Toddler Moved from Crib to "Big Kid" Bed

My daughters are almost 7 and almost 5 and we still do quiet time on the weekends. The almost 7 NEVER took more than 2 20 minute naps a day in her life...but she still has to have quiet time in her room. The almost 5 will fall asleep sometimes..and she also started breaking off some napping at 2.5, but she seemed to go through phases until now. Both need the time I think to decompress, learn to be comfortable with entertaining themselves quietly and getting out of Mommy and Daddy's hair for awhile. Don't give up the quiet time routine until you are absolutely forced screaming and kicking to give it up. The older they get, the older you get and the more quiet time becomes naptime for Mommy!!

My daughter started refusing naps at about 2.5. I finally got tired of fighting with her and trying to keep her in the bed. We made a deal, no nap if she was not crabby. When she got crabby she had to nap. A great deterant to the crabbies when all you have to ask is, "Do you need a nap?" Mostly the answer was "NO!" and her attitude improved.

He's probably not getting enough physical activity during the day. Get him outside in the fresh air even when it's cold out. They need the exposure and air always helps them fall asleep (like riding in the car). Nearby park? Back yard? Puppy to play with him?

Hi L.,

I moved my son to a big boy bed when he was about 2 years of age. Needless to say he out grew naps. A lot of toddlers do at an early age. It might give you a rest to put him down but if you insist and force him down, eventually it will be harder to put him down at night. Which is why he isn't falling asleep earlier. My daughter is currently going through it. If she naps during the day she will not go down at night. Now I try to keep her from napping.

I assure you it doesn't hurt him.

My 34 month old is doing the exact same thing! We moved him out of the crib about a month ago and naps seems to be gone. But... If we are running errands during the afternoon he will fall asleep in the car, he is usually cranky around dinner time but won't settle down in the bed to rest for a nap. He's up and out of his bed playing in his room.
Even before me moved him into the big boy bed I was noticing he would nap during the afternoon but be awake in his room until 10:00 p.m. I have just let the naps go and put him to bed earlier at night. I am hoping once the weather warms up and we can be outside running around more he may get tired enough to rest in the afternoon again. I will be interested in reading the responses you get but just wanted to share that I am noticing the same behavior in my son.

I have two girls and neither of them were taking naps at that age. They are now 5 and 3. We start the bedtime routine at 7:30 and they are asleep by 8pm. Then they typically sleep for 11 or 12 hours until 7:30 or so in the morning. The three year old gets a little cranky sometimes right before bedtime and she might fall asleep during her story, but if she naps she won't fall asleep until 9 or 10pm. And she wakes up such a bear.

If he's laying in his bed wide awake most days for an hour or more, then he doesn't need a nap. (mommy might need him to need a nap, but he doesn't) :)

My son hasnt napped since he's been about 16 months, so every child is different. He does go to bed around 7:30 and usual sleeps til 7:30am because he needs the rest. So if you child isnt napping, he may be giving it up.

Both my sons 6 & almost 4 gave up naps at about 2.5 years. Although the one who is almost 4 could certainly use one sometimes. My older one gave up naps shortly after he moved to "big boy bed". HTH

Hi L.!
Be happy that your son is making up for the sleep at night. My oldest gave up naps at 2 and didn't sleep any longer at night, and he was still in a crib. If your son doesn't seem more tired or crabby on no-nap days, he may not need naps anymore. But keep the "rest time" (we did that too) because he may fall asleep on occasion, and even if he doesn't, you both need a break!
good luck
T.

I'm going thru the exact same thing with my son. Only he was never a very good napper to begin with. I've actually started forcing, as much as I can, a nap. And it's usually about an hour and a half long. I realized when he didn't nap for a number of days, he would be such a wreck at bedtime that he had a hard time calming down and staying asleep. On the days, that we don't do much, I don't force it as much. I'm hoping that he'll start taking regular naps once it gets nice out and we're outside more.

My daughter did the same thing. I don't think it was the transition as much as it is the age. We always had "quiet time" which she had to stay in bed and rest. I would sometimes lay down in her room on the floor, not on the bed, and read. She would pretend to read, but I didn't push sleep or that would create a fit.
Around that same time, she would get sleepier earlier and there wasn't ever a fight to go to bed. She would take my hand and "show me" she wanted to go to sleep. We also had the ritual of brushing teeth, cleaning up, and getting tucked in.
My suggestion is just go with his flow. If you "force" anything, then he will rebel. Let him think it's his own idea and I cannot stress enough to always make a quiet time.
My daughter is 18 now (yes, it goes by so fast!) and to this day. on the weekends, she still has her "quiet time", which in big girl talk it's now meditation LOL
Good habits for a lifetime starts now. Good luck L.!

Unfortunately, he may be giving up his nap. My daughter completely gave hers up when she was about 2 years and 8 months old. Like you, I thought that was too young, but I talked to the nurse at my doctor's office who told me it was perfectly normal ~ it just depends on the child. She now goes to bed at night at 7:00, but there are days when she wakes up very early and I will put her down for a nap, but then she doesn't go to bed until later at night (usually around 8:30-9:00).

My daughter gave up her naps at 2 1/2 when we moved to the big bed... I would for the next 9 months have quiet time with her where I would lay down for hours with her and we called it quiet time and she still never napped after that! Some kids just do give it up I suppose when they have these transitions, but I would try and do what you can to see if he will keep it as best you can. Good luck!
T.

My daughter did the same thing when we transitioned her to a toddler bed at around 2 1/2 and she never did take naps again :( She is now 3 1/2 and she sounds very similar to your son. If I make her lay down for a "rest" she will not fall asleep- normal bedtime is around 8:30. If she does fall asleep ( usually in the car) for a nap- she is up past nine and sometimes till 10. Since I need my mommy alone time a night I usually opt for her not to nap even though she gets cranky sometimes. I think making him take a "rest" is a good idea and if he falls asleep, great. But no, my daughter never did go back to her regular schedule. Good luck!

My youngest who is 6 refused naps at 2.5 ,3 yrs of age. Only if we traveled or, had a tiring day would she nap. This is normal for some children. Other than your lack of sleep from this you have nothing to worry about.

Don't give up on nap or relax time. My son took a while to transition to his toddler bed...sometimes he would fall asleep during nap time and others he would just read or play in his bed. I thought he was outgrowing the nap, but now he's taking nice long naps in his toddler bed (with the same bedtime and wake-up time as his crib days.) I'm so glad that I waited it out, because he's a lot more fun to be around when he gets enough sleep!

He might be ready to drop his nap, unfortunately. Every kid does it at a different age. My daughter stopped napping completely at 2 years and 4 months, shortly after converting the crib to a toddler bed....and it was right after that (the no napping) that we transitioned her from her toddler bed to a twin. She did the same thing - if she napped, or even fell asleep in the car, she'd play in her bed later at night. Without a nap, she got crabby around dinner time, so we did move bedtime up to 7:30 ultimately and she seemed fine during the day. I have friends whose children still nap every day at ages 4 and 5 and I was always jealous. Although they seem to have later bedtimes (after 9), and they are jealous of me for having more kid-free time at night. Now my twins are almost 2 and they are napping less and going down later and later. If they stop napping before 2 1/2 like my older daughter did, I will cry for days and then go insane I think. For now, I'd encourage the resting time or alone time just so you get a break and he has a little down time. As the weather gets nicer, he may go back to short naps if you wear him out enough! Good luck :)

All toddlers tranistion into 1 nap. My son and daughter stopped napping at 2 years old. My other son who is now 2 is going through the same thing. I suggest that if he does skip his nap, try to wake him up earlier the next morning and maybe he will want to nap later that day. Make sure that he is not napping too late in the day. A good time is around 12 or 1pm. After that it will interfere with his bedtime.

It sounds like he is still possibly transitioning, since he seems to need more sleep both before the night before and the am after. I could never get my kids to truly take a nap once they were in a big bed unless I lay there with them to make sure they weren't fooling around and would actually go to sleep at a proper time. When he does nap, is he falling asleep late for the nap? Then bedtime at 8 can be harder. Keep in mind that we are just starting to see some decent weather.....once these guys get out and about and using some energy he may start napping better too. I have a 4 year old that still naps a couple of times a week, and an 8 year old who did not completely stop napping until he was 5. We are strict about 8 pm bedtimes to keep time for ourselves. On the days my daughter does not nap we start her routine a little earlier, but we don't cut it WAY early to keep her on schedule. Basically we only shift it a half an hour unless she is at the end of her rope. It sounds like his schedule is very flexible and that can throw off their sleeping patterns. Make sure he is adhering to his regular nap times--get him up if he fools around too long or sleeps late. Don't put him to bed TOO early, or he will continue to make up sleep in the pm and am instead of at naptime.

maybe a little of both. I would say he is still transitioning, & will sleep better when he's used to his new found freedom.......but by the time he is, he may not sleep as much. Does that mke sense? (more sleep than now, but less than in crib