Toddler advice thread

[quinzel]

Was reluctant to start a new thread but I couldn’t find an existing one so I hope this is ok!

Thought this would be a good place to share toddler questions and advice.

my son was two in October and since around then we have found he doesn’t want to have a nap every day. On the days he does nap it’s regularly taking an hour plus for him to fall asleep at bedtime. The problem is that when he doesn’t nap towards the end of day he is like a zombie.
Just wondering others’ experiences of this? When did your child drop their naps altogether?
thanks

 

[saltandvinegarcrisps]

Just before 2, last year nov/ dec he stopped going for his usual after lunch nap, we then went into lockdown so his days were not busy and I was happy enough to give him quiet time in afternoon with his iPad and kids Netflix etc so he had a decent early bedtime.

When he had a busy day,/ wasn't feeling too well he would have a nap but that wasn't the norm and would result in him being up late... I just went for early dinner bath and bedtime rather than force a nap. Gave us more flexibility for making daytime plans ( park trips ) as nothing else to do like playgroups etc to tire him out in the morning.

I wouldn't force it and just bring forward bedtime

 

[nurseren]

My son is now 4 but he napped until he was 3. We still do “nap time” but it’s called quiet time. For an hour when he’s not at school he goes into his room with the lights dimmed, and he can play with his cars or books. It’s definitely stopped the ratty mood at the end of the day. We also had to move bedtime from 1930 to 1845.

 

[hol20x]

My 3yo dropped her nap when she was 2 and a bit, I found that she was cranky and struggled to stay awake until bedtime at first but gradually it became easier and now she can do without the nap no problem.

 

[Pinkii]

My daughter also dropped her nap at 2, it took a while (seemed ages) for her body to adjust to the new times and the crankiness.

she is 3.5 now and very rarely still naps if she tired but i dont let her nap too long so it doesn’t mess with her bedtime

 

[Jellybean093]

My son was 2 in September. He still has a nap, try and put him down at 12.30 for an hour but I always let him go over. A few times, at a 2pm wake up, he will mess around at night. I put him down at 7.30, but as he shares a room with my 5 year old, they can be messing around until 9pm! But he’s very good and stays in his cot and just chatters away, doesn’t moan x

 

[AdelesEarring]

My daughter turns 2 this week. I have found that she is starting to drop day naps but yes she does get cranky. If she hasn’t had a nap, I put her to bed at 6pm instead of 7pm. This works fine because she is a good sleeper at night. It is difficult though! Especially because they are variable at this age due to growth etc.

 

[nurseren]

If you guys have IG, check out biglittlefeelings. When my son was younger I religiously followed her guides and they helped massively, however at the moment they are really focused on IVF and pregnancy.

 

[Kim Mild]

My almost 2 year old doesn't sleep through the night . Recently they've had danger naps late afternoon which meant they haven't settled for bed til about 10pm . Then they've slept through. I can't decide if I'd rather have peace in the evenings or a full night's sleep.

 

[Blair-Waldorf]

My 3 year old dropped her nap when she was 2 and a half. She was a nightmare though would only sleep in the car or the pram and I’d have to lift her into her bed She wakes up once in the night now and gets in with me. I’ve stressed about it for months and tried making her stay in her room but I’m at the point now where I think she won’t be little forever, it’s not the end of the world and We all just need sleep however it is. My other half works shifts so he just goes in the spare bed. Has anyone else dealt with this? How long did it go on for

My almost 2 year old doesn't sleep through the night . Recently they've had danger naps late afternoon which meant they haven't settled for bed til about 10pm . Then they've slept through. I can't decide if I'd rather have peace in the evenings or a full night's sleep.

I’ve faced this battle when she was dropping her nap. I’d have the evenings peace tbh. She’s always in bed by 7:30pm latest, those couple of hours peace are gold dust

 

[BettyCrockerr]

Was reluctant to start a new thread but I couldn’t find an existing one so I hope this is ok!

Thought this would be a good place to share toddler questions and advice.

my son was two in October and since around then we have found he doesn’t want to have a nap every day. On the days he does nap it’s regularly taking an hour plus for him to fall asleep at bedtime. The problem is that when he doesn’t nap towards the end of day he is like a zombie.
Just wondering others’ experiences of this? When did your child drop their naps altogether?
thanks

Don’t force the daytime nap - he’s going to drop them anyway so there’s no point in trying to make it happen and battling for an hour in the middle of the day!

Just bring bedtime forward slightly. Yes, he will be tired and maybe starting to doze off before bedtime but that will soon adjust and he will be able to go through to bedtime.

 

[Kim Mild]

I’ve faced this battle when she was dropping her nap. I’d have the evenings peace tbh. She’s always in bed by 7:30pm latest, those couple of hours peace are gold dust

I know , it won't be long before they start dropping their nap. I get so much done during nap time. I am hoping that they get used to sleeping through rather waking up in the middle of the night and needing so much settling back down.

My older one has always been a good sleeper.

 

[nurseren]

How’s everyone handling their terrorists over Christmas? If I have to say “put down that present” one more time

 

[Pinkii]

How’s everyone handling their terrorists over Christmas? If I have to say “put down that present” one more time

we have used Santa as a threat many times, think it has lost its charm

 

[nurseren]

we have used Santa as a threat many times, think it has lost its charm

My little one is scared of Santa. I keep asking Alexa to speak to Santa and he’s like, NOOOO NO HO HO HO PLEASE

 

[quinzel]

Thanks to everyone who replied to my initial post! we are most days not bothering with a nap and it's working quite well! Also regarding his speech, . Really helped hearing of other experiences and knowing we are not alone! My son has actually come on leaps and bounds with his speech in the last couple of months. He was 2 in october and every day he says something new. We are still not getting sentences just single words but he is saying so many I couldn't even keep count. I do notice sometimes he just says the beginning of the word, for example for teeth he will say "teee" but he is getting there and I am really happy with his progress!

Also loving how much more aware of christmas he is this year. This is his 3rd christmas but definitely the first year he has known there is something going on! I am seriously struggling for places to hide his presents as we don't have the biggest house! We also can't wrap anything until christmas eve because if he sees a wrapped present he will instantly want to open it whether it's for him or not lol.

 

[nurseren]

Littlepotato had speech therapy throughout covid… on the phone. I have very strong opinions on nursery pushing “special needs” labels on him when in reality he had a stammer. When he was 2, we really loved flash cards as it helped his vocabulary massively.

 

[watermelon sugar]

Hi does anyone have any advice? For a while now my son, he’s 22 months, at about 4.30/5am he starts getting really restless, kicking his legs, tossing and turning and moaning, if I get in quick enough and hold him sometimes he’ll go back to sleep but most of the time he wakes up. He’s still tired when he wakes though but just won’t go back to sleep. I’ve no idea what could be waking him up. Thank you!

 

[AdelesEarring]

Hi does anyone have any advice? For a while now my son, he’s 22 months, at about 4.30/5am he starts getting really restless, kicking his legs, tossing and turning and moaning, if I get in quick enough and hold him sometimes he’ll go back to sleep but most of the time he wakes up. He’s still tired when he wakes though but just won’t go back to sleep. I’ve no idea what could be waking him up. Thank you!

Is he learning a new skill? Sometimes when this is happening their brain wakes them up because it’s trying to tell them they need to keep practicing the skill. Other than that could he be hungry or thirsty?

 

[watermelon sugar]

Is he learning a new skill? Sometimes when this is happening their brain wakes them up because it’s trying to tell them they need to keep practicing the skill. Other than that could he be hungry or thirsty?

hmm I don’t think he’s thirsty or hungry he doesn’t seem it! He’s really learning with his speech atm he’s doing something new everyday! He’s starting to put two words together maybe it’s that?