at what aqe do kids stop napping at day time..

[Blackhorse]

I know this will vary considerably but I just wondered what your observations were and if there is an age where it is common for them to stop napping...or in fact if there is an age where it is definately too early.

(my dd is nearly 20 months now and has tendency towards not napping..hence the question)
so do I still make her go for a nap or is it ok for her to stay up all day?

[specks4]

i look after child who is 30 months and still has nap during the day. I think it depends on the child if they are happy without one then thats fine but if you find they arent happy then let them have the sleep they may only need short nap just to get them going again.

[sweets]

ooh at least till 2/12 if poss! lol.

even my nearly 4 year ols still falls asleep on sofa after lunch, not every day but never goes more than 2 or 3 days wothout one, it seems to catch up with him.

Quite often they do stop their nap but then start again if at playgroup in the morn or when having a growth spurt.

[gegele]

too young!!!!LOL

my dd started to be funny about nap from 24months onwards but i kept with it til 30month!!! even if she was just having a rest she needed that time off.

in france you start school at 3yrs old and in the 1st year EVERYONE has a nap. even if you just lay awake, it imposed quiet time!!
at my brothers at the week end everyone has a nap kids and parents LOL:thumbsup:

[Tiger Lilly]

My mindee still has a nap and is 4 years old and going to school full time in 2 weeks, but its what mum wants......Nice for me LOL

[sweets]

if mine don't have a nap they have a 'quiet time' after lunch on the sofa watching cbeebies for 30-40 mins. at least then they and me get a rest!

[FussyElmo]

My eldest stopped her naps about this age she didnt want to sleep in the day. Ds a\bout 24months ds 31 months likes a couple of hours in the afternoon will go without but does catch up with him dd 14 months as and when she wants.

I also try to let them have quiet time if they go past their sleep however this backfired on me friday when they fell asleep at quarter to 3 had to get the double buggy out:)

[Twinkles]

It depends on their bedtime routine too. I found if mine didn't have a nap after lunch they'd fall asleep on the school run and then not want to go to bed at bedtime.

I used to get my youngest ds to 'Just lay on the sofa and close your eyes for ten minutes' if he was tired he'd fall asleep and if not then fair enough !

My mindees have a quiet time too when they're too old for a nap.

[Princess Sara]

Ds1 (5yo) stopped napping at 18 months but was (is!) a rather hyperactive child. Sleeps perfectly from 7pm-7am and has done since 4 months.

DS2 (15mo) has a 2 hour nap after lunch and I think he will do for a very long time! He loves his nap, gets his little blankie and shows me to his room!

I know a few of the children that started school with ds1 last year would have quite happily had a nap in the afternoon, but personally, I think 2.5 - 3 years is a good time to try and stop them if they're willing. A solid bedtime routeen helps though, if lo isn't going to bed til 8-9pm they're more likely to need the extra nap time.

[Stanfield]

My 2 1/2 year old still has a 1 1/2 hour nap in the morning and still sleeps 7pm till 7am. Maybe I am just lucky!!!:D

[helenlc]

if mine don't have a nap they have a 'quiet time' after lunch on the sofa watching cbeebies for 30-40 mins. at least then they and me get a rest!

I do this. My 16 month old mindee sleeps for 2 hours in the afternoon (:clapping: :clapping: ) so I put the 2 yr old on the sofa with some CBeeBies. She has dropped off once but thats it.:blush: But she does generally stay on the sofa and we have quiet time.

I have a 9 month old starting next month and am curious to see how that works!!! When Mum came to visit the other week, she said he had slept the day before for almost 4 hours!!:eek: We are never indoors for that long!!!:laughing:

[madasahatter]

I agree with everyone! It really depends on the individual child. I've had toddlers of 18 months who were quite happy to go without a nap and children of 4 who still needed one.
The really hard part is when you have parents who say that they don't want their child to have a daytime sleep when they really still need one.
Currently my 8 month old has a short nap (30mins) at around 9.30 in the morning and then a much longer 1.5 to 2 hour sleep after lunch at the same time as my 18month old (lucky me)

[Blackhorse]

hmm..thanks for your replies...
I think the hard part is to see if she actually needs it or not.
the couple of days she was up without nap she seemed fine. not grumpy or anthing. she didnt even fall asleep in the car on the school run, which I thought she would...in the evening I just put her to her bed a bit earlier than usual. the next days though she went down again for a nap...maybe she will just start to sometimes miss some days....and eventually grow out of it.
If she wants a nap she can of course have one, I would never make her stay awake......but it just seems harder and harder to get her to actually fall asleep..LOL

[miffy]

..maybe she will just start to sometimes miss some days....and eventually grow out of it.


I think that often happens until they're ready to give up a daytime sleep altogether.

Sounds like you just need to "play it by ear"

Miffy xx

[sophiestars]

I think you will probably find that she will have a nap every 3 or 4 days as it catches up with her and depending on what you have been doing.

Personally I keep them napping as long as possible!! My eldest ds was still having a 2 hour nap when he was part time at school, he was so tired he needed it! My almost 3 year old has just started not wanting naps some days especially on days when my mindees are the ones who don't nap and he feels he will miss out. However other days he will tell me he is tired and wants a sleep in his bed. This afternoon he slept for 3 1/2 hours!!

I have a mindee who was 3 when she started with me and has never napped, she just needs a bit of quiet time usually after lunch. I always feel guilty putting the TV on for them though it feels a bit naughty!

[Gizmo]

my dd is 2 years 4mths and wont have a sleep until its dark time (her words not mine) it is hard during the day but great at night when she falls asleep at half six

[nadinescott]

hehehehehehe i read that as 'what age do kids stop nagging must go to bed.............:laughing:

[Cazz]

hehehehehehe i read that as 'what age do kids stop nagging must go to bed.............:laughing:

Never!! :laughing:

I'm having the same dilemma with my dd who is 22 months old. She started playing up about 3 months ago and was taking so long to go to sleep in her cot that it would be getting too late for her to have very long due to lunch etc. I resorted to putting her in her buggy after lunch and rocking her, which is something I said I would never do, but she normally falls asleep within 5 or 10 minutes.

She's never slept for that long during the day - 1 and half hours at most but generally it's an hour (I wake her if it gets to 3pm). I don't think she's ready to cut out her sleep completely but some days recently she's only slept for 30 mins but it seems to refresh her and be enough.

My dilemma is how long it takes her to go to sleep in the evenings - quite often she sings and talks until 9.30pm/10.00pm (and occasionally later :eek: ). I'm wondering if she'll get to sleep earlier if she doesn't have a nap or if it will be as bad/worse because she's overtired!

I think it's a case of trying different things to see which suits the individual child best. I must admit it is nice to be able to sit down with a cup of tea and the newspaper while she's having a nap!!

[The Juggler]

I have a child who turned 4 last month. He's just started reception. He still was sleeping 3 days out of 7 during the day. With me he would sleep one week and not the next but always had a lie down with a book, that way i knew if he was tired he would sleep. Sometimes he didn't and I got him up after 45 mins or so.

However, he was very late to bed most nights so needed it.

[sweets]

i think that minded children do tend to sleep during the day for longer as quite often they go to bed later in the evening than your own children, as by the time they are picked up, had their tea then the parents quite rightly want to spend a bit of time with before bedtime, they go to bed a bit later than children who are at home with parents all day and want them in bed early! lol

[mushpea]

my daughter had a nap till she was 2.5yrs but my son gave up at 19mnths which at the time i was most fedup about!!
after we have lunch i tend to take them for a nice walk in the buggy then they fall asleep and i park the pram by the window in the back garden, they definatly sleep for longer in the fresh air and it gives me and they 3.5yrold excersise then some time to play before they wake up and we do the school run.

[jibberjitz]

My 2 1/2 yr old still need a nap most days in an afternoon and usually has at least 1hour :thumbsup: DD1 dropped her daytime nap just before she turned 3!