https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:09:33 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885896 Wed, 29 May 2019 05:01:22 +0000 CatyLady 2885896@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our LO has not long turned 2. We have just dropped the nap as she wouldn’t go to sleep at bedtime. She’ll fall asleep in the car etc but will now wake up once in the house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885866 Tue, 28 May 2019 18:00:15 +0000 Alba4 2885866@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My older DS napped until 4.5! My younger guy turns 3 next month. He is still napping now, but sometimes we’ll skip it and sometimes he’ll refuse it. We are less strict about it as we’re in the go with our older son. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885865 Tue, 28 May 2019 17:05:17 +0000 starlitsky 2885865@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have any advice or words of wisdom but just wanted to say I'm in the same situation with my almost 3 year old! he started dropping his weekend naps a month or two ago although he still naps every day during the week at daycare. he'll sometimes fall asleep in the car if we're out driving in the afternoon but those naps won't be very long. he does usually fall asleep for the night earlier on the days he skips naps but not always! :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885862 Tue, 28 May 2019 16:50:53 +0000 bhbee 2885862@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: I totally don’t get this about kids, but we have this problem too. How does a short nap mess up bed time for such a longer time than the nap? And then it just repeats because they’re tired the next day too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885852 Tue, 28 May 2019 15:59:17 +0000 pachamama 2885852@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also, another gauge is if they fall asleep in the car, they need more sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885851 Tue, 28 May 2019 15:58:52 +0000 pachamama 2885851@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I might file this under "it's a phase". I think that's a little early to stop napping. It doesn't need to be every day, but most days I would think he needs a nap. My son put up a big stink around 2 years 11 months and we thought he was dropping it but he desperately needs it. It pushes naptime back in half an hour but it's worth it.<br /> I once read, most three-year-olds need naps and most four year olds don't. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885849 Tue, 28 May 2019 15:43:27 +0000 Jess1483 2885849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS1 dropped his nap at 2.5. If he napped even 20 minutes after this, he was up at least 2 hours longer. DS2 still hasn’t totally dropped his nap and he turns 4 next month. I think the key is deciding if the nap is detrimental to night sleep. If not, then I’d stay the course and try to keep up with it. If it is, then I’d consider dropping it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885847 Tue, 28 May 2019 15:09:28 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2885847@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son is 2.5 and naps maybe 1 day a week at this point. He goes to bed earlier, easier and sleeps better. I actually dread when he naps now because bedtime becomes SO hard, drawn out. He goes to bed 2 hours later than normal and wakes up 1 hour earlier. </p> <p>It's actually less sleep in 24 hours for him. </p> <p>So, I'd say to embrace it. Every kid is different. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885845 Tue, 28 May 2019 15:06:44 +0000 PinkElephant 2885845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One of DD1's friends went through this; it was an awful couple of months but her mom powered through and stuck with the nap routine, even when the girl didn't really rest in her crib/room, let alone nap....eventually she went back to napping and was a champion napper until around 5!!! Definitely don't give it up if you don't want to!</p> <p>If it's any consolation, my DD3 (Oct 2016 baby) is desperately trying to quit naps, but it's due to FOMO rather than not being tired. She'll ask to nap, then scream in rage until she falls asleep when she realizes she's missing out on the action (which is could just be me folding laundry, nothing crazy). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885828 Tue, 28 May 2019 12:56:55 +0000 SweetiePie 2885828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: lol we live/work in the same city so we’ve met in person which has led to an outside-of-HB friendship :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885821 Tue, 28 May 2019 12:21:08 +0000 hitchhiker 2885821@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: And enjoy it, no less. We secretly fight over that task because we love sitting and reading uninterrupted! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885819 Tue, 28 May 2019 12:18:05 +0000 agold 2885819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: I'm so sorry! I'm sort of in the same boat with my August 2016 baby and I don't have a lot of advice. But I'm holding on to the nap as long as I can and I still try to nap her. If no nap, then I try for an earlier bed time. Its tough because I work, also. My 1yo is also possibly dropping down to one nap which seems way too young and throws off the "napping at same time" dream schedule I had going on. Oh these babies.. please give us a tired mamas a rest a little while longer!</p> <p>ETA: omg.. do you girls have a secret texting club??? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885814 Tue, 28 May 2019 12:00:52 +0000 SweetiePie 2885814@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Let’s text or talk more about this, but we had the same thing happen at exactly the same age. Countless people told me it was the end of his nap, but I knew that naps should last until 3.5/4. I stuck to my guns and didn’t give up. We had to do some tweaking (time of nap, capping) but it went back to a reliable daily 2-2.5 hour nap for another year.<br /> Might be harder for you because of daycare, but Not impossible. Don’t let them bully you into dropping it.<br /> If you aren’t ready to give it up, don’t. Text or call me if you want more details! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885811 Tue, 28 May 2019 11:54:30 +0000 LCTBQE 2885811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sams Mom: solidarity, lady! :meh:<br /> @hitchhiker: haha, did you ever think you’d be sitting in your car for an hour just to get your kid to nap?! That’s the kind of thing when I was single I swore I’d never do and now I’d do it in a heartbeat ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885810 Tue, 28 May 2019 11:52:02 +0000 LCTBQE 2885810@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: @bhbee: right, the flip side of a not totally necessary nap is a delayed bedtime tantrums and comprised night sleep. He does go down earlier and faster when he skips nap, he’s just hell on wheels for dinner and bath 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885808 Tue, 28 May 2019 11:48:25 +0000 LCTBQE 2885808@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@graceandjoy: okay, good to know we’re in normal range :) I think we’ve been seeing it coming for a while now but have been in denial! </p> <p>@Mrs. Champagne: @catgirl: @EBSC: totally didn’t occur to me that it might be a stage—I’m afraid to get my hopes up that it might reliably return, haha. But fingers crossed! Good point about summer activities tiring them out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885778 Tue, 28 May 2019 09:38:33 +0000 graceandjoy 2885778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My first dropped her nap 3 months before 3 (so exact age as yours), when she started preschool. We had to deal with extreme crankiness/meltdowns for a few weeks right around dinner time (or DH would let her nap literally for 5-10 min only; it didn't affect bed time). That was totally worth it b/c she passes out by like 7:30-8 instead of staying up till after 9 with nap. </p> <p>My 2nd is 2.5 and I'm pretty sure we're heading towards the same thing. I currently cut her nap at 2 and she is still up till like 9:30! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885776 Tue, 28 May 2019 09:29:47 +0000 bhbee 2885776@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: this is totally our situation! DH and I will jockey for who gets stuck managing bedtime it we know he’s slept too much :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885773 Tue, 28 May 2019 08:58:38 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2885773@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sounds like he could be getting close BUT my son was the same and I stuck out the routine because I knew once we hit summer and we’re constantly outside he would need the nap. So he went back to daily naps through summer and fall and then slowly dropped them (every other day would fall asleep.. then every few days, then weekly) around 3.5-3.75. </p> <p>He’s now 5 and if he’s zonked he will nap but that’s rare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885772 Tue, 28 May 2019 08:57:59 +0000 DesertDreams88 2885772@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son stopped napping a month before age 3. For us, he would nap just fine for about 1.5-2h, but bedtime was getting harder and harder. He was staying awake until 9:30ish, banging on the door or yelling for us to come back. Then he'd wake up around 6:30 or 7, so, like 9.5 hours of night sleep. Dropping the nap massively improved bedtime.</p> <p>We wanted to do quiet time but our babysitters just didn't follow through with that. </p> <p>He needs like, 15 minutes of a catnap, in terms of behavior. So if he falls asleep in the car, that works for us. However, every nap minute puts bedtime in more danger, haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885770 Tue, 28 May 2019 08:47:35 +0000 MamaCate 2885770@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: ummm so my first dropped naps at home at 22 months, but my second didn’t drop naps at home until around 3. The little one is almost 4 and still naps at daycare but the oldest stopped napping at daycare consistently by 3.5 or so. We still do “quiet time” where they play quietly and the 3 year old will sometimes fall asleep if he needs to. He very rarely gets in his bed but he will just fall asleep on the floor. I would keep doing something like a nap and see what happens. Time will tell. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885768 Tue, 28 May 2019 08:43:00 +0000 catgirl 2885768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's definitely possible for him to be dropping it, I know a handful of kids who stopped napping before three. But it's also possible it's just a stage to push through, DD has had a handful of nap fighting stages. I know she had one either a few months before turning three or right after. We just kept routine the same and she is still napping at least 2 hours at 4.5. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885766 Tue, 28 May 2019 08:28:57 +0000 bhbee 2885766@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My boy dropped before 3. At 4 he still falls asleep in the car pretty regularly for a short refresh but only naps at home under extreme circumstances. But bedtime is a nightmare if he naps very long so it was a decent trade for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885763 Tue, 28 May 2019 08:04:27 +0000 hitchhiker 2885763@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 3y3m daughter won't nap at home, but if we take her for a drive she will fall asleep. So on days where she really needs the sleep, we will do that. We can usually transfer her to her bed, or one of us stays in the car and reads. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885762 Tue, 28 May 2019 07:57:21 +0000 EBSC 2885762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My boy is super similar. We went through a phase right around 3 where going down for nap was HARD, but he needed it, and after about a month it got better again. He’s 3.5 now and still napping 2-3 hrs in the afternoon, since our night sleep is like yours too— 830-615, and that’s just not enough. If you think he needs it, keep trying? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885761 Tue, 28 May 2019 07:53:30 +0000 Sams Mom 2885761@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No advice, but I'm in the same trench with you. 3y1m and he quit naps for the most part just over a month ago. If he has a big day/long weekend he'll nap some... But otherwise, no nap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dropping-the-final-nap-is-this-the-end#post-2885759 Tue, 28 May 2019 07:42:46 +0000 LCTBQE 2885759@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 2y9mo old boy has reliably taken a good 2-3 hr nap on weekends until a couple of months ago when he started staying awake throughout nap time off and on. Over the holiday weekend he skipped nap Saturday and Sunday and finally had a really good one yesterday, but we put him down for it super late (2:45pm-4:30pm, usually we’d try to get him down around 1pm). The difference in his afternoon/dinnertime behavior with and without nap is angelic vs impossible, of course. Daycare reports the same, he frequently but not always skips. </p> <p>Night time sleep is great, he does 8:30pm-7:15am. He is still in his crib if that makes a difference. I know his bedtime is pretty late, we put him down earlier but that’s when he actually falls asleep. (Hard because we both have super long commutes and he just doesn’t seem tired before 8pm.) does this sound like naps are just coming to a natural close, or is there something that I should try? I had it in my head that most kids don’t drop the final nap until 3.5 or so. What is normal? And any tips for transitioning greatly appreciated 🙏🏻🙏🏻 </p>