I know it's been done to death, sorry : Naps in a 2.5y/o

[Ruth_Baldock]

Good morning lovely forum!

Seb is 2y5mo old and a few weeks ago, started staying awake, and being happy with this, when he'd normally nap. 'Ah' I thought, 'done with naps, are we?'.

However, he is totally knackered in the day. If he sleeps at all, no matter how early, and even for as little as 15 mins, he will be up till 10/11/12(!!!) at night.

Clearly this is no good.

Things that have not worked:

Putting him down super early, say 10:30, for a mid am nap.

Waking him up after an hour.

'quiet time' - he falls asleep.

Bribery.

Crying (me, not him)

What do I doooooooooo? HELP!

[EmilyE]

Go with the no nap thing and put him to bed really early?

I seem to remember that for a while a couple of naps a week was the right kind of balance, but if anything keeps him awake at night you are doooooomed. So just put him to bed really early. Who knows, but maybe it's worth a go.

[echo]

it is very, very light at the moment- it's effecting us all.

Mid summer maddness.....

[mrsbee]

This happened when my little one was 2yr 3 mo - even a 15 minute nap meant he was still up talking (or jumping in and out of the cot) until at least 9. I just stopped naps altogether and put him to bed at 6.30. He did get tired in the day so we had a quiet hour over lunch time where I just let him watch tv and this meant that he could last the afternoon. He is now 2yr7mo and quite often has a 20 min nap on the school run but this doesn't seem to stop him sleeping at 7 like it did before. No idea why but I've learnt to just accept these things and not to try to understand them...

[bluesuperted]

I know of at least 3 other toddlers, plus my E, who are up LATE at the moment! Two of the toddlers nap, two don't so I don't think it's the napping I think it's Echo's midsummer madness!

E is having a good nap and going to bed between 9-10 whereas previously he was going 7-8. We are going with it as he's sleeping in later so think it will just adjust again as the seasons change. Plus going on a Mediterranean holiday in the summer and will love his later schedule then so in a way we have the summer excitement too ;)

Not sure how helpful I'm being but I reckon (wait for it) it's just a phase! (boom crash!)

[Saffron]

Sorry, Ruth, no advice but lots of sympathy. Little Saff is just the same with naps, all very irregular now. I've tried going to no nap, but it has always backfired. Either she naps too late in the day, and is awake until late. Or, I put her down to bed early, and she wakes up in the night/early morning. Arrgh. I hope it passes soon.

[Fuschia]

The stage where they are dropping the nap is just awful

My advice: try for a nap every few days

Don't plan too much ... Have quiet time

Don't execr dinner to be eaten well

Try a bath is very whingy late afternoon

Open the wine at sunset!

[Ruth_Baldock]

Thanks all.

He fell asleep on a beanbag, biscuit in hand, at about 1, then woke up five minutes later when his sister had a meltdown when she got cheese in her hair and eye (it's all going on here...).

He is clearly exhausted, but no doubt will be up till late shouting for "more milk, warm trousers, pink socks" and other nonsense.

Really hope that the heatwave easing off makes for easier bedtimes.

[susyp]

my daughter dropped her lunchtime nap at just over 2 (or i got fed up with how long it was taking to get her to sleep! and cos of the later bedtime). For a while I did have to put her to bed at 5.30. Often at 4.30 she was standing at the stairs begging to go to bed! (tv worked to keep her up). And I couldn't go out in the afternoons as she would sleep in pushchair / car. But it was only for a while. She is still often asleep at 630 at nearly 4! Have to say I much prefer it.

susypx

[Grotty]

Very interesting thread - over the last month my 2yr1month old has been seriously messing about with naps - taking up to 2 hours to go to sleep at lunchtime and now the same is happening at bedtime. We've had a few days during this time where she has gone without a nap as we've been out somewhere and she can make it through the day until about 5 before crankiness sets in. I've been doing tough love this week which has resulted in her going to sleep within half an hour at lunchtime but she is still messing about at night. I've been perservering as had read that at just over 2yrs most kids still need a nap. BUT maybe it is time just to give it up???

[Ole]

we have the same with our 2.5. Some days he will have a nap and some not, and the days he does he will be up until 8:30-9, and the days he doesn't he will be sleeping at 8.

However, what we have found - and this will be of no use to you but it makes no sense to me and therefore I am going to add it- is that no matter whether he has a nap or not and regardless of how long he will have slept the night before, he always, ALWAYS, wakes up at 6am. Go figure. We were hoping that on the days he drops his naps he would sleep until 7am the following day (and give us a 'lie-in') but, alas, it is yet to happen.

[mandymaz]

Nothing useful to add whatsoever but just wanted to say that it's great to hear other people in the same boat as us. My 2.1 yr old has been fighting naps for a few months now, which would be fine if it didn't make 4.30pm onwards so horrifically awful. On the plus side it's meant that we can have more interesting days out etc and we've started watching some films together for quiet time which makes a change from CBeebies!

[Saffron]

Last night, disaster. No nap all day, asleep by 7pm. Up in tears 3x between 7-9pm. Up for good at 10:30pm. Didn't go back to sleep until 1am!! I think we'll try to force a nap today, even if it's at 5:30pm. Yesterday I was crying, pulling a pillow over my head, shouting GO TO SLEEP! I'd rather she napped late and went to bed at 10:30, than kept me up till 1am. Plus she was up at 5:30 this morning asking for milk, since she was too tired to eat much of her early dinner last night. Please, please let this pass by summer's end. I have to start work in the autumn!!!

[Otta]

Our older daughter has just turned 3, and she is the same, if she's had a long day, and nods off in her buggy even for 10 minutes, she won't go to sleep for ages in the evening. We just try and keep her awake.