When did your toddler stop napping?

[Anonymous]

My older two both went through a no-nap phase around 2-2.5. I kept putting them down for nap every day and made them stay in there for ~45 minutes whether they napped or not. Both eventually began napping again- one napped roughly 2/3 of the time and stopped for good at 4, the other napped solidly until he was 5. He probably could have kept going, but it was impacting his bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Just shy of 3. We converted it to "quiet time" but eventually lost the battle and by 3.5 we were in No Nap Land. This contributed to my feeling that age 3 is the hardest age of the infant-PK years. Maximum opposition with no break, plus we got it during the pandemic so... really no break.

BUT! She is now in PK and mysteriously naps about 30% of the time there even though she has never been good about napping at daycare. I think it has to do with how busy they are at school -- not just getting tons of physical exercise (which she's always gotten lots of) but significantly more structured time with stuff like PE and art class and sessions in the garden. I think she's just exhausted. Still sleeping great at night. She sometimes stays up past 8 in her bed, but regularly sleeps until 7 or 7:30, sometimes even 8 on the weekends.

[Anonymous]

My first dropped naps around 3.5. It was really no big thing for him. A couple days of mild crankiness in the late afternoon then nothing. He kept the same bedtime (7:30pm) before and after dropping nap without issues.

My second dropped naps before she turned 2 after months of struggling to fall asleep at nap time, only napping for 20-30 mins at a time, and struggling to fall asleep at night til 9:30-10 due to those 20-30 min naps. We should’ve given up on trying to get her to nap long before we did but she just seemed too young to stop napping so we kept trying. Once she dropped the nap, she started going to bed for the night at 6pm! We gradually moved that back til 7 but she’s now 4 and still goes to bed easily at 7.

[Anonymous]

First dropped at 2.5
Second at 4
Third at 2.5

[Anonymous]

2.5. In the beginning he happily had “rest time” in his crib but just played. Then even rest time stopped. I wept but he’s happier at bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Mine is 27 months and ever since starting preschool in September has not napped.

[Anonymous]

2. Maybe a bit before.

[Anonymous]

Around 2.5 DD started skipping about 50% of naps. She’s now 33 months and still doing the same. Sometimes she’ll nap, sometimes she’ll just hang out for quiet time. She keeps having 3-4 days of skipped naps and I think she’s going to drop it completely, then she’ll start napping again. I haven’t recognized any sort of pattern to predict when she’ll nap and she doesn’t seem overtired on the days she skips. Just kind of random.

[Anonymous]

My first napped until starting kindergarten, so 5.5+.

My second stopped by 2.5, but we and daycare/preschool continued quiet time. This child also hasn't fallen asleep in the car since 2 months old. Loves to sleep, just has to be on his schedule.

[Anonymous]

Wow I’m surprised how many it was 2.5. My son is just dropping it now and he’s almost 4. Taking away the paci is what I think will clinch it for us sadly but I agree it starts to make bedtime more difficult so I’m kind of ready for it. For now he does quiet time on days he doesn’t nap

[Anonymous]

4ish.

[Anonymous]

2.75. One day she napped for 2 hours, the next nothing. And then never again. Was a hell of an adjustment for all of us. She’s now 5 and sleeps 830-7

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My older two both went through a no-nap phase around 2-2.5. I kept putting them down for nap every day and made them stay in there for ~45 minutes whether they napped or not. Both eventually began napping again- one napped roughly 2/3 of the time and stopped for good at 4, the other napped solidly until he was 5. He probably could have kept going, but it was impacting his bedtime.

+1

I've heard this is common - that if you push through the no-nap phase around age 2 or 2.5, you can end up with a napper until 4-5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My older two both went through a no-nap phase around 2-2.5. I kept putting them down for nap every day and made them stay in there for ~45 minutes whether they napped or not. Both eventually began napping again- one napped roughly 2/3 of the time and stopped for good at 4, the other napped solidly until he was 5. He probably could have kept going, but it was impacting his bedtime.

Curious how long the phase was? For us DD has always napped less than other babies. She's been on one nap since around 15 months, is now 2.5 and naps have been pretty spotty for about 9 months. Past week or so she napped once. It doesn't feel like a phase.

[Anonymous]

Another thing to add - if daycare/preschool insists on naps and your 4 year old is fully over them it can make bedtime a nightmare. We had to switch from full time daycare to 3pm private prek because forced naps were pushing bedtime back to 10pm.