten nor is it expected.

You haven't been on a KG class room lately or your children are too young for you to know any better that this is not true. Writing name definitely and the beginning of reading before KG.

Also, night training can be separate from being potty trained. Even older kids are sometimes needing pull ups for several years.

I have twins in K right now and this was definitely not an expectation to start the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone whose kid dropped her nap at 2.5 and is considered low sleep needs am reading this thread with fascination (and jealousy).

OP here - if it makes you feel any better, my oldest dropped her nap at 3yo exactly and I can count on one hand the number of times she has napped since then.

I appreciate the suggestion someone had to rule out medical issues, that hadn't crossed my mind.

[Anonymous]

In my kid's public kindergarten they had a rest time/ nap time for the first month or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Redshirt him.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd plan for dinner at 6, in bath at 6:30, in bed at 6:45. I'd begin to transition to that schedule soon. I had to do a lot of batch cooking and weekend meal prep to stick to the schedule but it all worked out.

With a July birthday, do you have any other concerns that would make you consider redshirting? I redshirted 1 of mine with summer birthdays and not the other. One had fine motor challenges and just seemed to need a bit more time in many ways. Go with your gut, OP.

OP here, he is definitely behind where his sister was at this age with fine motor skills like writing and drawing, but he is starting to read Bob books and most importantly I think is very socially and emotionally mature, which is why I didn’t consider redshirting (his sister was a very emotionally immature mid September birthday who missed a year of preschool during Covid so we did hold her back with no regrets). His preschool is actually year round and they do have a mandatory nap so I won’t be able to wean him off in advance. None of the K classrooms at our elementary school nap and DH and I both work full time but it’s possible that we could pick him up from aftercare around 4. I guess we’ll just brace for a rocky couple of months at the beginning of the school year and hope for the best!

It's silly to hold back. The issue is the day care, not the child. If they are forcing naps, there is nothing you can do and it may be state policy to have the naps not the actual day care. You could ask to see if he could read or do something else and not nap but they may not allow it.

He'll be fine. He'll be tired, fall asleep in the car, etc. for a few weeks and then adjust. Try to drop the nap on the weekends if you can.

It is not silly to hold back. I held back my daughter only because she hate a late Aug. birthday. I did not want her to be the youngest in the class. Academically, she was ready. Socially, she was not. If he is still napping, kindergarten will be very hard. It is a long day. I went to school early, graduated at 17...it was too early. An extra year of childhood is better if there is something that warrants holding a year for K.

[Anonymous]

My oldest has a July BD and he literally napped until the day before kindergarten started. He adjusted just fine - just like when they moved him from the 2 nap infant room to the 1 nap toddler room at daycare after his 1st birthday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot can change between now and August. That being said, he will just have to adjust once K starts. There’s no naps and that’ll have to become his new normal. But you have time.

THIS.

I have a July bday kid too. She napped at home up until she went to kindergarten. She was tired to start school and we had to do early bedtimes for the fall. But she was fine! The first few weeks we kept her weekends pretty low-key too (meaning we avoided things that disrupted her bedtime) So no real activities outside of school, no practices on school nights etc. We were very disciplined about her bedtime 98% of the time, and that helped dramatically. She needed to be asleep by 7pm for the first half of kindergarten.

She was completely ready, so I do not regret sending her on time at all. She's in 5th now and thriving!