Usually, I don't ask for other people's opinions relative to child rearing. However, I'd like a show of hands

Question

How many of you fellow Mothers put your 2.5 year old down for a nap after lunch?

I ask this for the following reason: When my son turned two, he stopped napping altogether, and he was doing pretty good with it. (No fussiness, not cranky, etc...) However, now I have noticed that he is becoming more cranky and disagreeable. So, in order to calm him down, I take him to his bed and he falls asleep almost immediately. This tells me that he must be needing the sleep. Have any of you ever stopped putting your child down to nap, only to find that you needed to start again?

Thanks for your answers♥

Answer 1

My daughter is 4 and still takes a nap. I have a day care in my home and all 4 of the kiddos are asleep at this very moment, even the child that was hyped up from having albuterol in her inhaler this morning. Anyway, I am a firm believer in naps until the age of 5. Kids need more sleep than many adults realize. Keep putting your son down for naps, of course they all go through little stages of not wanting to sleep, but it doesn't mean they don't NEED the sleep.

Answer 2

We were just talking abuout this the other day at playgroup. My kids all have "flop" time after lunch (even my 9 year old!). The rule is that you can't put your feet on the floor for an hour to allow your body some time to rest. Now my older 2 (9 and 5) will read...but sometimes they do fall asleep. My 2.5 year old fall asleep almost every day.

There was just something on the news about how babies and toddlers need their sleep to help them process all that they are learning during the day. In the study babies were exposed to a made up language...the babies that were allowed to nap after being exposed to the new language were able to not only recognize the words previously heard but also to apply language rules to learn new words in this language. The babies that didn't nap could recognize the words previously heard...but had a very hard time with learning new words.

Napping is good!!!!

Answer 3

My daughter is three and still naps for 2 - 2 1/2 hours a day. She usually lays down an hour or so after lunch though. Her nap schedule has changed over time. For a while she needed a nap before lunch and ate lunch pretty late (around 2 PM). I just pay attention to her behavior patterns and adjust the schedule accordingly.

Answer 4

My son stopped taking naps last year and he's 4 now, we have to make him take naps again or else by late afternoon he turns into supermonster!! Every preschooler needs a nap it's just something you have to do to keep your sanity, either give them their own time for example let them watch a movie for a given time like an hour or give them a nap. It will be good for you as well so you can have some free time for yourself if you are with them all day.

Answer 5

Might stopped napping right around 2.5 years, but it varies greatly from child to child. Mine also did not nap all winter and spring and then napped every afternoon that summer. She just got more tired out, outside so much more. I usually stopped naps when I found I was having a hard time getting my children to go to sleep at night.

Answer 6

All good suggestions- especially rest time, that should stay in the schedule until he enters school. The reason for him starting to need naps again is either that he is having a growth spurt, or that he, being 2.5, is getting worn out doing energetic two year old things. Consider yourself lucky to be able to get him to sleep. Mine stopped napping when we moved them out of the crib at about 2 years old, because I didn't want to have that fight.

Answer 7

Mine will be 4 in July and he still goes down for a nap right after lunch. About 1 in every 10 days he doesn't sleep, but he still has to stay in there for "quiet time."

Answer 8

My children are 3,4,5 and they all still lay down after lunch...My 5 year old doesnt sleep but the rest time is good for her. The other 2 still take naps. Just not as long as before. I had been letting my 4 yr old just rest but he still needs the sleep.
God Bless

Answer 9

Hey! I am the nap nazi... my 2 1/2 yr. old goes down for a nap daily. i have a great book by marc weissbluth called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" that i keep with me at all times. i have found that it all works pretty well in the real world. he says that till they're 3, kids need a nap. if he doesn't have a nap pretty regularly he will slowly fall behind on sleep and it will make it harder for him to sleep at night and he will continue to be grumpier and harder to deal with during the day. my little girl will actually start waking up at about 2AM and play in her bed if she doesn't nap well. *sigh* good luck!

Answer 10

Mine's 3 and she still goes down for a nap. Maybe not every day but some days she needs it more than others. He's still young so it's not unusual for him to still need a nap.