Parenting From The Heart

a place for parents who aren't perfect but are trying their best

When Should a Toddler Stop Napping – an Expert Weighs in

When should your toddler give up their nap? Find out what a sleep consultant says the signs are to look for! Parenting toddlers, toddler sleep, toddler isn't napping, nap tips, sleep tips

When should you give up your toddler’s nap? Read a sleep expert’s insights and signs your toddler is ready to stop napping.

When my textbook sleeper began taking longer and longer and longer to fall asleep at nap time, I persisted with iron-clad determination.

She would sleep.

I had worked so hard to get my then 18-month-old and two-and-a-half-year-old to nap at the same time.

My toddlers’ nap time was my refuel time. I needed both toddlers to nap.

I could eat lunch uninterrupted, wash the floors, or nap with them. My son was a terrible sleeper and so I didn’t want to give up the only time I could get some R&R.

I remained hopeful that maybe there was research to suggest that kids needed to nap until at least grade school, if not longer…

Related reading: 15+ Calming Toddler Activities For When Your Child No Longer Naps

After way too long of desperately trying to get her to sleep, and after a few missed naps and a grouchy girl, I messaged one of my good friends. Chelsea is a Certified Sleep Sense Consultant. I messaged her in the hops that she could give me a few insightful tips to get my toddler’s naps back.

What I got back was that it was very clear at a few months shy of three, my little girl was ready to give them up. Nevertheless, I had to ask Chelsea, ‘If she’s ready, why is she so temperamental without one?’ Chelsea assured me this was normal, and to facilitate quiet downtime with a carb-rich snack such as fruit or bread to give her energy.

Related reading: Why you shouldn’t punish tantrums and what to do instead

So, When Should Your Toddler Stop Napping? A Sleep Consultant Weighs In

It’s a question I am asked often, ‘Is my toddler ready to stop napping?‘ I know they want to hear a ‘No’ from me. Many parents, myself included, enjoy the 2-hour break when their toddler snoozes away. They can get things done. But we can’t deny the signs that our toddler is ready to stop napping. – Chelsea, the sleep consultant

There are two signs to look for when decided your toddler is ready to stop napping.

The first is that they will spend their entire naptime playing, giggling, talking to their toys. Basically, your toddler is doing their utmost to forgo going to sleep. Even if this only happens a couple of times a week, this counts as a sign.
 
 
The second sign to look for is your child delaying bedtime. Your child will nap readily, but won’t go to bed at a proper bedtime. Chelsea’s advice is that if you notice this starts to happen, wait about a week. Avoiding bedtime could be a temporary phase. But, if your child is at least two-and-a-half-years-old and showing these signs fairly consistently, it’s time to pull the nap altogether. Your child should get 11-12 hours of consolidated sleep each night. It is much better to have this than two hours during the day and 9 or 10 hours at nighttime.
 
Making this change is a big adjustment for your toddler and it as long as four to six weeks for their little body to adjust. It is important to stay consistent with them. Waffling between naps and no naps will be harder on their body and will not allow their internal clock to normalise. Chelsea suggests you replace their normal nap-time with a minimum of 30 minutes of quiet time. One suggestion she has is to create a quiet time bin with special activities such as colouring books, puzzles, and stickers. During this time, offer your child a snack with natural sugar such as fruit. It’s also a good idea to move bedtime as early as 6pm until their body has adjusted.
 
 
When my daughter stopped napping, it took time but we got into a new routine. And I have to say, our new normal has been quite nice. We have used the time to do activities that her brother is too young to do. Having that quality one-on-one time has brought out the absolute best in my little girl!
 

For more reading on parenting toddlers, check out:

FAQ about toddler sleep

  1. How do you know when your toddler is done with naps?

    Sleep experts say when the child readily postpone naps, naps get later and later in the day and/ or bedtime is delayed.

  2. How long should a toddler nap?

    Toddlers need about 12-14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. So, if a toddler gets 12 hours of consolidated sleep at night and doesn't have the signs she is ready to give up her nap, her nap should be about two hours.

  3. Should you wake a toddler from his nap?

    Generally speaking, no. However, if the nap is getting close to 4pm, this can interfere with his sleep at night and you may want to consider waking him. Also, if you have concerns about his health or wellbeing, then absolutely wake him. Observe your child's behaviour to see if she needs shorter or fewer naps.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Subscribe to get the latest!

Free goodies straight to your inbox

Invalid email address
,
, , , ,

Posted by:

Alana

When Alana Pace found out she was pregnant with her second child only six months after having her first, she knew she had to get creative fast. Fortunately, spending so much of her childhood outdoors with a mother who specialized in Early Childhood Education, learning through play was almost instinctive. Each morning with her kids marks a new opportunity to explore and seize the day. Family and writing are her passions. On Parenting From the Heart, she writes about her experiences, life lessons, activities, products and tips that are of value to young families.

30 responses to “When Should a Toddler Stop Napping – an Expert Weighs in”

  1. Melissa Matters

    It’s really hard when kids drop their nap. Both my kids dropped theirs before three but it was good because otherwise they would stay up way too late. This is great advice.

    Reply
    1. Alana

      It is hard! It’s a part of parenting I would have been happier holding on to for about a decade or so 😛 Same thing happened with my daughter, she would nap but hen go to bed at 9:30!!! It’s a better balance now. Thanks for sharing your own experience, Melissa!

      Reply
  2. Rachel E. Bledsoe

    We are in your same boat with the nap time situation. I don’t want to let it go. But the boy is starting to fight back. If he does nap during the day, it is harder and harder to put him down at night time, and he’s approaching the two and a half age. I’m so glad and thankful to read this. We kinda have been struggling with what to do.

    Reply
  3. workingmommagic

    My kids never napped. When my son was younger they would put him in the age above his during nap time since he would wake up all the other kids trying to ‘whisper’ talk to the teachers. hahaha

    Reply
  4. mamabyfire

    I’m so glad I read this! To be honest, I really didn’t want to because I am not ready for my oldest to drop her nap. When I first started reading, I was able to come around. Maybe it would be cool to have some extra one on one time with my girl again. But by the end, I think it’s clear, she is not ready to give them up yet (phew!!). But she might be ready in a few months, and when she is, I’ll embrace it. 🙂

    Reply
  5. triciathegoodmama

    NEVER! haha My son will be two in August. I know the time will eventually come when he needs to drop his nap, but I’m not ready for it. Thanks for sharing these signs to look for though.

    Reply
  6. Natalie

    What about preschool? Some preschools give them naps if they stay in the afternoon. Mine took naps until they were 4 or 5. It depended on the child.

    Reply
    1. Alana

      Thanks so much for writing and commenting. These are markers to indicate a child is ready to give up their nap. The markers are meant for 2.5 on but it doesn’t mean at 2.5 they’re done, it just means when they hit 2.5 and beyond and start to show these signs they’re done. My daughter’s school facilitates naps but it’s just meant as quiet restful time as the majority at age four have outgrown theirs. For the ones who haven’t, they can sleep.

      Reply
  7. Anete

    My girl is not 20months old yet, but her sleep schedule is 9,5 hours per night and ~2h per day. She doesn`t want to go to sleep during the naptime lately. But she falls asleep within 10 minutes. Her nighttime sleep seems really short. Is it possible, that it really would be better at this age to take away her nap time, so she gets 12 hours of consolidated sleep even before she is two years old? (+we`ll have a baby boy by the time she is two… I bet he`ll wake her up, even if she tries to nap, cause her sleep is not that tight during the day time)

    Reply
  8. Chelsea

    Thanks! This was a great insightful. My son is almost 18 months ( I hope I have a little time)!

    Reply
  9. Marina

    Wow my son is 4 1/2 and still naps u m trying to stop the naps but he end up falling a sleep by himself in the couch or the carpet!!! I m trying this I hope it works!

    Reply
    1. Alana

      Of course, every child is different. But I hope this helps!

      Reply
  10. Amanda

    Here is where I am stuck. My son is 3 and just wont nap. I get that at this age they can give it up, but there is no room in our day to adjust for an earlier bed time or a later wake up. He is so cranky in the morning, and there has been a very negative change in his behavior. Im just stuck!

    Reply
  11. Nuraan

    Hi

    My son is 3 and naps consistently for about an hour problem is he went fall asleep before 8 and only sleep 9.5 to 10 hours for the most what should I do? Please advise

    Reply
  12. Cyndi B

    Hi, thanks for the advice. My oldest napped consistently til 5 and still slept 12 hours at night but my second son doesn’t seem to require as much sleep. He is only slerping 8-9 hours at night regardless of bedtime (between 7:30 and 9; we would prefer the former). So, some days he is awake at 4:30 am and ready to get up for the day. He naps 2 hours in the aftetnoon, so I am guessing he needs to give up naps but please weigh-in. Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Alana Pace

      Oh my goodness, that can’t be easy. I really recommend The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers. He likely does need to give up naps though. Some children give up naps as early as 18 months and some as late as 5 as you said. I hope the book helps. I found it so insightful.

      Reply
  13. 10+ Positive Parenting Strategies for Difficult Toddler Behaviour

    […] When Your Toddler Should Stop Napping […]

    Reply
  14. Kelly

    What if my son just turned 2 and a) won’t nap, either yells or plays the entire time we try. And b) if he does nap, even to just fall asleep in the car, he won’t go to bed until 10, 11 or even later. He sleep 12 to 13 hours a night when he gets to bed at a decent time.

    I know it’s signs of dropping his nap, but also could be the 2 year regression thing. So we keep trying For a month now. So here I sit, trying to calm and get to sleep a crazy 2 year old who keeps taking his clothes off and laughing and playing and we are approaching 10pm.

    Just came across this article as I was googling by night light and saw some great replies so I thought I would comment. Thank you for the article.

    Reply
  15. Nicole

    My daughter is right At 2.5 and has started not wanting to nap. She even tells me “but I don’t want to take a nap.” 😳 she’s started playing with her toys and a few times over the last couple of weeks I have just let her play. Then when bedtime rolls around she starts telling everyone goodnight on her own. We just started potty training a week ago too and it’s going great. Not sure if we should drop the nap so she’ll go to bed earlier while we are potty training. Seems like a lot at once.

    Reply
  16. How to Conquer Your Toddler's Potty Training Regression

    […] When Your Toddler Should Stop Napping […]

    Reply
  17. May

    I came across this site in desperate search for any help. My son is 4.5 and has always needed naps. He is transitioning to kindergarten where they do not nap and it has been tough. He is showing signs of crankiness, personality shifts, and increasing aggression which I believe are all due to lack of sleep. I commute far for work so drop offs at school must be around 7-730 and pick ups are at 5:30 so with dinner the earliest I can try to get him I to bed is 8 if I am lucky to be on top of a schedule. I am at a lost for what to help with this transition.

    Reply
    1. Michelle

      This is exactly our situation, except that our almost 5 year old is in Pre-K 4 due to a late birthday, so he still gets a 1 hour nap at school. On the weekends he could nap up to 3 hours and still go to bed 8/8:30. We have a 2yo as well, who naps at the same time at home on the weekends. 4yo gets to school by 7:45am and pickup is after work at 5:45pm, home by 6:45 and hope to get both kids to bed by 8:30. More often than not, 4yo gets to bed closer to 9pm and I wake him up at 6am.

      I think he still needs naps as he tends to get cranky and unruly if he doesn’t get a nap, and we’re also dealing with aggressive behavior at school, but not at home.

      Reply
  18. Brandi N Blackburn

    My son is about a month away from being two, and has started showing all these signs. So, I’m guessing hes probably ready to let go of the naps, he usually sleeps from about 7:30pm to roughly 7:30 am and has since he was about 6 to 8 months old, always been a good night time sleeper. It was obvious enough when it was time to dump the morning nap, guess it’s just as apparent, that the afternoon nap is a thing of the past too. I definitely don’t need the fight in the evening for bed time that’s for sure, thank you!!!

    Reply
  19. Calming Toddler Activities: 15+ simple ideas your child will love

    […] my almost-three-year-old daughter seemed like she might be ready to give up her nap, I was desperate. You see, I had just gotten through the stage of two under two and was exhausted. […]

    Reply
  20. Songs are one of the most powerful ways to ease toddler transitions | Parenting From The Heart

    […] though my little guy isn’t quite ready to give up his nap, this time of day plays out the same […]

    Reply
  21. The Good Science Sleep Guides Parenting From The Heart

    […] When should a toddler stop napping? An expert weighs in […]

    Reply
  22. Tara

    My son is only 20months and starting refusing his nap twice this week at home (but did nap at childcare). It seems way to young to drop his nap right?! Any tips on how to get back the nap?

    Reply
  23. The stress-free way to potty train your toddler | Parenting from the Heart

    […] When should my toddler give up naps? An expert weighs in […]

    Reply
  24. Stop whining in its tracks with this simple strategy

    […] When Should a Toddler Stop Napping? A Sleep Expert Weighs in […]

    Reply
  25. Kim

    My son has been fighting bedtime for the last month. He’s 18 months, and I’m pregnant (and exhausted). He’s usually a great overnight sleeper of 10-12 hours but never great on naps. He dropped to 2 naps at 6 months and 1 nap at 9 months. I’m dreading stopping this nap as it makes driving anywhere difficult (live in the country and he falls asleep in the car) but with a forced nap at 12 or 2ish he wakes grumpy and then refuses to go to sleep until 9.30-10pm.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

Hi, I’m Alana. When I’m not nursing cold, stale coffee, I usually can be found with the baby on my hip, barefoot, and racing after my two older kids.

Thanks to a degree in psychology and a free-range childhood backing onto an expansive evergreen forest, positive parenting and play-based learning are my passions.

Subscribe Now!

Free goodies straight to your inbox

Invalid email address

Recent Posts

Search