Super late nap or no nap?

melissa0726 · April 2013

So, we talked a few days back about managing no nap days. But what do you day when your kid seems like they are skipping their nap, but then decides he or she wants to sleep when it's waaaay past nap time?

For example, M's been napping from about 2:30 to 4:30 every day. Today she simply would not settle down for her nap. And finally around 5pm she was totally crashing.

I let her go to sleep. Partly for selfish reasons, I needed a break SO badly. She doesn't usually go to bed until about 9:30pm, so there is no way we're calling it an early night and having a 5pm bedtime, haha. I'll have to try to wake her up around 6/6:15.

Anyway, would you have let her sleep? Or tried to keep her awake for a few more hours, at least until we had dinner?

ohyeahdollface · April 2013

We just go with it.

Yesterday was one of those days. Usually she naps from about 1pm-3/330. At one I put her down and she just chatted for 30 min. It was hard, and exhausting, but we kept her up till her normal bed time at 730ish.

fancefpp · April 2013

I go with it too! Late nap is always better than no name in my book

ladybugpjb · April 2013

I would make it a short nap, and give at least an hour or two before bedtime.

When this used to be an issue, I wouldn't let him sleep past 4:30 or 5:00 (for a 7pm bedtime).

Now he usually won't go down at all, so we just push through until

Rachey1082 · April 2013

That's a tricky one. I always cut off nap at 4:30. If he's napping and hasn't gotten up yet or if he takes a late nap I wake him up then. There have been times when he's taken a later nap in the car. I let him go, but then I have to stay up a little late

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha · April 2013

My kids' nap schedule is flexible, but there's no way they can make it through the day without a nap. Even DD1. If they do end up skipping their nap, I will let them crash later on, but wake them up after 45 minutes or so.

tiff012982 · April 2013

This is happening every so often now bc DD is just in the last month transitioning to 1 nap and it's not longer than one of the 2 that she used to take which means she is only napping 1.5hr compared to the total 3hrs from 2 naps. If we are in the ca