Mothers of 3 Yr olds..some General ?S

My 3 year old rarely naps. I also have a 4 year old who never naps. We enforce a quiet time, but it's never "quiet".
We do, however, do a 6 pm bathtime and a 7 pm bedtime. They both are pretty peckish towards around 5, so I know that the bedtimes are appropriate. They wake up at around 7 am.
The only thing that I have found to help is outside time. Hard play=good sleep.

about that age the naps are starting to become fewer, but (in my case) my son still needed one BUT not every day. I found that a nap 3 days a week worked nicely. So try naping every other day and see how that works

my three year old does skip naps pretty often, it all just depends on what he has done that day. some days are more laid back and he really doesn't need a nap. on busier days, when i can tell he will actually take a nap, we have no trouble getting him to go down, but there are days when i know it's not going to happen, so then we try to have "true" quiet time, i try to reinforce the "quiet" part. i will put a movie on for him while he lays on a pallet on the livingroom floor, or let him have some books in bed, but he must be quiet. sometimes i will also lay with him in my bed (for naps only) and putting a movie on quietly. "I" can actually get a nap this way, and he lays still and quiet. it's awesome for those days when i just am totally wiped out.

Hi Leah...
Yes! It is the age where the little ones don't want to nap. I have been through the same with my soon to be 4 year-old boy; however, I make him nap (except once a week when we have an activity at nap time); he first throw a tantrum and get very mad at me, but I take him with me, and I put him in my bed, I stayed there very quiet, and calm and I hug him; he slowly fall asleep. I don't give up because I let him go without a nap for a couple of months and was horrible!, he was much more prone to tantrums and crankiness, and he used to get up every morning in a bad mood; so I decided that I would "fight" for his nap, and it worked. He is napping 45 minutes or sometimes one hour, and that's enough. He is the sweet boy again!..Kids need rest even when they fight going to sleep. You just have to be patient and firm. I felt like I did not wanted to go thru nap battles, but choosing between a cranky boy who wouldn't let me do anything and a little bit of effort and a calm and happy boy, it is so much better!
Good Luck
Alejandra

My 3 year old girl just gave up her naps about a month ago....how I miss those naps! She had napped up until that point everyday for 2 hours. It was like a light switch--one day she just stopped napping! This is a pretty typical age for them to phase naps out though and I don't think you can force it at this point. I also enforce "quiet" time because I watch other kids who still do nap. (including another 3 year old). She also plays pretend in her room most days, but I actually think thats great. Pretend is great for the imagination and as long as its not too rowdy, I don't see a problem with it as long as she stays in her room and doesn't disrupt anyone else. My daughter is also completely spent by about 7pm and tends to get cranky towards the end of the night. We just have her nighttime routine ending by this point. She usually gets in bed by 7p and then she can read books or brush her ponies until we say. She almost never makes it past 7:30p max and she is out cold. An early bedtime for her gives my husband and me more free time in the evenings to spend together so it works great for us. Honestly I think the attitude during the day is just an attitude problem I would nip in the bud with whatever discipline you normally use. I actually tell her that if she is cranky or whiny then she will have to nap during naptime. That usually gets her back on track quick because she does NOT want to have to take a nap! I think just keep doing what you are and it will work out. Maybe have her ready to be in bed by 7p since this is when she is tired. Also, sometimes I too just lay down with my daughter and we veg out in front of a video during quiet time. I can take a little snooze and she will sometimes fall asleep too if she really needs it, this might be a good option for you to relax since you have to be beat with the pregnancy! Best of luck and congrats on baby #2!

3 year old's need LOTS of active play. Mid morning, they need at LEAST 1 hour of really active running, screaming, climbing, riding bikes, swinging, swimming,hopping jumping. This active play makes a huge difference.

Again in the afternoon, they really need to able to just run. We used to gather as a neighborhood with some cold drinks and just let our kids run and play for as long as possible.. We would tell them, "run like the wind... Run some more, how fast can you run.. Jump, jump higher." Then in for dinner, a quiet bath and then pop them into bed.. It was awesome..

First let me just say - 3s are far worse than 2s - IMO! However, my son is 3 and still takes a 2-3 hr nap every day that he is home. He has Mother's Day Out on Tue/Thur and he has "rest" time but does not sleep. On those days, he is pretty moody by dinner time so I put him to bed by 8pm. On the days he is home and naps well, he goes to bed around 8:30/9. I dread the day he gives up his naps so I will continue to enforce them. I also have a 2 yr old so they nap at the same time each day. HTH

Oh girl, I know exactly what you're going through!!! My daughter turned 3 in February and she is little miss attitude sometimes! Luckily, she is in nursery school with other children and they still take a 2 hour nap. The problem with this is she doesn't want to go to bed until around 9:30PM. I think it's just the terrible 3's and they are trying to test your patients. I just try to stay calm, which isn't the case sometimes. You know what I mean.... We were putting her in time out, but it wasn't working. Now when she starts throwing a fit, we tell her to go to her room and sit on her bed. This has worked extremely well for her. She cries for a couple minutes and then yells, "mommy I'm done crying!" We tell her she can come out and then talk to her about her behavior. Also, I make sure to really praise her when she is behaving well. Back to the sleeping thing, when she gets tired around 7pm maybe have an activity planned. I find when my daughter gets like this, as long as she's staying busy painting or doing something creative she stays in a better mood. The moment she's sitting on the couch watching TV though, she turns into a little devil! I hope these little tips help. Good luck with her and your soon to be little one ;)

My kiddo stopped napping at 2. (she turned three Feb. 7th) If I were you, I would stop with the "quiet time" ....that child needs to burn off energy. Expended energy=a tired and sleepy child.
This, of course, is just my opinion. This opinion is not to cast judgement or debate from others.
Then again, you're listening to a Momma whose baby NEVER slept in a car!!!
Perhaps my lil' angel is just different!!! All I know is that after a hard day of playing and exercising, when its time for bed, ITS TIME FOR BED!!! that kid shuts off like a light!!! She sleeps a good 12-13 hours a night.

Mornin' rolls around and she hits the floor running!!!

Mag :)

Run her ragged, no nap, bedtime earlier (with a routine)...even early as 6:30pm. It's all about the wearing them out; more physically active the better. In summertime if I can get my 3 year old into the pool for an hour or so, it means peace for mommy while the sun is still up, AND she sleeps until it comes up again!

My daughter stop napping around 3 also and i was also preggo at the time. We did quiet time as well. I found it was easier putting her to bed a little earlier. And i do think 3 is harder then 2 they are finding out they can do other things then what we allow them to. hang in there it in time get to be normal not really easier just normal. good luck

All 3 of my kids quit napping at/or around 2. I found if they were crabby-patty's later in the day that snacks helped, well at least helped my boys. My daughter has been good so far. Knock on some wood!

After quiet time I suggest giving her a snack and then maybe filling the "worst" time with bath time.

Hope this helps.

my 4 yr old gave up naps around 2.5 yrs old. he's a nightmare. he's so cranky by the end of the day so we have the same problem!

My three old doesn't like taking naps either and by the end of the day she is so cranky she starts having tantrums. She has an older brother who just turned 5 in Dec so he isn't in school yet so what we do is my husband will have quiet time for both of them. the tv goes off as does the computers and everything else. They will sit on the couch and tell stories or read. Sounds weird but works especially with my three yr old. He tells her that since everyone in the house is so active the house itself needs a little break from all the activity during the day. So like i said the tv, computers and the lights that were on at the time gets turned off. She tells the house that she will be queit so it can sleep and she settles down. She will nap for about an hr or two after that. I hope you find this as strange as it is helpful to you.

My 3 year old son still naps, everyday.
We have the SAME routine about naps, that I have had since he was a baby. The only thing that changed, was his nap time and frequency.
With him only being on 1 nap a day, now at his current age.
If he does not nap, he can't last the whole day, and is tired, fussy, or over-tired, which being over-tired can also make a kid "hyper."

I tell my son, "nap soon... " then he knows and gets in his routine. He likes to watch a "Little Bear" show first, I give him a cup of milk. Brush teeth, then to bed. Same as the routine for night-time.
He knows it like auto-pilot. He will even tell me sometimes "I'm tired... I'm going to bed..." and then he goes into the routine.
I "read" while in the room, and he lays down... I put on a fan for white-noise. And then he winds-down.
Then falls asleep.
The "rule" is he has to lie down.
Or he likes to, and I allow it, that he likes to play his Leapster first, before sleeping. It winds him down. But I only allow it for 5 minutes. Then he will put it away, himself. Then he settles himself and sleeps.

He naps for 2 hours. Sometimes more. And at night, he sleeps fine.
His naps are either in the morning... or after my daughter gets home from school in the afternoon.

Yes, once in awhile he does not nap. But that is rare.

Yes, 3 years old is harder than 2 years old. Many things changing in them developmentally.

Skipping naps... actually yes, makes them over-tired... and when over-tired kids get unpleasant. Or, they cannot sleep well at night.. because they are over-tired.

My daughter, who is now 7... will still nap occasionally. BOTH my kids just woke up from a nap, actually.
I just do the SAME routine for "naps"... everyday... the same routine as for bedtime.

It takes consistency.
But its not easy... but I've been doing the SAME nap/sleep routine with my kids since my daughter was born... then when my son was born... the SAME every time. So for them, it is like a "normal" every day thing. Not just willy-nilly.
I don't force it though. But, I maintain the routine... and they have been cooperative.

All the best,
Susan

Hello, I also have a three year old she just turned 3 in dec. and I am having a terrible time with her, way worse then when she was 2. She is continuously getting into things she knows she isnt aloud to, and does everything in her power to get attention if it's bad or not. She has yet to be potty trained, she refusses to go. I am to my wittes end with her I don;t know what to do??? So I was releved to read that wow, I am not the only parent going threw it....Neither are you :)

Hi there... I normally do not post but couldn't help myself when I read yours. I can relate so much to your feelings of frustration. I have three girls. Their ages are 7, 4 and 2. So I have been dealing with this nap thing for a while. Once they get about three I believe it is normal for them to buck the nap. For me, once it becomes such a battle, it's not worth it. It is not relaxing to go round and round with your three year old during nap time, it defeats the purpose. I am a fan of the "quiet" time as you are doing. You need it as well as they do, especially since you are prego. Sometimes my four year old falls asleep watching a movie in the afternoon. But if not she is a bear as well. I say, no nap, then early bed time (like 7pm). Then at least you have your evening "off". Sometimes, I strategically plan to be coming home from errands right around nap time because she will fall asleep in the car and I can generally move her to the bed with success. The hours b/w 3pm and 6pm are just tough with kid's no matter what you do. I call them the bewitching hours. I just try to have dinner somewhat prepped and go outside if it's nice. Hang in there mom. Thank goodness they are so darn cute at this age to make up for their moodiness :)

terrible 3's is right! But my 4 year old still naps (not every day) but several days a week and sometimes my 6 year old needs a rest on the weekend too.
When both girls were home and youngest needed a nap- oldest still napped sometimes. I made it "take a rest time" which still applies. If you do not need to sleep that is ok but you have to stay in your bed, stay quiet (so no talking to each other, singing, playing with toys,looking at books,etc) for a set amount of time (that depends on you and your child) and if they follow all the rules and are still up when time is up I know they really don't need a nap. Usually youngest fell asleep and finished her nap and on days she didn't but actually followed resting rules- she really didn't need to. I too had the problem of no nap = falling asleep at the dinner table and cranky! Nap/rest time is always a consistant time each day. If nothing else it give me alittle quiet time to myself.
I say you know your kid but mine still need naps! And so do you(and me sometimes too and I am not pregnant.) Hope this helps :)

Leah,
My son in 3 1/2 and he is about like you are describing your daughter. About the only way I can really get him to take a nap is to sit down and invest about 30 minutes of snuggling him (while catching up on the news or something else that he "thinks" will keep him entertained and awake, but that I KNOW will not). At first I resisted the idea of snuggling him to sleep for a nap, but I have now embraced it - it is a great investment of time. And for you - that 30 minutes is a good rest spell as well.

Good Luck!
T.

my 3.5 year old naps if she falls asleep in the car (which doesn't take long at all... I'm usually surprised if she can stay awake in the car!). yesterday she didn't nap at all, she just went to bed earlier than she usually does.
My older daughter gave up naps by the time she was 2.5 years old!!! They are all so different!

I was in your situation when my daughter was 3. She stopped taking naps a little after turning 3 and I had a newborn and I needed her to take a nap in the afternoon so me and the baby could sleep too. Sadly this did not work out and she stopped taking naps and so bedtime came earlier at this point. Her bedtime had been 9pm but was now 8pm sometimes 7:30 cause she was so tired by then. I would have her lay down and rest with some cartoons in the afternoon or some computer games. A few months later she even got over the evening fussiness and was back at a 9pm bedtime. However after starting preschool at 4and a half naptime began again cause she is very tired from school when she gets home in the afternoons.

no one tells you this but 3 is 100 times worse than 2! 3 is normally the time they start to give up naps but if shes in her room for a while i would call that a rest time. good luck!

My youngest just turned 3 in January and I am currently 7 mos pregnant! So I feel your pain. =) I have found the naps to be less frequent. Back in the day, and certainly before I was pregnant, I used to enfore nap time and 99% of the time she would go without a fight. Ever since I found out I was pregnant, the constant fatigue, pains, nausea, and lately the inability to pick her up and move around, naps have kind of fallen of the map. She still will occassionally take a nap, but never with any frequency. And when there is no nap, her attitude by the end of the day usually suffers. Now my daughter has her daddy's temper, stubborness, and witty-attitude to begin with...but it is always exaggerated on those days without a nap. She gets very moody, upsets easily, very disagreeable, etc. Probably everything you are experiencing. So don't feel alone. We are in the same boat. My husband and I joked that the terrible 2's were going out with bang...only to find out they are carrying over into the 3's. =/ (It's during these moods that she affectionately received the knickname "bipolar baby". One minute she's laughing, the next she's having a tantrum!)

Good luck and hang in there. This too shall pass!

my 3 yr old son is also getting out of naps. i put him in his room at nap time every day and some days he will nap but others he just plays for a little bit and comes out. he has days where he gets pretty cranky but they are starting to get a little better. he goes to bed at 8 anyway so that helps LOL. this age is harder than 2!! i'm sure that they will get out of the crankiness soon. they are just fighting the naps, gotta love it!!

i have 2 boys 2 and 4 they up at 7 nap at noon bedtime 730 stricly o my 4 yr old thinks he has no bed time i got him on this schedule cuz of daddys work schedule butit works for him if hes up later he gets rude and crancky toward ppl

It just depends on the child -- my older son took naps every day until he was at least 4 and maybe older; my younger son stopped taking daily naps when he was a little past 3; and my sister's son stopped naps at all before he turned 3 (but he did sleep in until 9 a.m. most mornings).

Both my kids (5 & 3.5) will still take an occasional nap if they fall asleep in the car. My younger son will occasionally (once or twice a month) crawl into my lap for a "snuggle," and end up falling asleep. And sometimes he'll need an afternoon nap but refuse to take it, and end up falling asleep around suppertime.

It sounds like she still needs more sleep than she's getting, but perhaps doesn't need it on a daily basis. With some kids it may be like a light switch going off, but with my kids, they gradually weaned themselves off of naps -- going from napping every day to skipping one nap per week, then two per week, etc. Perhaps you can just put her to bed earlier -- plan supper (at least for her) around 5-6 p.m., and put her in bed soon after that.

My daughter is 3.5 and we thought she'd given up naps also, but then found out she naps like a champ every day at preschool. Stinker--she just won't nap at home! She was a real grouch from about 5pm on no-nap days so we started re-enforcing the naps. We have to lay down with her for about 30 minutes (something we never had to do before) to get her to sleep, but it's worth it to us to get that 2.5 hours on the weekends so we can get some things accomplished. My daughter stays up until 9 or 9:30, so I think we're kind of stuck in that phase where she needs to sleep mid day but it's a little too much sleep overall. I suspect naps are on the way out, but I'm not giving them up without a fight!! Ha ha! Good luck!