More toddler nap/sleep woes

[emza78]

My 21 month old has always struggled to go down for naps but for the last 6 months or so has been pretty good, going down happily just after lunch for 1.5/2 hours. Lately though she is not into this nap at all. At nursery (3 days a week) she will still nap for 1.5 hours around 1ish but at home it?s an impossible task. I wonder if she?s just ready to drop all naps altogether? Apparently my siblings and I all dropped all naps by 18 months.. On nursery days when she does nap she then won?t go to bed until 9pm which in my opinion (and for our own sanity) is too late! I then find I have to wake her every morning at 730 and she?s still tired.

Just looking for some advice really, I think she?ll have to carry on having the nap at nursery as that?s what they do, although they have offered to wake her after 45 minutes/1 hour ? I feel wrong doing this though as think if she?s sleeping she must need it?Perhaps I should try keeping her up at home 4 days a week.. except then I find if we go out in buggy or car in the afternoon she drops off, but then as this nap is too late she?s up till late at night again, aaah!

[echo]

I found this, my eldest had the L-O-N-G Childminders nap, but not at home. She used to do two long days and the childminder had a routine with the kiddies.

Both of my girls stopped having daily nap well before their 2nd birthday. Someday naps, others not...

I do find a tea at 5pm, means a early bed time.. Also no naps helps, but not always...

Best of luck with it all

[emza78]

My next question was going to be how to cope with a non-napping toddler?! She is not a fan of "quiet time" of any kind, gets bored with books etc.

Also, how early is too early for bedtime if there's no nap? I caught her rubbing eyes at 6pm last time but thought to myself surely that must be too early.. then I probably missed the window.. then she got overtired.. sigh!

[DulwichEastMum]

I would drop her naps at home. She probably naps in nursery as everyone else does!

If you drop the nap at home get her to bath , put her pjs on have dinner. Read a book you have mentioned she does not like quiet time maybe try animating your voice?? Put the lights down low and slowly turn the lights off! Warm milk should help to before bed :)

It's jus a routine she needs to get into so start at 6pm with bath, pj, dinner, read and tuck into bed! By 8pm she will be in bed. It will take time but she will fall asleep after a few attempts x

[Fuschia]

My 20m old doing just the same.. After our holiday where naps were hard to organise

He is awake now, not napped yet. Will keep him up, bed at 6

[oimissus]

have you tried putting her down later? Miss Oi's nap has shifted back from 12.30 when she was 1 to 2pm now she's 2 and a half. I think if she's not a fan of quiet time it's worth persevering with the nap, else you will probably have a very whingy child come 4 o'clock!

If she's rubbing her eyes at 6 start bath and bedtime then, it takes us about an hour from starting bathtime to lights out (including bath, milk and stories). Now she's napping later Miss Oi goes down about 8, but when she napped earlier she went to bed earlier.