Time to cut 2.5yo's nap???

mommyof2boys

Mon, Jul 30 2012, 8:32 pm

He wakes up between 530-6am
He used to nap at 1230pm for 2 hours (now he naps close to 2pm because of camp)
He used to go to bed at 7pm very easily.

Now.... he gets into bed at 715 and is being read to and tucked in by 730. He STAYS UP TALKING AND SINGING AND CALLING US LOUDLY for an hour to an hour and a half!!! Sometimes it's close to 9 before he falls asleep!

He usually doesnt want to nap but I force him to get into bed and he is out cold in minutes. He's exausted from being up early and being out doors all day. It was the same thing when he was in school, and I'm sure itll be the same again in Sept. I can get him to nap if I want to. But do I? I feel he needs the time to sleep and I definitly need the quiet time! (He naps the same time as my baby).

Do I just keep him up the whole afternoon from 530am until 630pm and just put him to bed at 630 for the night? I do this sometimes on shabbos when we are out for meals. Then there is no unwanted battle at night but I wont have my mid day quiet time and I will also be stuck with a cranky toddler in the early evening.

Hmmmmmmm

What would you do? At what age did you cut your toddlers nap?

sky

Mon, Jul 30 2012, 8:37 pm

I cut my daughters at 2 and 4 months. She goes to sleep about 6:30 and wakes up anywhere between 5:30 - 7:00. She sometimes does need a nap and she falls asleep on the couch. But for the most part I think she is okay without it and gets a better night sleep this way.

AlwaysGrateful

Mon, Jul 30 2012, 10:08 pm

Is the calling bothering anyone? Is he upset when he can't fall asleep? If not, what's wrong with him talking to himself and singing for a while before falling asleep?

I see no reason to cut out his nap, unless either of these are a problem. I believe in keeping kids napping as long as possible. Kids are happier when they have a nap. My kids take two naps for as long as possible, then one nap until they start a school that ends too late for that (3 pm or later).

It sounds like your son does need a nap, just not as late as you're giving it to him. You can either pick him up from camp early to give him a nap, or keep on going as you are now. Skipping that nap now means that when school starts again, and (I'm assuming, based on your post) ends earlier, you'll have a very kvetchy kid who could easily be napping straight after school but no longer will because he's not used to it...

gp2.0

Mon, Jul 30 2012, 11:26 pm

My DD is on an even worse schedule that started a month or so ago. She doesn't fall asleep until 11 (no matter how early I put her into bed, she just keeps climbing out) and then she sleeps until about 9:30. She naps for 1-3 hours.

So I tried cutting her nap. She was just kvetchy all afternoon, and when the clock ticked over to about 7 she got her second wind and again, didn't fall asleep until 11. So I tried this for a few nights, then gave up, figuring if she gets that nap then she's clocking 12-13 hours which is what she needs.

I figure it's her summer schedule and she'll go back to the way things were in the fall. (I sincerely hope.) In the spring she used to fall asleep sometime between 8-9:30, depending on how late she napped, and would wake at 7-8. So she's getting the same amount of sleep, basically.

I think I've gotten off track. LOL

My point was, in her case cutting the nap made no difference, and she needs the extra hours of sleep to be a happy camper.