It never occurred to me, until recently, that Charlotte might outgrow naps before her brother. I always assumed they would both need naps (like Mommy) for the foreseeable future. Now I get that Sissy might be better off going to bed a bit earlier and sleeping in later. But her brother, still the early riser, needs a 2-3 hour nap DAILY or let the crabbing begin! It’s a tough call. The days when we let Charlotte “skip” her cuddle–as we call them–she ends up being overtired the next day and we pay the price. But then she goes to bed much later than we’d like. It doesn’t help that we let her watch a kid’s show or two… at least she’s starting out the night in her own bed is my rationale. So to nap or not to nap? That is the question for my 4-year-old. Someone told me they no longer take naps in kindergarten, so maybe we should start phasing them out. When I headed out the door for work this afternoon, I looked in her room to discover Charlotte on the floor in her sleeping bag with her head in the bottom of the doll house. At least she was sleeping. I think.
Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 24
This post was written by tthomas on July 27, 2010
Tara,
Consider yourself lucky that your children still nap. My two precious children both stopped napping shortly after they turned 2. They would lay down and “relax” but they hating napping.
As far as Charlotte goes, they still have a “rest-time” in kindergarten. So you do not have to completely phase out the naps if you think that she still needs it. However, by getting her to bed at 8 or so and getting her up around 8, you should be good. Start making the bedtime and wake-up time consistent and she will more than likely not need the nap.
I hope this helps,
Jen Panther
P.S. I still do not have a teaching job. Hopefully something will come about soon.
Our youngest has not taken a routine nap since 2 1/2. Sleeps 10-11hrs. From age 2-3 1/2 did not sleep thru the night. But naps would make this worse. The less TV the better she sleeps. Maybe more play or better stimulation without the tv that wears her out. Usually try to have quiet time with the tv- just to sit still for a little while. This helps or she can be grouchy. Kindergarden in CF for our oldest did not have nap time and was as everyone probably knows is a full day. Each child is differnt on sleep just like us adults!!
I have a daughter getting married on Saturday. What I wouldn’t give for a nap!!!
It’s a tough transition that we’re going through with our 4 year old. It’s the same thing, he takes a nap and doesn’t sleep well at night, but without a nap he’s crabby. I guess it’s kind of like the transition between 2 naps and 1 nap a day. Eventually he’ll adjust. Right he naps about every other day.
My 4.5 yr. old doesn’t take naps anymore. He refuses when we suggest one. He gets rest time at daycare but I doubt he sleeps, his mind is always racing figuring out what he can get into next. However, my oldest, 6.5 yrs, is realizing that he needs a nap on the weekends. Thank goodness my litle one, 15 months, stills naps at least once a day. As for schedules, we try to get the older kids into bed by 8pm and up by 615-630. We’ve tried earlier bedtimes but that failed. So far getting them up isn’t a problem. Our little one goes to bed around 7 and is up around 630 also. Luckly, with her, we can just say ‘are you ready for nite nite’ and she heads to bed. Now only if my second son would do that.
In Kindergarten where we live they still “REST”.
My Granddaughter has not napped for a long time so this should go over real well for her,NOT!
When I told her she needed to take a beach towel to school next month and for that reason, she didn’t think that would be fun at all.
With my children, naps stopped between 18 months and 2.5 years. My oldest wouldn’t nap when his brother was a baby but he would play quietly in his room and sometimes he would fall asleep. I was fortunate enough not to have to work until they went to school so having a strict schedule wasn’t really necessary. However, having a standard routine was usually best. I have some very cute pictures of my youngest who would just fall asleep wherever he felt the need. One time he was climbing the stairs and fell asleep at the top step…too cute to miss the photo opportunity so I just prayed he wouldn’t fall before I clicked the camera. My granddaughter on the other hand no longer naps but will have quiet times and watch a video and sometimes will fall asleep but usually is in bed between 7:30 and 8:00 for her parents. It’s all about routine with her…change her clothes, brush her teeth, gather her friends and blankets and off she goes…willingly…and then she sleeps 10-12 hours. It’s a blessing for sure!!!
I have 2 children who are the same age as yours. Our 4 year old doesn’t take a routine nap any longer. Most days, she plays and is fine until bed time. On occassion, she will be a bit grouchy and will fall asleep on her own. If she does, we let her rest. I figure she is adjusting to her body’s changing needs. She goes to bed by 8:30 and usually sleeps until 7-7:30, so it seems to be working. I think you just need to let her body adjust on it’s own. Forcing her to stay awake may not go over so well, just like forcing her to sleep won’t either. Meanwhile, my 2 year old takes a nap every afternoon otherwise we all pay for it!
Thing is with kids, they are flexible. People say you have to get them on a strict schedule. Get them up at this time and down at this time. It helps to have a somewhat set time. Especially when they are in school. It is very important a child gets enough sleep so they can learn to the best of their ability. This is true. My daughter is 11 and when she is in school, bedtime is between 8:30 and 9. On Fri and Sat, I relax that and she is up until whenever we all head to bed. During the summer, if she doesn’t have anything planned or even if she does, honestly, I pretty much let her go when she wants. I can and do still have her nap if she is crabby. Once Charlotte goes to school, cannot have a nap every day and gets into a routine, her body will fall into what is best for her. Some kids need more sleep then others. You will know whats best for you. You will see what works and go from there. We do start “practicing” bedtime about a week before school starts. Honestly though, I think it’s more for me to get into the routine then her! LOL
My oldest son was 4 in March. About 4 months before turning 4, he stopped taking “regular” naps. Now it depends on the day. I’ve found if he is more active outside and having more physical playtime, he’ll take a short nap around 3:30-4:30. If he isn’t stimulated as much physically, he won’t nap and be ready for bed by 7:30-8:00pm and sleep until 7:00am the next day. If I let him nap for too long during the day, then it is a struggle to get him to sleep before 8:00pm. Sometimes when he naps longer than an hour it is a blessing since I have a high-energy 4 year old. But then I know I’ll pay the price later in the evening when he doesn’t want to fall asleep before 9pm! I’d rather have him be ready for bed by 8:00pm without a nap than to have too long of a nap in the afternoon and not want to fall asleep at a descent time in the evenings. Consistentcy is the key!
Try noting how many hours she’s actually sleeping over the next week and average it out. Most kids won’t sleep more than 12 hours at a shot, so if she’s sleeping more than that, she probably still needs a nap. If it’s less than that, figure out a bedtime that will allow her to get enough sleep before it’s time to wake up. Just as the transition from 2 naps to 1, going from 1 to zero is a difficult transition. Having a consistant schedule will make the transition easier.
And tv actually revs the brain up, so tv within an hour or two before bedtime can cause your little one to NOT settle down easily. We have discovered playing a short game every night in lieu of tv works very well to “calm” things down before we start our bedtime routine. My 4-yr old could play several board games like Sorry or CandyLand, dominos, and some of the easier card games. It’s great family time!
Ugh. The curriculum for Kindergarten is much busier than when I was in school. The school I student taught in did not do naps, however, other schools I subbed would. I think if kids are being expected to follow a more structured day full of learning, then a 15-20 min break (NOT RECESS) to rest or nap is just fine. I can say that as a parent, when my son gets to be that age, I wouldn’t want him coming home a total crab and tired because he’s been overloaded at school, and still has some homework. (Yes, Kdg. gets homework.)