In addition to the two surveys on my page, I've gotta ask one more question:
First, how old were your kids (bunnies, Ann-Marie? ;-) ) when they stopped taking naps? I know it varies from child to child, even within the same family. I know most of my kids took two naps a day until they were 18-months old. I was lucky.
Trevor stopped taking naps about a month ago. He turned 3 in November. Before we gave up, we went through some struggles trying to get him to lie down and be still. It used to be SO easy. He went right to bed. But that last month he really fought us on it, and then didn't want to wake up, and wouldn't go to bed at night. So, we did a test run. He took no nap. He seemed fine, didn't get overly fussy in the evening and went to bed at 7:30. All was well with the world. I had my evenings back, even though I still terribly miss that 2-hour time after lunch when I could get the tougher subjects done with the bigger kids.
Anyway, lately he's been falling asleep at about 6:30....sitting up or on the floor, wherever. So I'm thinking that maybe he needs his naps back again. We have been outside a lot lately. When the weather is nice we walk, bike ride, you name it. Hmmm...
Just curious what the rest of you do.
Looks like Trevor was totally tuckered out!!! You mentioned kids and naps in your blog. It is interesting that Jeannine stopped taking naps at abouy 18 months old, but your mom kept taking naps until she was almost through kindergarden. She wanted morning kinder so she could take her nap--and jeannine wanted afternoons so she would not have to lie down with mommie while the others napped. They are all different in their needs of sleep. Jon and Timothy were both about 4 when they stopped, if my memory serves me right.
ReplyDeleteMimi
Ok...my oldest stopped taking naps halfway through kindergarten, my middle was still taking naps when she started first grade, no matter how I tried to discourage it! She went to bed at 7 or 7:30...it was crazy! My last...well, she was the oddball. She stopped taking naps at about 3 1/2 yrs. I tried and tried, and battled to get her to nap...like you I needed that time, but it was to no avail. I even tried just having her lie down on her bed and have "quiet" time w/ books. That only lasted so long, b/c this year the older kids are usually still doing some sort of school work in the afternoon. From time to time she goes through those "sleepy" spells like it sounds like Trevor is doing. Almost always when she's played hard or outside more than usual, she'll crash out early, or if she sits still long enough watching t.v. I chalk this up to either playing too hard, having a growth spurt (they'll need more sleep), or maybe her immune system fighting off some bad germs. Any way you look at it...I don't think it always means that you need to reinvoke naptime. (although I'd love that! :0) ) However, you know your child best and what's best FOR him...so follow your instincts! :0) Luv ya girlie!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest two stopped napping right before turning 3. (which, unfortunantly for me was also right before the "new baby" was born for both of them) I say they stopped taking naps then, but the reality is I stopped MAKING them take naps them. I was sick of fighting with them over it! Sometimes they'd randomly fall asleep once or twice a week.. and at firt it was always like you said, early evening. I'd spend an hour trying to get them to wake up, they'd finally wake up as it was now bedtime. Fun fun! But, still, by age 3 I let them pretty much decide for themselves if they wanted to lay down or not. The transition time from napping regularly to sporadically can be a tough one.. but that time was pretty short for us. I must say that Carter (3 1/2 yrs old) ALWAYS falls asleep when we go get Madison from school at 3pm. it's a sure way to make him take a nap I guess.
ReplyDeletewe're a napping bunch of folks around here! i'm just now thinkin' hard on cutting naps for me and the two older ones. i just need one so badly! but they really don't need 'em and actually makes bedtime worse. so i guess if i could help any it would be to say go with the flow. if they're back sliding - start putting them back down at a reasonable naptime. for a short time 30 minutes - 1 hour. see how that works for a while. if it makes bedtime later and crazy then drop it again. and i would even change their bedtime. sometimes they just cycle in and out. plus the holidays may have just been hard on 'em with less schedule!
ReplyDeletemy constant motto - do it while it works and drop it when it doesn't!! i know you're such a great mama - you'll work it out just right!
also, on your survey on the side - i pushed for mama, but my girl sometimes calls me mommy. she's the wild card constantly in the bunch!
The bunnies nap pretty much all day. They are much more active at night, being the nocturnal, prey animals that they are. I don't think they grow out of napping, either, so I doubt I'll ever have to worry about weaning them off naps. Basically, it's nap, eat, poo, nap eat, poo - sort of like kids, now that I come to think of it.
ReplyDeleteTristan stopped taking naps around 3, but I would make him lay down to rest. Your story sounds a lot like ours. Even Alex is starting to cut 'em out. He'll fall asleep at the dinner table. Tristan is back to napping occasionally, and I know Alex will catch his again...sometime. I told Barb that our life comes in patches, smooth and then bumpy, smooth and then bumpy. No naps means bumpy. Also about, the what do your kids call you poll, Tristan started calling me mommy like his girl friends call their mom. I had to ask him to call me momma again because the way he said mommy sounded sooooooo whiny, and he says my name all day, so he was whining all day. Just so you know. :)
ReplyDeleteI love you all, you make me feel so much better. I remember this transition time with the other kids, but it's still hard for me this time. I start to think that I'm wearing the poor kid plum out, and I feel guilty for not having him nap. But, if I try to get him to lie down, he really doesn't cooperate. He'll try to "rest" as well as a hyperactive 3-year old boy can, but his eyes are so shiny and awake!
ReplyDeleteSo it sounds like the average age is about 3 for giving up the nap. I can handle that. He sure goes to bed easily at night now! And I like having my evenings back. :-)
Also, my own kids always call me "Mommy." And when they really want my attention it's more like "Mom-MEEE." Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteAdelia, I know what you mean. It sounds very whiny sometimes and I've threatened to change my name!! Cute that Tristin changed for awhile based on what his girlfriends' said. Hee hee
lol Wendy... I was at a New Year's Day get together with some friends and Carter decided to throw a whopper of a fit (overwhelmed by all the ppl I think). After trying to calm him for a LONG time I finally sat him down in a room by himself and told him to come out when he stopped screaming. I could hear him from the living room screaming "MOMMMMMEEEE!! MOMMEEEE!!" over and over. A friend that just got there said, "I think Carter's calling for you..." and I replied, "No, today my name is Daddy."
ReplyDeleteIf they fall asleep during the day they nap...if they're so cranky I can't stand it they nap...if they're home with their daddy they nap (probably most of the day)... but I don't make them nap if they're mostly happy.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter if Trevor falls asleep at 6:30. He can have that bedtime as long as he sleeps all night. My sis put Katherine to bed as early as 5:00 and she slept all night (without having napped in the day). My own mom put us to bed at 5:30 so that she could have time with dad and no kids... until we started waking up at midnight to play =) There's nothing wrong with an early bedtime =)
Change my name to Daddy!! Wow-- why didn't I think of that?! Then I wouldn't ever be called on to do anything! ;-) heh heh
ReplyDeleteTob, you crack me up. I don't think I could do that. I value my schedule too much, although this has most certainly been an OFF week for us. Today was no better than yesterday. :-(
ReplyDeleteI like the big kids in bed by 8pm, lights out. That means Daddy starts reading to them at 7:30. Trevor can be in bed between 7-730. If he falls asleep sooner, though, I expect him to sleep all night!!