When you think your child is finished with nap time

Nap time is sacred in some people’s houses. From signs on the door warning visitors to avoid the doorbell, parents will stop at nothing to disturb the little bit of peace they get while their child naps. It’s a beautiful time, where parents across the world breathe a little easier as they fold the laundry, or eat a snickers without the telltale sound of little feet pattering up behind them…

That is until your child starts to grow out of naps. But this needn’t be such a bad thing! Every child grows out of their daytime naps at some stage in their lives, and we’ve got some great tips to make that transition as smooth as possible.

Know the signs

Children who attend crèche or daycare have their whole days scheduled, including set times for eating, napping and playing. While this provides children with a much needed routine, it doesn’t help children when they begin to grow out of their daytime nap. Talk to their carer, or watch them at home to see if they’re showing any signs they’re ‘tired of’ (!) napping.

  • They have trouble falling asleep or don’t sleep at nap time.
  • They show no signs of tiredness when they miss a nap.
  • Or they have trouble falling asleep at bedtime when they have had a nap that day.
Be flexible

Much like the above tip, pay attention to your child’s mood and demeanour. Just because they skipped the nap for three days, doesn’t mean they’re done with naps forever. They could still need a nap on certain extra tiring days, so don’t be afraid to be flexible.

Replace nap time with quiet time

Even if your child isn’t going to sleep, still set aside about 30 minutes in the day where they have ‘quiet time’ or ‘chill time’.  Playing with books or soft toys in a darkened room will help recharge them for the afternoon. Note: Try to avoid screens during this time as they can be too stimulating when your child needs to recharge.

Try to avoid the car

Now, we don’t want to leave you stranded in the house all day, but any mum worth her salt knows that one thing the car does better than getting us from A to B, is lulling our children to sleep. So, if you’re trying to lose the naps, try to get all your bits done before that midday slump hits. Else be prepared for a bit of a late one!

Move bedtime up

Yep. No more naps means a sleepier child, so go ahead and push bedtime up about 30 minutes or so. To avoid this being a sudden change, move the whole evening schedule up to accommodate for the earlier bedtime. That means earlier dinner, bath time, story time and bedtime. Leaving you with extra 30 time to yourself…*snores*

maternity & infant

Originally posted 2018-06-06 08:29:50.