Need advice on 2-3 year old napping...

My DS is almost 3. For the past 2 months we have been dealing with him staying up very late in bed at night. I changed nothing with his routine. He was still napping at 12:30 for about 2 hours. I still put him to bed at 7:30 but he would stay awake just talking until 9pm average. Sometimes later. So I tried waking him up earlier from naps....letting him sleep as long as he wants and not napping him at all. He is clearly still tired during the day if he doesn't take a nap. Yesterday he fell asleep on the couch for about 30 minutes and went to bed around 7 and was fine. Today he took no nap and almost fell asleep in the car at 5:30!! I put him to bed right after dinner and he was out by 6:30pm. I am just at a loss. I feel like I am winging it--napping him some days, not others...I don't know what's best for him. On the nights he stays up late in bed he never sleeps well (wakes up a few times at night). He also doesn't fight me to take a nap if I do put him down. Most kids I hear about giving up naps they just don't want to anymore, that's not that case. Anyone deal with anything like this or have any advice?

Message edited 12/4/2010 7:21:20 PM.

Re: Need advice on 2-3 year old napping...

DS gave up his naps shortly after his 3rd birthday and was doing the same thing...sometimes he wouldnt nap and would crash by 6:30 but if he napped he wouldnt go to bed until 9:30

I had to wing it too and after awhile it kind of fixed itself. Now he doesnt nap but goes to bed by 7:30/8:00.

Re: Need advice on 2-3 year old napping...

Thanks, I appreciate you sharing---I feel like most of my friends kids are either still napping without problem or are refusing to nap and I am in between!

Re: Need advice on 2-3 year old napping...

Right after DD#2's 2nd birthday, she started to become very erratic... She would nap some days, refuse other days, some times nap in the car for a little while. She was all over the place. If she did nap, she had a very tough time going to sleep at night and would be laying in bed for 2-3 hours just playing and talking to herself. I just took it day by day to see if she needed the nap or not and within a few weeks, she pretty much gave it up all together. If she did nap, I didn't let her sleep very long-I would let her lay down on the couch so that there was still noise and light cause if she went to her bed, she was out for like 2 hours easily. And just like your DS, the days that she napped well, she was up and down all night long.

Re: Need advice on 2-3 year old napping...

He's in that weird transitional phase some kids go through, I think.

Mine is same age and if he doesn't nap all day, he can either go all night until like 11, or, if I set him up for sleep, he will conk out at a reasonable hour..like 8pm.

If he naps during the day, forget it. We try to prevent naps, but when he's tired, what are you gonna do, you know?? Ugh.

At this stage, they kind of rely on you to dictate their sleep schedule, I think. I know how frustrating it is.

Message edited 12/4/2010 7:50:01 PM.

Re: Need advice on 2-3 year old napping...

DS is in a similar phase!

he is nearly 3 as well. On days he doesnt nap going to sleep is a breeze, no fight, no crying, asleep in minutes.

On days he does nap its the opposite and falling asleep I will see him in the monitor for up to an hour or more tossing and turning, talking, yelling to me. Once he falls asleep his is fine and wont wake until morning but its a pain to get him to sleep!

For us though whether he naps or not has no effect on bedtime. He will still be up until 9 playing happy as a clam. I will see he is tired but he really seems most days to not NEED the nap!

So I have no advice as I am in the inbetween phase! He doesnt fight the naps either but I am not sure I am ready to give them up!