Daytime Nap

[Scarlet]

Hi all,

How old was your LOs when you stopped their daytime nap, and did it just happen, by itself? With my first he stopped around 3, but he really needed his sleep. My LO is sleeping late and wakes up constantly during the night, which is mainly to do with his teeth at the moment, but he's not a good sleeper at the best of time (despite my efforts at controlled crying technique) .

I'm just wondering if I should cut back on his 2 hour daytime nap, he's just turned 16 months, what do you think?

xx

[cheshire]

Hi Scarlet

Was in the same boat with my 2nd:

My LO is sleeping late and wakes up constantly during the night,

..so we stopped his nap before he was 2 - so at Nursery he would go into one of the other aeras whilst the other toddlers napped. What a difference it made ;D

Hopefulx

[Scarlet]

Really Hopeful, did you cut it out altogether? My LO is flagging by 12:30. He doesn't attend nursery so I'll have to do it at home...any ideas, as I know he'll be asking for the bed come 1pm.

[mum2leahnjosh]

Leah just stopped she sleeps 7pm till 9am every night where she use to sleep 7-7 then have a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. She is sleeping the same just at a diferent times now

[Bobyn]

Hi Scarlet,

My eldest turns 4 at the weekend and has a nap if we're at home, or in the car if we're out most days. She goes the whole day at nursery or preschool without a nap but then has to go to bed at about 6.15pm or she just gets too tired. But I know from other people that she's unusual. Friends of mine have 2 and 3 year olds who just nap every other day or if they need it and they don't have a strict routine about it. I think I've just become reliant on the hour 'off' in the day!!

We tried to just change Freya to 'quiet time' after lunch but she'd fall asleep on the sofa instead of bed. Our nursery started quiet time after lunch and that allowed some to sleep and some to just calm down enough and recharge for the afternoon - it seemed to work quite well. The staff lay down too. If you do that yourself just remember not to fall asleep instead and find your LO has trashed your house when you wake up

Bobs xx

[Scarlet]

Thanks ladies,

Well today didn't work because he went for a nap and I took full advantage of it and started cleaning then went for a bath, so he got his full two hours. Trouble is I do loads when he's napping and I like the time-out if I'm honest, but at the same time I really need a good nights sleep.

Bobyn, my eldest was the same he napped and slept through the night. At the moment my LO naps from 12ish til 2ish and then sleeps from 10pm til 7am and wakes up about 6 times during the night. I guess I'll have to forgo my daytime 'me' time if I want to get some sleep looks like.

xx

[Bobyn]

Arghhh, Scarlet you've just scared me soooo much. I have a horrible feeling Robyn might be the same as your second one. She's only 5 months and already sleeps much, much less than Freya did at this stage. Oh no

[scarlet not logged]

vsduffy said:

Arghhh, Scarlet you've just scared me soooo much. I have a horrible feeling Robyn might be the same as your second one. She's only 5 months and already sleeps much, much less than Freya did at this stage. Oh no

Ooooo I feel sorry for you Bobyn, I am cream crackered every day Gonna have to work out a plan, I will not be beaten (well I'll try not to be )

xxx

[gizmoracer]

Scarlet, try putting him down for his nap as per usual time but wake him earlier, this should avoid the cranky tired whinging you will inevitably get if you try to go cold turkey but he will also learn to adapt to less sleep and will hopefully sleep better in the night.

Says me who has a 5 year old who has NEVER slept through the night but hey it could be worth a try.

[winegirl]

My LO is coming up to 20 months now. She has one hour nap about 1 - 2pm ish and then goes to bed at 19.30 - 20.00 ish till 07.00 the next morning. Luckily she sleeps all the way through. But I had never even thought about her not having a nap? So is there an age when they are suposed to stop napping? My LO would be a complete nightmare if she didnt nap in the day!

WG x

[gizmoracer]

Winegirl, In the training I've done for young children I have always been told that a child should be having a nap or rest period up to the age or 3. Although personally I think alot of it is down to the child themselves. I have had to discourage mine from napping from a relativly early age and have resorted to just making them have an hour of quiet time instead, watching a DVD or just reading stories etc. So long as their night time sleep isn't disrupted then I don't see its a problem how old they are when you decide to cut it out, after all there are hundreds of adults who rely on their regular afternoon nap and I believe it has also been proved that the human body is designed to have 1 long sleep and 1 short nap within a 24 hour period anyway, its just not become our way of living anymore what with work etc.

I guess what all that waffle is trying to say is, don't worry about it til she either grows out of it herself or it starts to effect her nightsleeping.

[Scarlet]

Thanks Gizmoracer, I'm going to try reducing it like you said from today....

WG my eldest napped until he was around 3, and for a long time he had two naps during the day. No worries about your LO napping, especially as she sleeps well during the night by the sounds of it, she'll grow out of it at her own pace.

[Bobyn]

WG - I'm going to encourage my eldest (4 on Sunday) to keep the daytime nap until she moves out of home at least! LOL xx

[winegirl]

Yeah, I would happiy let her have that nap till she was 18 years old! Its the only bit of peace and quiet I get! Lol x

[stevensmummy]

Hi girls,

Just noticed this thread. I have had problem after problem with my eldest (2 1/2) and his sleeping, day naps and night! Eventually I contacted the HV and asked for advice. Turns out he has a mild form or night terrors, basically screams and sleep walks but is usually still asleep while doing it.

But b4 we discovered this I was given all sorts of advice and we were put in contact with a sleep therapist. She suggested not stopping that afternoon nap, she said it was a recipe for disaster. It was, we tried it. What they said was to make it an early session of quiet. Put on a DVD or read a book and cuddle up if you want and usually they will fall asleep. They idea is to encourage it asap after their lunch, so they are awake by 3.30. It shouldnt be longer than 2hrs. Any longer and they will be wide awake all night, its just suposed to be a recharge. Althought I found that if I actually woke him he was a grumpy little shit. So I just uncovered him and started to make more noise etc.

As for bedtime, with us it boiled down to calming. As for controlled crying, yep it can work but what they dont tell you is any major disruption, be it teeth, illness, new playgroup, whatever, they will drop right out of it again. It is rarely only 4 nights as they say it is. I have spoken to so many ppl, inc experts, many say dont do it, and my idea is that its not at all suitable for every child and def not mine. He still wakes thro the night but now he goes back to sleep promptly. Initialy it was a reassurance and a cuddle he needed, which took longer up to 10 mins, but now sitting on the bed beside him, stroking his head is all thats needed, about 2 mins. Where I basically go into auto pilot and am mostly still asleep. Pop back into my bed and its easy. We were even suggested a 2 way baby monitor as it will come that you need only press and say shh shh (or whatever you say) and they drop off. Eventually they grow out of it. Its apparently to do with learning new things and as a childs brain is so active they can get distressed thro the night.

This is what I've been told by that sleep ppl, as yet we arent totally finnished but instead of about 5 times he usually only wakes twice and it is a simple, ok mummys here, put your head down, and hes off again. Disturbs me very little and even less when its my OH's night.

I hope that can be of some help Scarlet. It did in a way help us, although this night terrors put a diff slant on it for us but I'm told it works out in the end.

Good luck and let us know hoe you are getting on

Sarah xx