The Never-Ending Nap Saga

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To be clear the nap is not never-ending. But trying to find the right time to nap is. And it keeps changing. It’s hard to keep up. Given that napping at 1pm leads to bouncing on the toddler bed but very little sleep, I moved it until 2. But that seems to result in a very, very, grumpy munchkin when she wakes up. There are tears, barnacle-like clingyness and tantrums galore.

I’m not willing to give up on the nap entirely. That leads to a whole new level of grumpiness. Besides, I kind of like that break in the afternoon. Where I can eat alone, or get some work done or just enjoy the fleeting quiet. And I read somewhere that napping has positive health outcomes if it continues until at least the age of 3. Although I think part of it is Sunday syndrome. I go into work on Mondays and so come Sunday things tend to go a little haywire. Because she KNOWS. She’s hard to get to sleep in the evening, clingy and grumpy for most of the day, and will be up before dawn tomorrow. It’s not just the working it’s that I leave the house at 5:30 and don’t get home until around 7:30. Bit of a rude shock when the other six days of the week we are together 24/7.

I’ll have to keep an eye on it for the rest of the week and see what it’s like when it’s not Sunday and we get back to our normal routine. The grumpiness makes me think that she’s waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle. But given I let her sleep until she wakes up – there’s not a whole lot I can do about that.

Maybe I should blame teething. That seems like an excellent plan. But not entirely useful. Anyone else have this situation with their toddlers?

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http://www.ahthepossibilities.com Seraphim

Feeling your pain. Going through this with Mr Small. I actually moved his nap right forward to 12. Even if he doesn’t sleep he is quiet. That way he still goes to bed at 7pm. He doesn’t go to bed every day though just when he seems especially tired. It’s a bit different for me tho. He goes to a gorgeous little Italian pre kindy 2 days a week now and it gives me time to work. He napes there for an hour and a half.
Good luck xx

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

If I could get Riley to have quiet time (or more to the point – quiet alone time) I would be very happy! Hasn’t been too bad this week – although her cheeks have been bright red and she’s been trying to get her whole arm into her mouth. Teething is a very good bet.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/02072304081006798910 Lucy

My youngest, Lexie, still naps. She is nearly 4. Not every day, but on the days I need her to, I shamlesslessly manipulate it!

Busy morning, early lunch, and then in bed by noon. I tell her she just needs ‘quiet time’. She always sleeps.

OR, she will always nap in my bed, with me. We nap together once a week. It is good for my soul.

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

Oh I love the afternoon nap together too. So lovely, when I get the chance.

http://www.digitalwoe.com/photos/ Lynda

Starting around when Elias turned 2, naps started being hit or miss. He takes maybe 2 or 3 naps a week.

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

I don’t think it will be that long before it’s every second day. She’s been skipping about 1 nap a week as it is. Because if she even sleeps for 5 seconds in the car that’s it for the day.

Super Sarah

Amy stopped napping althogether at 2 yrs 9 mnths. I know the exact date because my newborn was 3 weeks old and it had got to the point where I was fighting for an hour to get Amy to sleep for 40 minutes. The benefit was that she would still have quiet time during the day, either reading a book with me or lying in my bed watching a dvd and she was so tired that she was happy to go to sleep at 7pm. Stella is now 14 months and dropping the two sleeps so she is continually grumpy, add in some horrible teething and its torturous round our house lately! I would definitely recommend implementing the “quiet time” policy early rather than later, that way if the naps go south, the quiet time is already in place!

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

I’d like to figure out a way to do quiet time. The main problem is that she’s not one for alone time. The other day I wanted to have a lie down and she refused to nap. I got the dvd player going for her and set her up next to me in bed. She gave up watching and started bouncing on my head. Still needs some work

Samara

Mine started going off naps too, and for a little while I let him because I didn’t want the hour + fight that it involved to get him to sleep. But lately we have started them again. I know at daycare he sleeps at about 12:30 so that seems like a good time. At home I try for 12:30 but usually its around 1, then by the time he is asleep its 1:30.
The Tizzie Hall book says that when moving naps move by only 20 minutes – thats usually enough, and they shouldn’t be allowed to sleep past 3:30 if you want them in bed by 7 (we usually end up with him in bed by 8 – asleep by 8:30 on a good night).
I find that a sleep of about an 1hr to an 1hr n a half works wonders on his attitude. Without a nap he is soooo cranky its unbelievable!
I definitely love the down time a nap gives me too. If I nap with him he will generally go down for at least 2 hrs – love it!

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

I’m lucky in that even if Riley wakes up at 5pm, I can still get her to bed by 8-8:30. I’m definitely thinking about limiting the naps to an hour and a half – just to give myself a bit more time at night.

http://www.goodgoog.com/?fcsite=15264543862287796030&fcprofile=13027185617605341381 Cat

Same! We have a problem with how long it takes to get to nap. It used to be 12.30 on the dot and not a hassle for 6 months, then it went all haywire in the last month. Now I try for a 1pm nap and am sometimes lucky if he quiets down before 2 and sometimes it’s even later. I try stern Mama voice but even that doesn’t work. I refuse to give up though. There were teething issues and now the croup so I am going to keep up with a 1pm settle for the next week and then try 1.30 if that doesn’t work. If it gets later we have the same problem in that grumpy ensues and I don’t want to mess with our 7pm bedtime which has always been set in stone and worked about 95% of the time. They just like to make sure we don’t rest on any laurels don’t they?

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

It’s a conspiracy to keep us sleep deprived well into the toddler years! If I want Riley to have a 7pm bedtime now I pretty much have to skip the nap and I’m holding on to that thing for dear life

LisaNReynolds

Ah, those stubborn little 2 year olds and their daytime naps – sometimes discovering a cure for the common cold would be easier! I used to have to lie down with my then almost 2 year old for him to have a daytime sleep or else he just wouldn’t do it. Or take him for a walk in the stroller. But when I got heavily pregnant I just used to nap with him. When my daughter was born, he was 2.5 and just simply refused to sleep at all in the day. Helpful with a newborn in the house! But I guess you just have to go with it. The upside to no sleep in the day is a much earlier bedtime. I just look at the silver lining or else I would go nuts! You are not alone though. Pesky little kid and their annoying sleep habits

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

If Riley went down earlier for bed it would be a real shame for Josh who’d hardly see her during the week – so I guess the late nap isn’t really a bad thing.

http://www.unlikelymama.net Amber

If Alexa takes 2 naps a day, her second is almost a mess when she wakes. Regardless of if I wake her, or she wakes naturally. Tears, pouts, clinging…all the same issues as Riley. No idea what it is, other than maybe she’s ready to truly be down to 1 a day (which seems to be the case lately).

http://goodgoog.com Zoey @ Good Goog

Sounds like she could be ready to transition. It was such a relief when Riley went to one longer nap because I only had to get her down the once – much easier.

http://www.maidinaustralia.com bronnie

I feel your pain. My kids were both the same. They would fight the nap and then be unbearable around 4 pm because they were over-tired. With Miss 8 I was lucky – she would nap if I lay down with her. Which meant I’d usually get a nap too. No work done, but a rest for me. But Mr 10 was having none of that. Eventually I gave up, as it would be an hour or so of upset for both of us. And still no sleep. Hope you get it sorted.