Although my child is only 22 months, she now rarely takes a nap during the day. Before you get concerned about how she must be lacking in sleep, let me reassure you that she does still meet the sleep requirement for total hours of sleep. She has always been an excellent sleeper at night and most nights will sleep 12.5-13 total hours.
It took me about 3 weeks to accept that naps may be over. During those 3 weeks, I spent about 1.5 hours every day trying to get my toddler to sleep only for her to end up taking a 20-40 minute nap. I finally took to Facebook to find out if nap time has ever become a battle like this for anyone else. I had been wondering if it was time to drop the daytime nap, but I had been really resistant to accepting this idea. My facebook friends overwhelmingly responded it was time to drop this nap.
Looking back, it was the best decision for us. I wish we still had a nap time, but it just isn't worth the battle. Here are a few things I learned through this:
1. Allow for everyone to adjust to the transition.
Dropping this nap was hardest on myself as I was used to using this time to catch up or nap myself. Dropping this nap also smashed my dreams of possibly napping sometimes when baby #2 gets here and naps happen to align for everyone. Wishful thinking I guess!
Our toddler also got very tired and cranky in the evening as she adjusted to her new schedule. We had to consider daily f she needed to go to bed at night a bit earlier than normal or stick with the normal time. Know that these issues didn't last forever and with time these drawbacks will work themselves out.
2. Have quiet time.
We all still needed a rest, regardless f we sleep or not. Find a new routine that works for you and your little one. We close the curtains, turn the lights down, and either read books or watch a few shows. We call this time: quiet time. Nap time seems to be a hard word for my toddler to hear lately so I rarely use it.
3. Know you aren't the only one.
It's been very reassuring to me to know I am not the only person in the world to have a toddler drop their nap time so early. So, if you are going through this, I can assure you that you are not alone. Reach out and I am sure you will find several others who have gone through this or are going through this early transition as well.
Sometimes I get lucky and she gives in to a nap. I now treasure those precious moments.
How has your child been sleeping lately?
This post was linked up with Mommy Moments at The Life of Faith blog.
This post was linked up with Mommy Moments at The Life of Faith blog.
I am secretly dreading the day my toddler quits napping! The plus, like you mentioned, is that your little one does sleep very well at night. My son just turned 2 and is still very much a noon-time napper but he also likes to wake up early in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to implement the "quiet time" idea when he does say goodbye to naps! Great post! Stopping by from Mommy Moments.
Amy @ http://www.livinglifetruth.com/
Thanks for stopping by! This nap drop was the hardest for me in comparison to all other times. Enjoy your son napping as long as you can! I hope it's a smooth transition for you all when he does drop his last nap.
DeleteOh, though my son is still napping {he turned two today}, about one or two days a week he just won't nap. I know he will be transitioning soon and there have been times that I think he's ready, but then isn't. He's always dropped naps quickly {he was on one a day from about ten months}.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your son! Our daughter was actually delayed in dropping naps up until this nap drop! It's amazing how kids can switch things up so quickly for us. I hope the transition of dropping the last nap goes well for you when the time is here! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteMy daughter is still napping at 3.5 and it is wonderful, albeit tough sometimes! We have definitely battled over it during the past year (off and on) but she hasn't put her foot down quite yet. Once she does I'm sure we'll transition to a quiet time. It would be lovely if my 7 month old napped for that long too, but little ones are all so different! It sounds like your daughter was ready to be done and I think its wonderful that you went with it. It just isn't worth the heartache of fighting it week after week. And you certainly did a good job sticking it out while you made sure she really didn't need it anymore!!
ReplyDeleteBtw, I enjoyed getting to know you a little more through your bio. That is one of my favorite places to stop as well! :-)
Isn't it amazing how each child can be so different? Enjoy this time while your daughter is still napping! I hope the transition goes well for you when she does drop her nap. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a peak at my blog!
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