ATTENTION: All Moms out there!! Need Opinions, Tips and Advice

[perkinsrose]

I agree that a 16 month old NEEDS a nap. But what's my opinion?
Here's some resources on sleep...



"When adults are tired, they can either be grumpy or have low energy, but kids can become hyper, disagreeable, and have extremes in behavior."

found here...> http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html



topic: putting toddler to bed later, causes less restful sleep& night waking
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/toddler/sleep/wakesatnight/



This article suggests "some as EARLY as 3" give up all naps.
http://www.cps.ca/caringforkids/healthybodies/healthysleep.htm


How to tell if you're toddler is getting enough sleep:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/203093/how_to_tell_if_your_toddler_is_getting.html?cat=5


American Academy of Pediatrics with links to resources that suggest toddlers need 12-14 total hours including a 1-2 hour naphttp://www.aap.org/healthtopics/Sleep.cfm

 

[chipper10]

DS gave up his morning naps around 14-15 months. He now is 20 months old. He takes one afternoon nap. After he eats lunch, he lays down for a nap. He follows this same routine when he is in daycare. At daycare he has to lay down for 2 hours. At home I let him sleep until he wakes up. Sometimes he will nap for 3 hours, other times he will only nap for an hour. It usually depends on how active his morning are.
I can't imagine DS not taking a nap. I think I would have a very fussy baby on my hands!

 

[PoohBear321]

My ds gave up the morning nap sometime around 18 months. He gave up all napping a couple months ago...he'll be 3 in October. He will curl up on the couch and watch tv quietly for an hour or so most afternoons so he does have some "down time" but he won't sleep. On the plus side he no longer fights bedtime and goes to sleep like a champ.

 

[jinia]

Whatever the kids mother thinks - or the person caring for the kid.

 

[Grendalynn]

At what age did your children give up their naps?
Morning one?
Afternoon one?

DS1 will be 2 in October.... He still naps once a day. usually between 12:30 and 1:30 he is ready for a snooze. It may only be for a hour or so, but often times its for more than or close to 2 hours. He is up and 7:30 and in bed by 9 pm. Each child is different but I know he would be unbearable in the evenings if he didnt have a nap... Around 3+ my older boys were done wih naps but went ot bed a bit earlier. Every child is different and every family is different...

 

[gaelic grace]

My daughter now 7 gave up afternoon naps when she started K- although some afternoons she would take a quick power nap if she was just unbearable. Even now if we have a busy afternoon planned I may make her lay down. She gave up am naps completely by 18 months but there was a period of time leading up to it where they were iffy and fairly short 45 minutes or so. My 8 mth old is still taking two good naps a day with a 30 minute late afternoon nap if we need him to be up past 7. He sleeps 7-7 normally. With both of mine sleep seemed to bring sleep. The only times we had trouble with them waking up were when they missed an afternoon nap or went to bed really late. It's counter-intuitive I know but the more they slept the more they slept. I needed/need those naps to get things done and be in a better mood myself. Even now my daughter has to go to her room for an hour on the weekends and do something quietly. If your grandson is going to give up the nap, maybe you can institute quiet time instead. Children really do need to have a period of time where they slow down and have low stimulation even if they aren't napping.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

My ds did not nap at all past 12 months -- not because he wasn't offered the opportunity, he just wouldn't do it. He was in bed at 7 and up at 6, so I think he had plenty of sleep. He was just that kind of kid -- two speeds, Fast and Off.

When he was in preschool, he would play quietly on his mat while the other kids napped. He didn't cause trouble, but he just wouldn't lay down and sleep. Every child is different, he may be one who isn't going to sleep, but can still rest with quiet play. You can't force him to sleep if he's just not going to do it.

 

[barnaby1]

I think it's kooky to give up naps at 16 months, but your daughter IS the mom, so she gets to decide. I personally would milk nap time/rest time for as long as I could!! [/QUOTE]

I agree, unless your daughter has asked you for advice (and from your post it reads that she hasn't) it really is up to her.

I am dreading my dd 2.5 giving up her lunchtime hour sleep. It is my mummy rest time too!!

 

[las3888]

DS is 3.5 and is starting to really not nap (PM nap)...it's tough and I thought a little on the early side, since I read some time ago that most kids will give up their naps between ages 3-5. He gave up his AM nap around 11 mos which I thought was a little on the early side too. For afternoon nap, I still put him up for quiet time and he often does nap. Sometimes if he naps really well, he has a hard time getting to sleep at bedtime but it really depends on the day. Most of the kids I know from gymboree and various play-dates etc. have napped until about age 3 at least (afternoon naps).

If our pedi knew he wasn't napping at 16 mos I think he would have been concerned.

Personally I think 16 months is ridiculous to give up a nap. I would shoot for 'quiet time' even if DC wasn't tired.

Good luck and I do offer some sympathy!

 

[katied]

DS is now a week shy of 16 months, and we're working him down to 1 nap per day. He loves his sleep though, and until 6 weeks or so ago, would have a 2 hr am nap and a 1 - 1 1/2 hr pm nap. Now, sometimes he wants 2 naps, sometimes just 1 nap, but certainly he would not be happy with zero naps. He just moved into the toddler room at daycare (he's there Tue - Thur) and they have 1 consistent afternoon nap, so we're trying to move to that schedule.

 

[SpectroMouse]

My almost three year old son still takes an afternoon nap around 1-2pm and will sleep around 2 hours or more. He goes to bed about 9pm and is up around 8am. He has always been a good sleeper and is no where near ready to give up his nap! Heck, if I get sidetracked by 2:30pm he heads upstairs on his own! Hope that helps!

 

[pednurse]

Each child is different. My DS & DD both stopped morning naps by 10 months old. DS (my older child) stopped afternoon naps by 18 months (I still put him in his room for "rest" time for an hour but he would never fall asleep from 18 months on.....and I stopped "rest" time at around 4 years old). DS was also my child who did not sleep through the night until he stopped taking naps....he would wake up every 45 minutes through the night.....so I was actually happy he stopped napping that early. DD was a different story. She was a much better sleeper (slept through the night at 5 weeks) and took naps until about 2 1/2 years old, then had "rest" times until about age 4. So even my 2 kids were drastically different than each other, and very different than most of my friends' kids who took regular naps until well after age 3.

 

[Erin13178]

I have not read the responses, but just wanted to say what works for us.

My dd who turns 4 on Aug. 20 still naps sometimes. Sometimes she doesn't. But in general, if she naps, she's in a much better mood. For us, we just started letting her nap sometimes and not sometimes about 6 months or so ago.

IMO, and this was in our case, 16 months would be way too young to cut out the nap. Unless you get up late and go to bed very early. Which would not work for us as my dd gets up early and wants to stay up as late as possible. She is just afraid she will miss something.

 

[mdurette]

I believe the rule of thumb for that age is around 12-14 hours a day. BUT, every child is different. My DD at that age had stopped her morning nap - and her afternoon one lasted for about an hour. Now at 2 1/2 she still takes one per day - but it is longer - from 2-3 hours.

I applaud your daughter for being ok with no naps - WOW - there are some days I just CAN'T WAIT for mine to go down!!! Yes, the only peace and quite the house gets!!!!