Any morning nappers?

[Nicole730]

Anyone have an older morning only napper? DS is 2.5 and wakes up around 7am, give or take. He usually goes to bed at 7pm or a little after. On the days he does nap, it's 2 hours. But, more and more frequently he is not napping and then he is ready for bed around 5:30-6pm. He will get up around 6:30am those days.

Anyone have a toddler take morning naps? I'm wondering if he could just take a "power" nap around 10am or something. We've tried naptime at 12, 12:30, 1:30, 2, and 2:30.

[gbailey]

I wish. My almost 2.5 year old DD stopped a morning nap shortly after she turned one. On the occasion she wakes up at 7 though she'll nap around 11:30 to 2:30 but that's it until bedtime.

[butterfly_mommy]

When DS wakes at 7 he is ready to nap around 10:30/11 and wakes around 12:30/1. I actually really prefer this schedule but he loves to sleep till 8:30 or later. .

[YayJennie]

My 18 month old is a very early riser, and generally takes his one nap pretty early. He's never, in his life, slept past 9am, and most mornings he's up by 7-7:30. Then he's ready for a nap by 11, but we've been trying to keep him up until noon because otherwise the nights are terrible and he wants to go to bed at 6pm (he just dropped to one nap and it's been a tough transition for him). The problem with going down too early is he's still cranky and ready for bed so early that it's like he hasn't napped at all, even though that's what he would prefer. Ideally, I'd have him go down from 1-3 each day for his nap, but it's hard to keep him up that long in the morning. Usually it's noon-2ish. But if it were left up to him, he'd be ready for a nap by 10:30-11ish each morning, and then ready for bed at 6pm each night.

[confustication]

My 2yo is ready for a nap about 2 hours after he gets up. He is actually dropping his afternoon nap- but keeping the morning nap. It's tricky because everyone seems to think toddler stuff should happen at 10am, but that is when he likes to be mid-nap.

[crunchy_mommy]

If my 20mo old went to bed & woke up at 'normal' times than his nap would end up being late morning. He sleeps from 11:30pm-10:30am and then usually naps around 1pm for an hour or two (so if he woke up at 7, he'd nap around 10:30). I wish he'd nap a little later but he's always tired about 2-4 hours from when he woke up. Makes it hard to do things because I feel like he's asleep half the day (and awake all evening!)

[red and lulu]

we're stuck in the early nap, early bedtime hole right now, too. dd (15 mo) has been waking b/n 6:30-7, and so is ready to nap by 11-11:30. and then she only sleeps for an hour, maybe an hour and fifteen minutes. so by 6 she is a total wreck, actually asking for "night night." days when we've gotten her to nap later, she still only naps for 45 min to an hour, and so is still ready for bed by 6.

i just wish she'd take a longer nap, whatever time of day.

[Nicole730]

Thanks everyone!

DS fell asleep around 8pm last night, woke up at 7am and I just put him in his room for a nap - 10:45, we'll see how it goes. I think moving his nap earlier will help all around, if it actually works. Because he still needs a nap, but napping later in the afternoon makes his bedtime way too late. I don't mind if he has a 6pm bedtime, as long as he doesn't wake up before 7am. We'll see how it goes. I think he'll be able to last until 7pm though.

[Ruthie's momma]

DD was a morning napper until she gave up naps at turning 3 years old. I loved it! Her early napping helped to keep the afternoons open. Plus, her bedtime was nice and early....

Now that she dropped her naps, her bedtimes are a little more flexible. She can go to bed anywhere between 7 and 9 and sleep 12 or 13 hours straight, waking up anywhere between 7 and 9 (depending upon when she goes to bed).

[ellemenope]

We have revamped our sleep schedule for fall/winter and it goes like this:

DD wakes up around 7am, is offered a nap at 11am, goes to sleep at 8pm. If she doesn't take a nap, she goes to bed at 7pm. He nap only lasts 45 minutes.

I loved her staying up late in the Summer, but I am totally looking forward to this early bedtime. I give her about an hour to fall asleep at 11am and that is it. It is a take it or leave it situation. I am finding out, some days she conks out easily, and some days she just doesn't need the nap. If I wait till 1pm like we had been, bedtime doesn't even start until 10pm.

I believe whole-heartedly in naps, so this really puts the ball in her court, and if nothing else, she gets one hour of relaxation.

It works. She is 2y3m. So far, she has been taking naps 50% of the time, but I am hoping with a few more weeks of this routine, she will nap more at this early time.

[Nicole730]

We're on day 2 of a 10:45 naptime. He's a little more talkative than yesterday, but not as upset about naptime. I think we will do something similar to you, ellemenope. I do take him out after 1 hour if he is not sleeping. And I still get my downtime of one hour, but just earlier in the day.

[Aufilia]

My DD napped from 10-12 until she started preschool at 2.75, and then we gradually pushed her nap back until it occurred from 1-3 instead. She was getting up around 6am and going to bed around 6-7pm at the time.