When did your child give up the nap? Mine is not quite two and a half

[Anonymous]

and is fighting it hard. I'm about ready to throw in the towel. Did anyone else give up the nap this early?

[Anonymous]

Mine is almost 2.5 and I am seriously hating the idea of no nap, but they are getting shorter and shorter!

[Anonymous]

My DS napped fine at daycare but poorly on weekends from about 2 to 2.5. Then we moved and took him out of daycare and he refused to nap for me. I would often plan activities for the afternoon, knowing he'd fall asleep on the way home in the car or stroller and I could grab a few minutes to do email or read, as long as I stayed in the car, or carried the stroller inside.

My DD is 2 (barely) and is getting to be the same way. Crib naps are hit or miss, but she reportedly naps like a little sheep at daycare. DS went back to daycare at 3.5, but never napped again.

DS really could have used a daily nap, but dropped it, and DD really still needs hers. Both sleep fine at night and have pretty easy bedtime routines.

[Anonymous]

Daycare kid naps for about an hour (sometimes less or
not at all) at daycare. She dropped the weekend nap at home starting around age 20 months. It was taking an hour or more to put her down for a nap so it was no longer worth it. Earlier bedtime on the weekends for sure. (She will sometimes doze in the car, though. Bliss.)

[AnaBanana]

Our oldest stopped right around that time. I was sad because we just had our second child and I had this fantasy that we could all nap at the same time. She totally crushed that dream.

[Anonymous]

Sounds about right! I never thought I would survive; it seemed way too soon to me to be dropping the nap -- but I did! You lose that "me" time during the day, but they make up for it because they go to bed earlier at night.

[Anonymous]

What? My five year old still naps about a third of the time. I strongly encourage you to persist in encouraging a 2.5 year old to nap.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't give up until at least 3

[Anonymous]

Mine is 3 3/4 years and naps 2 - 3 days/week. If he doesn't actually sleep, we still have "quiet time".

[Anonymous]

12 months.

She had a meltdown every evening for a year after that because she still wanted to go to bed at the same time as her older sibling. Then at 2 it got better. Now at 4 she needs less sleep than her 9 year old brother.

Sleep needs vary so much. She must take after DH, who only needs 5-6 hours of sleep.

[Anonymous]

Our first one dropped the nap at 3.5. Our second one dropped it at just-turned-2. I think much of this stuff is hard wired.

[Anonymous]

Our 3.5 year old hasn't napped for about a year. We kept trying till he was three. But usually he just talked in his bed for an hour in the afternoon. He won't even nap at childcare. He lays on his cot quietly for 2 hours but doesn't sleep. The teachers always comment on how he is the only one in his class who doesn't nap. He sleeps 11-12 hours at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine is 3 3/4 years and naps 2 - 3 days/week. If he doesn't actually sleep, we still have "quiet time".

Ours is just 4 and does the same thing, except nw 3-4 times a week.

[Anonymous]

Mine will be 3 this month. Some days she naps, some days she doesn't.

[Anonymous]

If you keep trying, there is a good chance that you will get some more napping in a few weeks. Sometimes it stops for awhile but comes back if you persist (and as they get more tired over time). I wouldn't give it up yet.