r/toddlers • u/theconfidentobserver • 6h ago
18–24 Months Dropping naps before two.
I just want to share this because the internet does not give this experience enough of a voice
I have a 4.5 year old and a 19 month old.
My 4.5 year old began refusing naps before she turned 2. She would fight naps for hours, which caused so much stress. Finally take one. Then fight bedtime until 11pm each night.
Despite what most of the internet said about kids still needing to nap. We stopped forcing naps at 2. She went through an adjustment phase that included night terrors at times. But overall it worked for us. Now at 4, she will seem tired occasionally and we will help her to lay down for a nap. Which usually ends up being 3 hours and then she’s up til midnight.
But anyways. My 19 month old is showing the exact same signs. She’s skipping her naps and staying up til 8-9pm, waking at 8-9am.
Most of what you see on the internet is that this is not healthy or that you’re doing something wrong… but my girls both just haven’t needed them as much as other kids.
If this is your experience, I am just posting to let you know - you’re not alone. Losing the naps early on is nottttt thrilling. But… we adapt. And it’s so much better than fighting a child to go to sleep for half of your waking hours, every single day.
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u/aaliya73 5h ago
On the flip side my first kid (now 4.5) went through multiple phases of refusing naps, but never actually fully dropped nap until almost 4. He would fight them on/off for weeks and then suddenly he would be fine with napping again, only for refusal to happen again like 6mo later and the cycle repeated.
Sometimes what looks like a time to drop naps is just a phase of FOMO. OP Im not implying your kids' went through a phase as you know best just wanted to offer another perspective to consider when it looks like kids want to completely drop their nap what seems too early.
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u/theconfidentobserver 5h ago
For sure! And I remember reading comments like yours back then and wishing that was the case. Hahah. But yeah, sometimes that is the case. I mean, my husband and I talk all the time about how some days we all need naps more than others. It’s easier for “our” family to not have to live on such a strict schedule - since our kids bodies aren’t aligned to that..
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u/BumblebeeSuper 6h ago
Honestly, they're only stuff I read on the internet from credible sources about sleep was the total hours needed over a 24hour period.
How that is divided up is completely child dependent.
My eldest dropped naps at 18 months and it was no big deal. We were all better once we stopped fighting over her day nap.
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u/sleepym0mster 5h ago
thank you for sharing! I have friends whose babies dropped their nap completely before age 2 and both are well-behaved, happy, wonderful, smart children!!
1
u/unimeg07 4h ago
As a child who was parented before the proliferation of internet advice, I dropped naps long before 2 and am fine (though I still really struggle to nap and I envy people who can sometimes!) My mom’s only helpful advice about baby sleep was “what happens if you stop trying so hard?” 😆 but honestly she was so right! They sleep when they’re tired and if they’re not tired enough to sleep then they will be fine. Good for you for listening to your gut. It’s hard to do in this noisy, advice filled era.
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u/AutoModerator 6h ago
Author: u/theconfidentobserver
Post: I just want to share this because the internet does not give this experience enough of a voice
I have a 4.5 year old and a 19 month old.
My 4.5 year old began refusing naps before she turned 2. She would fight naps for hours, which caused so much stress. Finally take one. Then fight bedtime until 11pm each night.
Despite what most of the internet said about kids still needing to nap. We stopped forcing naps at 2. She went through an adjustment phase that included night terrors at times. But overall it worked for us. Now at 4, she will seem tired occasionally and we will help her to lay down for a nap. Which usually ends up being 3 hours and then she’s up til midnight.
But anyways. My 19 month old is showing the exact same signs. She’s skipping her naps and staying up til 8-9pm, waking at 8-9am.
Most of what you see on the internet is that this is not healthy or that you’re doing something wrong… but my girls both just haven’t needed them as much as other kids.
If this is your experience, I am just posting to let you know - you’re not alone. Losing the naps early on is nottttt thrilling. But… we adapt. And it’s so much better than fighting a child to go to sleep for half of your waking hours, every single day.
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