OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

I've done internet searches on this and haven't come up with anything helpful cause hes having trouble at home AND daycare.

DS has been napping only 2-3 times per week. As I said both myself, and daycare, have been having issues. We have a routine of storytime, socks off, blanket, etc. It's just not happening. Sometimes I just give up and go about our day without nap, but the kid truely needs a nap! He's a disaster without it and will sometimes go into such a meltdown, we can not even leave the house (i.e. today) which stresses me out. I can't really deviate from the schedule that daycare has him on, cause that will surely make matters worse as he can't just nap when he feels like it there.

Any help would be much appreciated

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

It sounds like he's really ready to drop the nap. When that happend with my two older kids, I moved bedtime up by about an hour.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

He's a little young to drop nap, no? Besides my thought is if he were ready to drop the nap he wouldnt have the tired toddler meltdown, or pass out right before dinner time, like when we are driving home from my parents. Hes sleepy too around nap, but I feel like he thinks hes going to miss something if he sleeps.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

I would just keep trying.

There were a few days my son didn't want to nap in a row, but he really needs his nap. He will be 4 in june and he still takes a 2-3 hour nap. If it was only an hour nap, then that might be different. But he needs a lot of sleep. I kept trying and installed "rest time" even if he didn't nap. He started napping again. Just hang in there and keep trying.

Like you, i think my son is afraid to miss something. We just kept telling him that the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he could get up and play. Otherwise if he didn't nap, he'd sit in his room all afternoon either way.

Message edited 4/21/2012 7:52:30 PM.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

Sorry to crash.... but I just wanted to add that my niece stopped napping long before her 2nd birthday

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

Yeah, my DS quit napping at fifteen months! He was majorly cranky yes, but there was simply no way I could get him to nap. Eventually, we just learned to put him to bed for the night a bit earlier to compensate.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

I agree with those who said, he is not necessarily ready to drop the nap, its a phase. At some point sooner or later they have some issue. DD1 went through a no nap issue as early as a year old, no one would drop a nap that early. Just keep trying. I know it's hard when he is at daycare because of the rules and he is not comfortable with shoes and socks on. At home, treat it like bedtime with similar rituals, after lunch, down time, soft music, read a story, etc. At daycare, it's harder, but the nap will come back. Be consistent as possible with daycare's eating and sleeping schedule so he knows what to expect, should give you less of a hard time. To drop a nap is to live in hell every evening from now till he is 4 or 5. Heck, I still prefer an afternoon snooze at almost 40, I still can't drop my nap. LOL. In fact if you get groggy, maybe lay down with him in your bed. He may start to like naps again and then you can transition him back to his crib. PS. you mentioned recently doing the bed thing... if you want him to nap, you may want to wait till closer to 3 years old. He can escape way too easily. Just my 2 cents. As for my child who refused to nap at under a year... just today she put herself down for a nap.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

My DD dropped her nap at 2 1/2. DS started doing the same thing and now he is 2 and 9 months his naps are very sporadic - he only naps if we happen to be out in the car during that time...if we are at home where he usually napped he just does not seem tired like he used to be. He is a demon by 4-5 though so its tough. I usually have to be really patient with him and try to distract him with things to do - help me wash fruit, vegetables for dinner etc....play outside...anything to get him over that hump and then he is fine and will be asleep by 7 or 7.30 which is kind of nice as when he does nap its closer to 9 before he goes to sleep.

I think at this age they still need a nap but maybe not every day so its very inconsistent and we have to roll with it.

Good luck

Message edited 4/21/2012 9:51:30 PM.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

I disagree that it has to be a phase. Maybe for most, but not all. I tried everything to get my DS to nap again, for a year and a half. He won't even close his eyes during car rides. I still have quiet time and try to get him to lie down in the afternoon, but he literally will not nap. I can not force him to close his eyes and sleep. Now he's not even that cranky by the end of the day. Am I missing something?

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

When my DC refuses a nap, the rule is he has to stay in bed for 1.5 hours with books to "read" and some stuffed animals. He usually - but not always - falls asleep before the time is up. If he doesn't, I will get him up but I plan for an early bedtime.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

My DD was starting to drop her naps around that age too. I would put her down anyway for "quiet time" & if she didn't sleep, no biggie. Some days she wouldn't, some she would. By 3 it was pretty much gone, however even now t 4 she will fall asleep in the car & there are even times (especially on a Friday after school), she will fall asleep on the couch while watching tv.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

the crankiness will pass, my DD dropped her nap before 2.5 as well, and we had a few days of crankiness but for the most part as long as we were consistent of no napping she was fine.

my DS stopped napping at 2 years old, and we never had a problem.

after a day or two or three in a row with no naps and consistent bed time they will be fine!

i do make sure she has some down time if i feel she's a little crabby, but no napping

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

No not really it really depends on the child. My DD#2 is almost 3 (will be 3 in one from tomorrow) she gave up naps almost a year ago and does okay. She will take one - once in a blue moon when she is tired and lets me know she is tired. DD#1 on the other hand only gave them up at 3.5 yrs old. She did a 2 year program in the afternoons and would nap on those days after and earlier on the days she didn't have school. Out of 10 children only 1 other still napped in her class. With her I would meet tons of parents who would say - wow she still naps? So my feeling is that it really depends on the child and their individual needs. My ped said most give up between 2 and 3. I would say try moving bed time earlier so that he still gets the sleep he needs. I would try quiet time and see if that works - at least they are having down time even if they don't nap. Maybe just do naps on the days that they want them and down time the other days.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

If he's cranky and a mess then he still needs the nap. I would keep putting him down every day like normal. My DS is 2.5 but went through a no nap (or a 25 minute nap) phase right after he turned two. It took at least a month of putting him down for a nap every day for him to start napping again. And once he did, he went right back to napping for 2-2.5 hrs.

They go through phases sometimes and I really think consistency is the key. Even if my DS didn't fall asleep, I'd follow my same routine and leave him up there for 1.5 hrs. I didn't want him to think that no napping meant playtime otherwise he'd surely never want to nap again.

The other day DS was in his crib for almost an hour and didn't fall asleep. I thought it odd and considered that maybe we are getting close (but not too close) to him not always napping. He's napped regularly since. I think losing a nap happens more gradually, not that they all of a sudden stop. They need to rest though so definitely put him down for a nap so at least he gets down time.

Maybe you could move the nap just a few minutes later and see what happens.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

I'm thinking it is just a phase, not only because of the crankiness, but because he is yawning, rubbing eyes, and will likely fall asleep around dinner time if he doesn't nap. I think it may be different if he was staying awake and wasn't showing signs of fatigue. Yesterday he napped for like 25 minutes, but then had BM and woke up. Today he slept for a little over an hour at school. I don't know what to make of it, I just home it doesn't continue.

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

Both my kids stopped napping at 2.5 ys

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

DD started taking her naps later and later. She used to go down at 1 then 130 and now we are at 230. So maybe try putting dc down later. I don't let her sleep past 4 otherwise it effects her bedtime. She goes to bed at 9 wakes at 630 with a 2 hour nap

Goes to bed at7 and sleeps till 545 without a nap

Re: OMG, in nap hell with 2.5 year old!

with you in nap hell!

DS fights with me for about an 1-1 1/2 each day just to get a 45 minute nap.

he used to fall asleep by 1. now it's the longest hour of my life! i noticed if we start naptime at 2 the fighting is shorter and the nap is longer.