Should I drop daytime nap at 22 months?

[shellbear]

My girl is 2 in the middle of March and the last few weeks have been impossible to get her down at her normal bedtime - 7.30. We eventually get her to sleep anytime between 8.30 to 9. She naps easily for just over an hour after lunch in the day (approx 1.30). My partner says he thinks she's not tired so yesterday we kept her up for the day, and although a little bit wired she was fine, no tantrums, and was out like a light at 7.15 sleeping through till 7 in the morning. She seems so small though to be dropping this nap, or is this about average? Great to know what others have done. s.

[Belle]

I have tried this a couple of times recently with similar aged toddler (nearly 2 in my case) - but have to admit for us it's not worked. Although he's gone to sleep a lot easier at bedtime, it's meant that he was too tired to eat tea properly, and has also meant that if I take him out in the buggy e.g late afternoon he'll def drop off, which is a bit near bedtime and makes him grumpy. So it's not been right for us, but if she's not having the same symptoms of tiredness he has - meltdowns etc, then maybe it's right for you? plenty kids seem to drop it around this age. I know lots of mums who say their toddlers stopped napping around 2 (know quite a few who went on until nearly 4 though!).

[Fuschia]

Mine are three in April, they need the nap really but bedtime is quite late. if no nap, bed by 7.30. Impossible to stop the falling asleep though!

[standswithfist]

My daughter turned 2 a few weeks ago and she herself dropped her nap from lunchtime ish but as she was so tired was falling asleep around 4pm/5pm. So we keep it up and she will still go to bed 730pm/8pm depending on how busy she has been during the day.

[Pickle]

My kids are 4 and 2.5 and both still have a nap after lunch! About 1.5 hours or so at 1pm, then they are in bed for 7pm in the evening. I know quite a few children my son's age who still nap, it does wonders for my sanity!

[charlottep]

My 2.8 year old still has his although recently he was been taking a long time to drop off at 7:30 bedtime so we cut the lunchtime nap down to no longer than hour. Some days he doesn't drop off after lunch within this time, but he seems quite content to sit in bed and flick through his books and play quietly. We try to make sure he always gets at least an hours quite time after lunch otherwise he's a little wired by the end of the day and so are we.

[Jamma]

Depends on the child. When ours dropped her nap she would sort of need a nap every second or third day for a few weeks till she was completely over it. And yes she'd get grumpy at end of day and need to be nursed through to bedtime.

An hour in front of CBeebies after lunch served, still does serve sometimes actually, as a good substitute for a nap

[marscapone]

Mine stopped at 2 and a half. 8pm bedtime. Like Jamma said, we used telly after lunch - sometimes he dropped off, sometimes not - depended if he needed it

[nicolemodesti]

Our boy went through a period of refusing to nap at this age when home with us on weekends. He was the same at nursery. He is now 2.4 years and will nap some days and not on others. If he doesn't want to nap he will lie down and rest for awhile. I find that if he does nap we need to get him down around 12.30/1pm otherwise he will be too fresh at his bedtime of 7/7.30pm.He was napping for 2 hours but have noticed on the weekend, with his only nap on Saturday, that they are reducing to roughly an hour. On the days he doesn't nap he nods off straight away at bedtime, with snores, as soon as his head touches the pillow! Agree that it depends if they need it but I was rather hoping he would continue for a little longer!!

[millsa]

It is a tough one and I still don't know what the right answer is. My son is 2.5 and we had to stop the lunchtime nap about 2 months ago as he started staying up till 10pm! (we put him to bed at 8 but then he was screaming and jumping in his cot till 10ish). I think he still needs his nap as he is very grumpy around 1, I also can't drive anywhere after 4 because it is certain he will fall asleep, but he goes to sleep a lot easier around 7.30. Sometimes he gets overtired though and still stays up till 9ish :(

[The Nappy Lady]

It is a really tricky age - our 27 month old is now going some days without a nap, other days (if given a really busy morning at the park etc.) will go down easily at around 1pm....or, worst case resists until around 4pm then collapses.

As and when she does fall asleep I limit it to an hour, and if late in the day try to then give her a really active couple of hours, even if it means going for a 'dark walk' (torches out & great excitement), or mad hide and seek with her big sister around the house.

I try to use it to my advantage really and often manage to work the day in such a way that she sleeps at the time that best suits me, or not at all, and early to bed instead - thankfully it seems to work either way for her, though bedtime does tend to be a little later sometimes on the days she has had a nap.

[shellbear]

thanks for all this. we have been trying a combination - although bit nervous about a mixed routine, slightly shorter nap earlier seems to be helping a bit as bedtimes were driving me nuts.

[susyp]

I dropped my daughters at 2 and 2 months for same reasons you mention. It was hard work and she was begging to go to bed at 430pm initially! I started putting her to bed at 6pm and now it's at 7pm and she is fine all the way through . To get through the first few weeks she watched quite a lot of tv and had very early / easy dinner, sometimes just toast. After a couple of weeks it was fine and I feel vindicated in my decision to drop her nap! I just used to get so angry with her taking so long to go to sleep at lunchtime and in the evening and it wasn't good parenting to be yelling at her so for both our sakes it had to be dropped. Now she is happy to go to bed in the evening, and doesn;t have melt downs anyore in the afternoon. It does take a few weeks though. Lots of mums said to me I was mad because you need the break but I actualky find it better to have her asleep by 630/7pm and have a proper evening - she was up til 8 or 9pm before, and I didn't go to bed much later than that! I think you know your own child and what they need so just go with your instincts.

susypx