https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:48:26 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910648 Mon, 24 Feb 2020 14:12:29 +0000 Petitduck 2910648@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LemonJack: my kids share a room and our eldest does quiet time in our bedroom. They do not do quiet time well together. I tried once or twice. </p> <p>My kids gave up naps at 2.5, just before. My younger kid could still use a nap though, but just refuses. Neither sleeps extra to make up for the nap either. 7-6 if we’re lucky. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910646 Mon, 24 Feb 2020 12:58:38 +0000 hellobeeboston 2910646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Both of my kids have been long-term nappers. My eldest napped up until the summer before K! Not every day, but maybe once a week. He napped every day until about age 4.75.... My little one is now 4.5 and still naps most days about 2 hours. He won't nap on the weekends because he doesn't want to miss out. But after preschool he NEEDS it still.</p> <p>I really think it depends on the kid! Both of mine NEEDED the sleep. And it works for us that they napped so late because of our work schedules and long commutes, so bed time is on the later side. But we know LOTS of kids that dropped their nap at 2.5. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910595 Fri, 21 Feb 2020 23:01:28 +0000 LemonJack 2910595@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We’re currently going through this with our 2.5 year old. She naps at daycare during the week, but bedtime is later because of it. I skip naps on the weekends and she goes to bed easier, so I guess she’s easing into the no nap routine. She’s the polar opposite of our first who was still taking three hour naps at her age. I’m sad about the naps, but skipping them does make bedtime so much easier!</p> <p>I hear you on the quiet time dilemma too. Our oldest was always great with quiet time, but now that she and her sister share a room I’m not sure how it’ll work. I’m not pushing it now, but plan to this summer when I’m home with them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910589 Fri, 21 Feb 2020 18:06:19 +0000 kayla0416 2910589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meadow: we are early risers as well - their ok to wake clock lights up at 6:10, but they're usually awake around 10-30 minutes before that. Bedtime for DD2 is about 6:45, DD1 is about 7:30. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910587 Fri, 21 Feb 2020 17:04:42 +0000 meadow 2910587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kayla0416: what are your wakeup &amp; bedtime times for DD2? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910520 Thu, 20 Feb 2020 13:20:30 +0000 kayla0416 2910520@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My oldest will be 4 in April, and this past November it looked like she was going to drop her nap. She started skipping them a couple times a week, then every other day. I was devastated, haha. I was 7 months pregnant and really hoping to keep the nap through baby's newborn stage. In Dec we moved DDs 1&amp;2 into a room together because we needed the other room for baby 3. The girls stayed up talking way later than they were used to, which caused the nap to return! DD2 was getting way overtired though so recently we started putting DD2 down first and letting DD1 start up about 45 min later then sneaking her in. We do have DD1 nap in our room because the nap in the same room just wasn't happening.<br /> So, long story short, would you be up for trying a later bedtime? I much prefer a little later bedtime to preserve that nap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910342 Mon, 17 Feb 2020 07:58:42 +0000 LadyDi 2910342@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son didn’t stop napping consistently until he was 4, but naps were always all or nothing. He either napped for 2+ hours or not at all. He’ll still nap occasionally if we’ve had a few particularly busy days or late nights. If he doesn’t nap then he has quiet time in his room and he expects this now. We started small, like 15 minutes or so. But now he usually plays in his room by himself for an hour or more. I always leave his water and a small snack in his room so he really doesn’t have reason to come ask me anything. Can you start small with quiet time or try to do it separately? I think a break is so important for my mental health. And for him to get a break and play independently too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910340 Mon, 17 Feb 2020 07:40:18 +0000 skiierchck99 2910340@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meadow: can you try separating them and putting one in your bed to nap? I would stay the course otherwise - kids often have a nap regression that doesn’t mean it’s time to drop it yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910337 Mon, 17 Feb 2020 00:57:16 +0000 RKitty 2910337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Heh. Enjoy the fact yours napped this long. We've been nap free since about 2.5. He would nap for 2 hours but it was almost always an hour or more spent trying to get him to sleep and then bed time would become super late (like 11pm or midnight) </p> <p>I finally got tired of the struggle to get him to nap and it took me a bit to commit to dropping naps. We started with a rule of no naps after 4pm and there first couple no nap days were a little rough. But with in a couple of weeks life got so much better and so much less stress. No more struggling to take a nap. No more struggling at bed time. And bed time was quick because he was so tired. </p> <p>We now wake around 8am and go to bed around 8pm. Maybe once every two weeks there would be a day we'd nap but they're getting rare and farther apart. His last couple of naps have been short to - only 45 minutes ish instead of a couple hours. I think those few nap days are just about gone. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910323 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 19:09:34 +0000 meadow 2910323@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Grace: i know! We put them in the room about 1 and I intervene when they arent asleep at 1:30. At daycare they are asleep between 1215 and 1230 daily. DD has napped everyday and DS has only missed one nap this school year.</p> <p>I think if we were having 9pm bedtimes I'd be on board with dropping nap.....but they are out by 8pm even post twinsie chatting....sometimes earlier! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910319 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 18:42:17 +0000 LCTBQE 2910319@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meadow: my son is a late August 2016 baby, I think he’s a couple months younger than your guys. He started dropping his one nap last spring, intermittently he just was clearly not tired at all. We’d keep him in his crib and after an hour he’d just start shouting that he wanted out, and he’d go to bed early those nights and have great night sleep. Over Easter (when he was 2y8m) we traveled to my hometown and he didn’t nap once the whole week, after that he was just done with it. I think we could have expended a lot of effort to fight it but it would have been at the expense of at solid 7:30 bedtime which I place a lot of value in. I didn’t read everything but sounds like maybe they’ve had a good run but are just not needing it anymore ? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910318 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 18:20:25 +0000 DesertDreams88 2910318@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO napped every day 1-1.5 hours, But that time is getting harder and later, often it would take over an hour and he would stay awake until 9 or 10 p.m. at night. So we pretty much dropped it cold Turkey and instantly bedtime got drastically better. He was 3. Quiet time never really worked for us either, but we always try to take a short drive sometime in the afternoon so he could get like a 10- 15 min snoozer. For the first 6 months or so (until 3.5y). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910315 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 17:22:30 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2910315@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS1 was always an awesome sleeper and napper and he dropped gradually before he started JK (3 years and 10 months old) It became like he would only nap 1x on the weekend and then not at all. When he started school he napped a couple weekends and then that was it for good. We enforced quiet time and still do, but now we usually schedule swim lessons during that time for him so he doesn't disturb 18mo DS2 during his nap. He’s gone through phases where he fought it but we did various things like have him watch the iPad, setting his alarm for when he could come out, listening to music, etc but there’s no way I’m not taking that time for a break for us however I can get it. Somehow, my friends daughter still naps consistently and she’s almost 6! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910314 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 17:20:20 +0000 Grace 2910314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meadow: oh my gosh, they are up so early. What about pushing their naps later? I think towards the end, my LO was napping at 1:30 (and daycare did 12:30...and then complained that she didn’t sleep). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910312 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 17:08:39 +0000 bees_knees 2910312@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meadow: do they fall asleep during naptime at daycare? My almost 6 year old still naps lol! (He is in half day K so it works out) I would try separating them during naptime and see if they fall asleep—one in your bed and one in their own bed. If they still don’t fall asleep, then you have your answer! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910305 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:42:03 +0000 meadow 2910305@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Grace: a bedtime before our current 7/715 would mean DH only will see kids for about 15 min in the morning. Kids wakeup at 530 and we leave at 6am (I commute &amp; do drop offs) currently he gets home 630pm so it's not quality time ....just potty pjs and bed. But I don't know how we would function with an earlier bedtime.</p> <p>There a couple kids in their class that aren't good nappers &amp; they are terrible .....school keeps them in the same room (I think that's a state mandate for naps til 4) and they run around like maniacs waking other kids. :( I don't want to set my kids up to be that :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910302 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:36:18 +0000 graceandjoy 2910302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our preschool decided for them. Due to the change over between preschool and aftercare, mine weren’t getting a nap time. Both of them were about 3 months from turning 3. We supported this anyway as at that age if they napped, even if we capped it/made it as early as possible, they were going to bed super late, like not asleep till 9:30 sometimes even 10. Both had a few rough weeks of adjustment; melt downs or needing like a quick 10 min nap around 5pm. But after that they were totally good. My 1st actually rarely even naps in the car, while my middle would pass out in car rides longer than 5 min 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910300 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:06:51 +0000 ilovepie 2910300@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have friends with room sharers who separate the kids for quiet time, also in large families it'll be one on the couch, another in the corner on a rug, whatever works. But I do think it's worth it to try it enforce even 20-30 mins of quiet time. If you can get that then you can lengthen the time. We have books and toys in their room they don't really play with at other times of the day. They aren't always very quiet but the key is they don't need me and they know it is my alone time too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910299 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:06:45 +0000 erinbaderin 2910299@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With both kids we dropped naps cold turkey - one was 3.5, the second was closer to 3. They still had naps at daycare which were hit or miss, and I actually found that they kind of needed them - like, if they had a long weekend by day 3 of no naps they were a little nuts - but on the other hand it was nice to not have to schedule all our outings around nap time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910297 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 15:40:19 +0000 Grace 2910297@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I started getting pushback at 3.5, I dropped the nap cold turkey. She was fine and had an earlier bedtime. Like yours, she had a mandatory naptime at daycare (that she sometimes slept for), so I think that helped. If she was truly tired, she slept then. Honestly, it was glorious to ditch naptime. No having to rush back from errands, could visit people in the afternoon, no fighting over naptime AND earlier bedtime which meant more evening time for me. Embrace it. It will be lovely. If you really aren’t ready, you could try skipping nap for one day and see what happens. It’s not like you can’t go back. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910291 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 15:23:50 +0000 meadow 2910291@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had prepared myself for them to end this summer....but not now. They have mandatory naptime at school on weekdays.</p> <p>2 kids sharing a room.....there is no such things as quiet time. :( :( :( :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910290 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 15:18:17 +0000 ttcgirl 2910290@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This sounds like the beginning of the end to me. I would think you’ll still get naps from them some days but in my experience 3.5 years is actually on the later side to stop napping! We also made it to 3.5 then same as above we transitioned to “quiet time” for a little bit in the middle of the day. There was no shortening of the naps for us it was stopping cold turkey. Good luck to you I know it is so hard to adjust to nap free days </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910289 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 15:10:44 +0000 meadow 2910289@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Quiet time in rooms won't be a thing in our household. Its going to be very jarring to lose naptime. :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910287 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 14:41:21 +0000 ilovepie 2910287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It was kind of an on off thing starting around 2 for mine but about once a week they'd still sleep. And then it was just when they were sick or growing or had a busy morning they would sleep. Now at 3.5 my youngest rarely sleeps. However, the whole time we've kept "nap time" and they both slowly switched to just playing in their rooms instead of sleeping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-end-of-naps#post-2910284 Sun, 16 Feb 2020 14:12:58 +0000 meadow 2910284@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How did naps go away for you?</p> <p>Were your kids completely content napping one day and the next week completely done?</p> <p>Did you ease off in any way? Did they shrink down below 1.5 hours?</p> <p>My kids (3.5 yo) were completely fine napping before Christmas....sometimes would put themselves down without any reminders - sometimes after 20-30 minutes I would go in and tell them to go to sleep, sit in the corner to ensure they stayed in their beds, and they'd go to sleep.</p> <p>Those were for 2 hour naps on the regular.</p> <p>This weekend and last weekend my kids are literally jumping in their beds and screaming NO at me, spitting at me, and calling me bad names.</p> <p>It is enraging and DH wants to drop naps all together. I have a hard time believing this is biologically the right time - I expected that we'd wean down to 1 hour or smaller naps before ditching completely. </p>