Wondering when it’s time for your toddler to stop napping? Here’s a look at our toddler nap schedule and tips for when the final nap needs to get dropped.
I’m writing to you from my couch where it’s 1:11 pm and I’m seriously considering opening a beer or purchasing a punching bag and gloves on Amazon. Why you might ask?! Toddler naps. Or lack thereof. We’ve officially gone from a napping house of 3 to a napping house of 1. While it was a must for Anthony [3] and Joey [4] to drop their naps [hello 11 pm bedtimes if they do nap], there’s something to be said about spending 14 hours with children asking for another show, another snack, or better yet, “why” for the 571st time that day. So here I am taking a break from talking about the 5 pm dinner craziness to the 1pm-4pm madness, aka the no-nap zone. Because I’m ALL ears if you’ve been there, done that, or have some suggestion beyond the punching bag for my mental state.
Dropping Naps: The Good
When the boys go hard all day long they go to bed without a sound. Seriously. Lights off and everyone is out. That means if I have the energy I can do some writing at night or miscellaneous things like organizing toys [thrilling, I know] or heck enjoying a few of our recorded shows. It also means Ted and I can have a conversation before 9:30 pm, which he knows is that time of day I pretty much say we can talk about it tomorrow.
Dropping Naps: The Bad and The Ugly
There’s something to be said about early bedtimes and enjoying a few hours at night kid-free, but man, once we hit day 4 of no naps, a certain toddler [take a wild guess] hits his breaking point and Mom seems to as well. Anthony has always been my passionate one [he gets it from his Momma], and like I said before, if we let him take a nap, he will be up past my bedtime! But when he doesn’t nap, sound the alarm, the neighbors must think I’m living in a fraternity house. He’s loud, combative, and whiny for about 3 hours. Then magically the mood changes once Lily wakes up and voila, Anthony seems to blackout his previous behavior. Me, on the other hand, feel like I’ve just run a mental marathon.
Dropping Naps: The Solution
I’m sort of just taking Anthony’s lead for now and assuming when he has the tantrum of the century that he really just needs some time laying down with the hope that he’ll just catnap. I also hope that once the weather gets warmer we will spend our afternoons outside so if he DOES take a nap, he will be worn out by 8 pm instead of the midnight hour. Currently, because sis is still napping, I keep the boys semi-quiet with a TV show, a movie, or a few minutes of games on the iPad, coloring, Playdough, or puzzles. I bet you can guess the favorite quiet-time activities….
I guess I’m writing this post for nothing more than a little confirmation that when your child’s naps initially dropped things were a little hit or miss in the attitude department. I really don’t remember this happening with Joey, but then again Joey has always been my go with the flow kind of toddler. I also wondered what some of your favorite quiet-time activities are. In my experience, boys are NOT quiet [or clean]. Hence why I often resort to a TV show or movie. While I’d love to send them to their room for some quiet time, they usually last 3 minutes until Serbinski WrestleMania ensues.
Is it bedtime yet?!
