Hellobee Boards

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?

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.

@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.

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.

He’s now 5 and if he’s zonked he will nap but that’s rare.

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.

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!

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.
Might be harder for you because of daycare, but Not impossible. Don’t let them bully you into dropping it.
If you aren’t ready to give it up, don’t. Text or call me if you want more details!

@LCTBQE: And enjoy it, no less. We secretly fight over that task because we love sitting and reading uninterrupted!

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!

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).

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.

Also, another gauge is if they fall asleep in the car, they need more sleep.

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!

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.