Q: Our son used to take a two-hour nap every afternoon. Recently, he’s refused to nap at all, no matter what I do. Is he ready to give up his nap?
A: A toddler often needs his nap a lot more than he thinks he does. The problem is convincing him of that. With so much to do, and so little time in a day to do it, taking an hour or two off for sleep isn’t high on his priority list.
Sometimes, a toddler gives up his nap prematurely because of a one-time event that knocked his schedule out of whack—an afternoon birthday party or a trip to the museum, a weekend at Grandma’s (where it’s too much fun to waste time sleeping).
Less often, he gives it up because he really doesn’t need it. If your close-to-24-month-old child sleeps well at night, seems rested in the morning, and is happy and generally good-tempered all day, he probably can drop his nap. If, however, he seems chronically cranky and overtired, easily frustrated and uncharacteristically clumsy at his customary naptime or in the evening, he probably doesn’t know what’s good for him. Ditto if he’s been sleeping less well at night since calling it quits on his nap.
Try some gentle persuasion to get him napping again, giving it a week of best efforts. If your toddler resolutely resists naptime, won’t even brake for some enforced quiet time (a better-than-nothing alternative), and continues to show signs of fatigue, shoot for an earlier bedtime. (From Chapter 5, Sleeping)
Want to learn more about the second year? Heidi Murkoff will be answering your questions about toddlerhood and offering tips on how to make the most of months 12 to 23 live on Twitter this Thursday, April 7th, from 9 to 10 PM EST. Join the party!
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