Why We Dropped Naps
Our 2 year old is nap free.
For the past month, we’ve experimented with dropping our 2.5 year old’s naps.
His naps were inconsistent up to this point thanks to swim lessons & weekend outings. We noticed when he took his usual 1.5 hour nap, bedtime was a fight.
Tantrums, refusal to read stories, getting out of bed for water, more hugs, or yelling “I can’t sleep.” Some nights it took him 2 hours to relent to sleep.
In addition to no naps, there is no TV after 4 pm. Those two changes are working for us. He now goes to bed at 7:30pm and stays in bed until 7 am. I am mourning the loss of quiet time during my day when all 3 kids are home, but I know I’ll adjust like he has adjusted. 😍
The downside to this no toddler nap life is that I don’t have the “mental breaks” I’ve grown accustomed to for years. What I’ve done to get some rest in our days, I’ve established “chill out” time activities.
At most my kids (2 & 5) can handle each activity for 15-20 minutes. But if you do a bunch of these activities during the day, you can get at least an hour of “chill out” time.
Living room “drive in” movie picnic
Coloring Book Station
Just Add Water for an afternoon bath party
When this happens I can read, listen to a podcast, workout, do dishes/laundry, cook or just scroll 😜🤷🏽♀️ Dropping naps doesn’t have to mean you lose your mental breaks too.
What age did you drop naps for your kid(s)?