Giving up the Nap

It's that time, they no longer need naps and won't go down if they can help it. It is time for mom to get involved and lead the quiet time. This is now going to be the time where the 3 of you go into their room and read some books or draw while listening to low, soft classical music or watch a movie together. Set the tone for quiet time, calm time. You must be there in the beginning to establish this or they will do what they want with their time (jump on beds, make a mess etc). Be consistent and just replace nap time with quiet time. Eventually, it will be instilled that with or without you, calm and quiet is what is expected in this time period.

Can you separate then for their nap? Maybe put one in your room or something?

see if hubby can work in the dinning room for an hour while one of them lays in your room, that would be the best thing to do for them. also if they dont really seem like they NEED a nap and one does put one in the room to nap and have the other lay on the couch in the living room and so forth this way if one doesnt really need a nap but needs to chill out for a bit they get to lay on the couch and the one that really needs it can go to sleep

my daughter and all of my friends gave up their naps at 3, i think you got lucky going to 4 with one=)

do not let them give up nap. Absolutely not. Nap one on the couch or floor in the hallway if you have to, but do not let them give up naps. By making them nap you are also making them smarter, better able to process vocabulary at age 7, a high percentage lower risk of obesity, a higher emotional quotient at age 13 and so many other benefits that studies have PROVEN scientifically to result from napping and getting at least 14 hours of sleep a day until age 5 1/2. Seriously do not give them up.

Make a cushiey nest with pillows in the corner somewhere, or even the bathtub, and make one sleep there. Maybe it can be a reward, who ever goes to sleep quickest today gets the special nest tomorrow. It will work if you make it.

Wow, someone responded 14 hours of sleep until 5 and 1/2... I have never heard of a child that age getting that much sleep. I think most kids give up regular naps by age 3 or so. (Kids who go to daycare probably later because there days are much more schedule and may need to be woken up in the morning etc.) My daughter stopped napping regularly around age 3 (we tried as long as possible)... we enforced rest time which would be quiet story time and then a little tv. On days she was really tired, a care ride would do the trick if we needed her to sleep. My son was 2 and 1/2 when he gave up regular naps. We would still have him rest in his room as long as we could enforce it, and sometimes he would fall asleep. Same thing at that point for him. Car naps would work if he needed it. The way we noticed that they didn't need naps so much was when if they did fall asleep, they would not sleep as well/as much at night. My son would still fall asleep ok, but started getting up much earlier in the mornings. I would say that they don't really need the naps any more... which doesn't mean they won't get tired/ cranky during this transition... but eventually they will get used to it. Just make sure they have some quiet down time during the day. I think the average amount of sleep for their age is about 12 hours per day. If they are sleeping well at night, they probably don't need the nap... or when they give up the nap and get used to that routine, you may be able to push the bedtime a bit earlier. Good Luck!

Mine was never a napper. But it does seem they have decided to forgo napping. I would put the 3 year old down in her room and bring the 4 year old down with you in the living room.

I'm going through that right now to but mine just turned 4 and 6. The 6 yr old doesn't need the nap but happily takes one, the 4 year old will play in her bed for an hour before finally crashing! For the last week they've taken one about every other day. So much for my quiet time in the afternoon. I have looked forward to those and am going to miss them. When I need them to settle down on days they don't nap, I will pop in a movie so they can relax and unwind. =)