If your kids no longer nap

What time do they go to bed and what time do they get up? I know, 2 threads in one day. Sorry. :blush: We are having nightly temper tantrums from Tyler just before bed or over brushing his teeth and I know it's probably that he's overtired, but they wont nap. And if they do on somedays, they wont go to bed until 10:30 at night :tease: I think I am missing the window??

ETA: We have been trying for a 7:30 bedtime and they get up at 7-7:30 ish.

 

730-7ish these days. :welcome: to the no nap club. :crazy:

 

Mine stopped napping right around their 3rd birthday. We start the bedtime routine around 7 pm and they are usually in bed, lights out by 7:30. Gabe is and always has been an early riser so he's usually up around 6:20/6:30. Abby usually gets up around 7:00 or 7:30 sometimes sleeping until 8:00 if we have nothing going on and I can let her. They 99.99% of the time wake up on their own.

 

My 2 stopped napping completely before they were 3 for the same reason Rachel. If I put them down for a nap, they would go to sleep fine, but then at night they would still be up at 10 or 11:00. It was exhausting me so I just put up with the afternoon/evening crankies for awhile. They did outgrow that part eventually. I found giving them a good snack in the late afternoon helped with their energy level somewhat. That, and I encouraged 30 minutes to an hour of quiet time (TV, reading, etc) in the afternoon during what would have been naptime. My two go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00. I try to make sure they are in bed & asleep by 8.

:hug:

 

I didn't see this. :slap: I would move it back a 1/2 hour and see if that helps. I know that since the time change, my two can't sleep in any later, so the extra sleep has to come on the front end!

 

I would start the bedtime routine earlier, before he's melting down. Maybe get the tooth brushing and stuff out of the way, then move on to whatever your wind-down is (quiet TV show, books). Then if he's starting to get really tired, you can move on to bed more quickly and won't have a struggle about the stuff that needs to be done. Mine don't nap, and they generally wake up around 7:00, and I try to get them in their rooms at 7:00. Sometimes they go to sleep within a few minutes. We've been pretty lucky that they've been asleep by 7:30.

 

When Lennon dropped his nap (right around 3 - we actually dropped it b/c he was doing the same thing - a 2 hour nap meant not falling asleep at night until 10:30/11:00!), we tried to start the bedtime routine around 6:30/7:00 and he was usually asleep by 7:15ish, up between 6:30 and 7:00 on weekdays b/c I was working from the time he was 3 - 3.5.

Good luck! I remember how difficult that transition was with one 3-year-old, I can't imagine (though will soon find out :lol two! :hug:

 

Mine get up around 7. If they don't nap, they are in bed at 6:30. If they nap, they are in bed at 8.

I also do quiet time on the couch on the non-nap days. They need to stay on the couch, no toys allowed, and watch a show or movie. Mine have to have the down time.

I ditto Becky, I would move bedtime up a bit.

 

When we cut naps at about 3.5, we moved from a 12 hr night (usually 8 to 8 at that time) to a 13 hr night (so bedtime became 7 instead and I didn't get them up til 8). There were some nights the bedtime routine was cut so short they were in bed with lights out by 6:30! I agree with the others to try to get the "work" of the routine done early so you don't have to fight about it when he's overtired. We sometimes do bath/teeth/pjs right after dinner so bedtime is just potty, reading, singing and lights out.

 

Rachel- your boys look SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO different now! Have you noticed that?? Super cute fam!

 

They go to bed at 8pm and wake up usually around 6:45am. They rarely nap...maybe once every 2 months. They do need to sit on the couch for quiet time each day though. We alternate them picking out a movie and they can't have any toys.

 

My two go to bed at 7:30pm and they get up between 7-8am usually.


Mine no longer nap. I had to stop Emilie's naps back in May because if she napped she was not falling asleep at night until 10:30pm. Trevor stopped napping on his own (he started fighting them) in Sept.

 

No naps, I'm pushing them to make it until 8:00. With naps (which I do on Saturdays since I have no worries about getting to sleep at a certain time) they are in bed by 9 but are usually awake until 10 or 10:30.

 

Sorry to jump in here and ask a question, but we're trying to figure out what to do as far as dropping naps. If I drop the nap, they will barely see Dad by the time he gets home. How about doing things as a family at night? Do you just make sure they take a nap on those days when you have something planned? I'm exhausted just thinking about entire days w/ no break!! Sleep at night has been rough when they nap though, so I think we're ready.

 

We have a similar issue for me. On weekends, we have mostly been skipping naps and trying to get them in bed by 7:30, hopefully asleep by 8pm. But during the week, I get home b/t 6:30 and 7p and they need time w/me, so bedtime stretches later.

Also, my husband needs them to have quiet time otherwise his afternoon is tough. For now we take it day by day.

 

If I have something big planned that I know will keep them up I definitely work in a nap, otherwise they just aren't in the best moods. However, mine are old enough that they will make it even if they don't have a nap. Also, even if there isn't a nap, I try to do downtime for them...usually I put in a movie and put one in the recliner and one on the couch and tell them they are going to rest and no playing. It usually works and gives me an hour and a half of me time. What you could do is naps every other day so they can see your DH some during the week, or instead of cutting naps out completely, reduce the amount of time you let them sleep (sometimes I will do this if my girls are particulary tired one day).

 

Thanks so much for the great suggestions. I wanted to let you know that I listened

I gave them a bigger snack in the afternoon and fed them dinner a bit earlier to get the nighttime routine off to an earlier start. I had them in the tub by 6:30 and then got them dressed in the bathroom (usually we take them to their room) and quickly got them to brush their teeth. Then I let them play for 10 more minutes and set the timer and gave them a 5 minute warning. Then I took them to bed and did books and some songs. It went great. I had them in their beds by 7:20. The entire process was totally peaceful.

I was shooting for closer to 7. But tomorrow is another day.

Thanks. You girls rock!! :give_rose:

 

On no-nap days, to bed around 7:30 and awake around 7:00. We have fewer bedtime struggles on those days, but not nonexistent. Bedtime in general has gotten easier since about age 3.5, though.

When they do nap (only at school), we still have them in bed by 8 (8:30 at the latest), but they're often not asleep till 9, 9:30, 10.... I much prefer the no-nap days.

 

:woo: Rachel! Sounds like the new routine is a success so far!

 

we are still struggling with nap vs no nap...even when they don't nap they still go to bed by 8...any earlier and it backfires by one waking up around 10:30 and thinking its ok to be up... sometimes they do nap (I try to get them in on the weekends) and then they're up till after 9 but since its the weekend I don't really take issue with it...