Somewhere between the first birthday and 18 months they tend to
stop napping in the morning but are still largely dependent on the afternoon nap.
Even when your
child stops napping, quiet time in the late afternoon or before dinner is a must for three and four - year - olds, and a wise idea for five - year - olds, unless you actually like watching your child melt down.
«Once my
girls stopped napping or on those non-nap days, I'd still set aside quiet time, for them to slow their body and their mind.
And even though the majority of children (about 70 percent)
stop napping at 5 years, 3 in 10 still need a nap at this age.
While naps are recommended for children through age five, about 50 percent of
kids stop napping by age four.
If they've
stopped napping, they may shift to an earlier bedtime.
Some parents will keep their twins napping separately until
they stop napping all together.
Do you have a generally good sleeper who just recently developed a «minor» sleep issue (e.g.,
she stopped napping but she is still tired, he started fighting bedtime, or she developed a fear of the dark)?
Keep in mind that resisting a nap isn't a sign that your little one is ready to
stop napping.
Even if children have
stopped napping, they still need a period of quiet time to help them regroup partway through their day.
The daytime sleeping might cause a sleep disturbance for your 4 - year - old because he's physically ready to
stop napping.
He stopped napping when the baby arrived because I wasn't nursing him and I couldn't take him for a drive in the car anymore.
(
She stopped napping before she even turned two!)
-- If your child doesn't fall asleep easily at night (or if bedtime gets pushed past 8 pm), it may be time to
stop the nap.
When is it okay for my toddler to
stop napping and what should I do if she wants to stop before I want her to?Dr.
Some parents also opt to keep both twins napping separately until
they stop napping altogether.
If you allow your child to skip the afternoon nap and there are no signs of excessive tiredness at the end of the day then they are probably ready to
stop napping.
Below are some of the signs that your child is ready to
stop napping.
First
he stopped napping, she says, then he took an hour to fall asleep, woke up every hour and wouldn't settle back down, and was crawling out of the crib and getting up at 5 a.m. «Even once we got back from our trip, it went on for about a month.»
If your child has
stopped napping, encourage 20 to 30 minutes of quiet time.
The second row slides forward and back to give easier access to the third, and they even recline for a quick rest -
stop nap.
Then even when
they stopped napping it seemed pointless because our bedrooms were all upstairs and all of our main living space was downstairs, so guests never saw our bedrooms.