When to Give up Nap

My daughter is almost 3 and she hasn't taken a nap for ME for about a year. She will nap for the sitter (but not everyday). I decided not to have a power struggle for a nap because then if she finally does take a nap, I have to have another power struggle to go to bed at night. I still ask her if she would like to lay down or I try to do something quiet for a while - like read or watch a movie.
I would say that I probably have more melt downs then necessary because she gets over tired but I don't know what else to do.

My son fought his naps starting around 15-18 months. It got to the point where it was a 2 hour struggle for a 45 minute nap and then he'd be awake until 11pm or later! So when he was 2 (and his sister was born) we gave up forcing the naps. Suddenly he was going to bed so easily at a decent time! Now my daughter is 21 months old and we stopped giving her naps about 3 months ago because she was waking up EVERY night for about 3 hours at a stretch and felt the need to wake the entire household! She was a great napper, but her naps were just making up for the time she was awake at night. So now she gets the same amount of sleep, but more importantly, the rest of us get our sleep too!

My oldest still napped until Kindergarten when he didn't have a choice (he had school in the afternoon).
My second will be 3-years-old next week and he is starting to cut his nap out. He still needs one most days, but about once a week he will refuse to go to sleep.
If your daughter is happy and sleeps well at night you might just have to give up nap time, as sad as that would be for you. If she has an especially rough day, an occasional nap won't hurt.

Hi, My daughter will be 3 in March and she is just starting to skip naps. She went from 3 hour naps every day to 2-3 hour naps maybe 3-4 times a week. I think by the time she is 3 she may be done with them all together.

At nearly 3 1/2 and we're still napping and will for as long as possible. He did go thru a stage where naps were short or almost non-existant. However, by the end of the day he very clearly had needed something so I kept at it with a regular routine of trying to nap. He's at preschool now and naps there every day.

Every child is different. You know your daughter best and her needs. Trust your gut. Personally I still want naps myself :)

My oldest son is 4 and still takes naps most days. I also read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", which was helpful to me and gives advice on each age group. We did have "bumps in the road" during naptimes, where I thought my son was ready to give up naps, but we stuck it out--he still had quiet times during his regular nap times, and after a week or two, he would start to nap again. I wouldn't recommend giving up naps yet!

Hi Lisa,
My 3.5 year-old gave up his nap about 1-2 months ago. From about age 3 on he started skipping naps (not falling asleep) a few times per week. I used to struggle with him in the afternoon, and it just wasn't worth it to fight over a nap. Instead, he goes to bed by 7:00 instead of 8:00 now, and that is a bonus to me. He still gets quiet time or watches PBS for a half hour to hour in the afternoon. When he wants to take a nap, he will go lay down, but usually doesnt fall asleep. When he does take a nap, he stays up way to late because he's just not tired. However, my friend has a boy the same age who still naps regularly and goes to bed around 7:30. I think 2 is way too young to stop napping, especially if she is not 2 until January. But, It really does vary.

Hi L.,

First, every kid is different and I think it depends on their daily activity level. My daughter just turned 2 last month and we struggled with naps a few months ago and now she is starting to skip naps a day or so in a week (she lays down well, and then 20 minutes later starts singing, talking to her animals, etc. I keep her in there as long as she sounds content and allow her one period to "cry it out." Then if it is brutal, I get her).

What I've learned about my daughter:
*she is NOT a high energy kid until later in the evening
*she sleeps well at night for at least 11 hours
*her room is only for sleeping. There are no toys in there except loveys in her bed and goodnight books.
*my approach to going to nap and bedtime has to be unique sometimes, like asking her if she wants to go upstairs to read, look at HER Christmas tree, take a bubble bath (and sing her bubble song), etc. Sometimes changing up the reason why to go upstairs helps a lot! Even suggesting we just change her diaper helps. She knows she will be laid down to nap, but sometimes not mentioning that word helps a lot.
*If I wait until after 5 hours of wake up time, she will struggle with going down for a nap because she is becoming over-tired.

I do think that kids this age do need a nap and at the very least some quiet time where they are given the conditions to fall asleep. Good luck. Maybe creating a new reason to go to her room will help.

I think kids are just completely different in regards to naps. My 1yr.old won't take a nap at all. I have to struggle every day to get her to nap. Then I've got my 8yr.old who if she could would still nap everyday.

If your trying your hardest to give her a nap everyday consistant and she's not taking one she may be just not needing one anymore.

Now that I'm a stay at home mom, I know a lot of moms whose 2's are quitting naps. BUT...my oldest son, who is now in kindergarten, attended a daycare until he was 3 where EVERYONE napped after lunch. When my son was 3, they had a huge group of pre-K kids, and even those kids napped. Well, I don't know that they slept, but they had almost an hour of down time each day, and I KNOW at least some of them napped. I guess I look at how over-tired so many kids are, and I wonder if we're not sacrificing our kids' well being because we're not napping them enough. Then again, my kids have always been good nappers, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about! :)

my son is nearly 2 he naps nearly everyday and i plan on requiring "quiet time" until he is at least 4. Sometime he doesnt sleep but he goes to his room for 1.5 to 2 hours everyday. my nephew is 6 and he still naps when he isnt in school, by his own choice. i would say always give her the chance to nap so that she can get rest.if my son isnt in his room between 12:30pm-1pm he has trouble napping so maybe she fights because the time you try is off for her. my son wakes up at 6:30am and goes to bed at night at 7pm my son never acts tired but falls asleep within 10 mins of going to his room.

My middle child just started Kindergarten this year and turned 6yrs old in October. He was stil taking a nap until about a week before school started. He still will take one once in awhile, because we ask him to just go lay in his bed and he ends up falling asleep. My daughter turned 2 in October and still takes an afternoon nap.

I work from home and my husband leaves for work at 2pm, so this is my quiet time until the kids get home from school.

Do whats best for you and your little one because everyone is different.

Generally speaking, she's too young to give up her nap. I think the statistic is that 80% of children age 2 are still napping. If you haven't read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," by Weissbluth, it's worth buying or checking out from the library. If you decide she's ready to give up her nap, it should only be after a couple months. Temperament, schedule, health, etc. all vary so much on a weekly basis that you need a long period of consistent behavior before deciding that naps are done. Good luck, E.

My son is 3 now and still taking naps. There was a time when he was around 2 that I thought he was going to give up naps, but then he started taking them again - sleeping. I think they go through phases where they're more tired than others, and nap better. So don't give up! She should nap until she's 4 or so. If she doesn't sleep, at least have "quiet time" so you can get something done. Good luck!

For the last month, our 2 1/2 year old only falls asleep EASLIY if we lay down next to him at nap. He falls asleep within 5 minutes every time.....

Bedtime is easy. He lays down by himself and goes right to sleep.

Ours still needs a nap at this age..... But every child is different.