Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

DS 2 is a nightmare at bedtime so much so that he has his own room because he keeps the other 2 awake.
I have tried everything later bedtime, earlier bedtime., sitting with him, patting him nothing works he just doesn't want to sleep.
It will take him anywhere from an hour to two and a half hours to fall asleep.
The only time bedtime goes smoothly is when he doesn't nap.
I feel bad taking them away because he is a good napper 2 or more hours but idk what else to do.
It's just me at night so I think it makes it harder.
Any advice would be appreciated

Message edited 7/22/2013 7:52:51 PM.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

Yes, my oldest. He was a nightmare at bedtime & he was only napping an hour. Once we dropped his nap, bedtime was a pleasure. The transition of dropping his nap was a nightmare though. He would scream bloody murder & it was hard but after a couple days, it was a memory.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

Yup. My sisters have 3 kids each and they told me that as soon as naps effect bedtime its time to take them away. DS is almost 4 (stopped naps a lil after 3) and when he doesnt nap its bedtime at 730 and hes asleep within 5 mins. When he does nap he doesnt fall asleep till 9. But DS isnt cranky or whiny w no nap. How is your DS when he doesnt nap? Maybe he just needs a shorter naptime and You wake him after 30 mins. Or if you need the downtime when hes napping then try not letting him nap but having him do quiet time in his room for an hour.

Message edited 7/22/2013 9:14:27 PM.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

my 2nd ds if he naps even for 10 minutes he is up until 11 at night so I try not to let him nap at all. He stopped when he was a little over 3

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

Yes. When DS1 was about 3yo it was taking HOURS to get him to sleep. He originally was takinga 90m nap and then going to bed around 9. All of hte sudden it was taking until 11pm to get him to sleep.

So I took away the nap and instituted quiet time. He had to be in his room for 90mins still but I would give him the portable dvd player (we didnt have tablets 2.5years ago in our house) and he could play in his room, etc, but he had to be quiet and in his room. When I took his nap away I also moved his bedtime up 30 mins,

That lasted about 5 months before we gave up quiet time.

DS is sstill like that at 5.5yo. If he falls asleep in hte car for even 5 mins it totally messes up bedtime.

ETA: before I took away naps completely I cut them bacck from 2+hours to 90mins. I would wake him up at that point. That worked for a bit and his bedtime wasnt too bad.

Message edited 7/22/2013 11:33:38 PM.

Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

DS was a GREAT napper, he'd sleep between 2.5-3 hours every afternoon no problem. Right around his 3rd birthday, he started giving me a harder time going to bed at night. He'd usually nap between 2-4 or 4:30 and then go to bed at 8. 8 became 8:30, 9, 9:30....and so forth. He'd fight the bedtime routine and then stay in his crib talking, yelling, crying, singing for another hour or so before falling asleep. I tried moving his nap up to 1pm, waking him up after only an hour, etc. but nothing helped.
Finally I gave up and (begrudgingly) took away naps completely and he went back to going to bed between 8-8:30, falling asleep practically as soon as his head hit the pillow.

If we are in the car in the afternoon, he'll doze off but otherwise he's fine. He gets 1 hour of "quiet time" in the afternoon (watching 2 of his shows). It took him a while to adjust, in the beginning he was soooo tired by 5-6pm, but now he is totally fine.

I do miss that 2.5 hour mid day break though *sigh*

Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

My DS still naps - he'll be 3 in Sept. However, we limited it to an hour TOPS and we make sure it's before 2:00 pm.

Anything longer or later and its just hellish at bedtime. If it's after 2 and he is showing signs of wanting to nap we just distract him until its time for bed (on those days 7pm). It's not always fun because he is super cranky and wound up for the time but he falls asleep within 10 minutes of hitting the bed.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

He just tuned 2 in may so I feel like he still should be napping.
I think today I will try to limit it to an hour and see what happens.
Thanks for sharing your experiences !

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

I just went thru this with DS, but he was closer to 3. He could still nap if I let him, but I don't. Makes bedtime a nightmare. I miss his nap. DD is 5.5 and could still nap if I let her. She does sometimes.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

I'm on the verge of doing this. I really want DD to keep napping. I don't think she's really ready. She's 2.5. But she doesn't want to nap anymore. She'll fight it her entire nap time and then end up dosing off really late afternoon and won't wake up, which kills bedtime. But even if she does have a regular nap, bedtime has become a horror. When she doesn't nap and I can keep her awake, she can't keep her eyes open past 7:45-8.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

Yes. Took away naps when DS turned 3. He was a nightmare at naps then moody when he got up. He also was hard to put to sleep.
Took them away and we had "quiet" time around his usual time he got tired. Watch Tv, book time or just chill out. Went to bed at 7:30 with no issues and now he is 4 and still great going to bed.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

Yes, just before dd turned 2. she would be up until 10-11 if she napped at all. then back to 8pm....until i took her binky away t 3 1/2. never been the same since and she is 7. up until 11 most nights.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

yes, right before DD turned 3. She would and still could nap for a 1-2 hours but then she would be in her crib "playing" from 8-10 or 11 pm most nights. I cut out the nap and she now goes to bed between 7:30-8 and is passed out in less than 5 minutes and sleeps anywhere from 12-13 hours.

Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?

We had to take away naps too. His 8pm bedtime was taking until 10 pm for him to fall asleep and then he would wake up at 5:30 or 6am. Not enough sleep at all so he was in that vicious cycle of napping bc of not enough sleep. We took his naps away in June and he's back to going to bed around 8pm and waking between 6 am - 7 am. If there are days he does nap, it's only for an hour tops, or 30 minutes depending on what time it is when he falls asleep.

He's 2.5.

Re: Has anyone ever taken away naps because of bedtime issues?