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No more naps? 30 mo old, nursing, co-sleeping- Or is it a phase?

SidraJediSidraJedi member
in Attachment Parenting
My 30mo old was bedsharing with us up until about 26mo when we got a twin matress and put it next to our queen. Two months later her little sister was born. I still nurse DD1 for naps and bedtime despite (sometimes debilitating) nursing aversion that has me putting restrictions on our nursing sessions (no overnight, only 10-20 minutes before we "just cuddle" and no squeezing or rubbing the Breast and she has to "close her eyes and relax", no bouncing/jumping/to much moving) since it started about five months ago. The thing is that the aversion has gotten worse and as it has DD has taken to sucking her fingers (like sucking her thumb) even though our nursing sessions have not decreased in number; my attitude toward nursing has changed tho obviously. Her naps have been inconsistent this past year or so but she has never had a napping strike that has lasted this long; we are going past two weeks now. There seems to have been no trigger for this strike. The nursing thing is making me feel guilty bc I wish I could just relax and enjoy it with her but the truth is that I sometimes cry. I don't want to wean and niether does she. I have tried just cuddling her at nap and bedtime and it doesn't work. She will sometimes cuddle to sleep accidentally tho.
Other than all that molars or developmental factors may be at play.
I would say that she is just growing out of the nap but she is exhausted after lunch, just so tired, and will whine and fuss the rest of the day just out of lack of sleep. Her bedtime is earlier now as a result. Is this how napping ends? I feel like she needs more sleep to get through her day! Is it a phase? My niece who is 9mo older than DD1 has napped on and off since about 2 yr so maybe it just comes and goes? I would love it if she would nap again. She is so much more pleasant and so am I. Also, I like to be able to nap too if I want. Today was one of those days and no such luck!
We have a loose routine for naps and bedtime but I am tightening up the nap routine in hopes that it will help.
Thoughts?
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Re: No more naps? 30 mo old, nursing, co-sleeping- Or is it a phase?

  • SLGILL1978SLGILL1978 member
    My daughter is also 2.5 years. Sometimes, especially on the weekends, she may or may not take a nap. I always have her sit quietly and we watch a movie or read for a little while. If she is still awake, then I don't press the nap issue. She typically will go to bed earlier. 
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  • SidraJediSidraJedi member
    SLGILL1978 said:

    My daughter is also 2.5 years. Sometimes, especially on the weekends, she may or may not take a nap. I always have her sit quietly and we watch a movie or read for a little while. If she is still awake, then I don't press the nap issue. She typically will go to bed earlier. 

    See, up until two and a half weeks ago this was what we did. She would often not nap on weekends bc DH is home. Now she doesn't nap at all. Technically she naped Sunday. We had an overly exciting day as we adopted a second cat. She fell asleep in the papasan chair around 5pm and woke up after 7:30pm and then went to bed around 11pm.

    Today is typical. We went to storytime and then the playground. We came home before 1 and had lunch and ready to lay down just after1:30. She pooped and we read some books while I nursed DD2. When DD2 was asleep I asked DD1 if she would like to nurse and take a nap and she said yes. But she was so bouncy while we were reading books that I agreed only if she would lay down and cuddle with me first. She laid down but was hyperactive the while time and I gave up when DD1 (in my bed next to us) woke up. She was cranky, overtired and uncooperative all the rest of the day.

    There is something about her behavior that makes me think that she is fighting her nap to spend more time with me. But the less she naps the less patience and energy I have to play with her. I am thinking that if I make an effort to spend more quality time with her in the am that she will feel satisfied enough to nap after lunch? Has this worked for anyone else?
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  • SLGILL1978SLGILL1978 member
    SidraJedi said:
    My daughter is also 2.5 years. Sometimes, especially on the weekends, she may or may not take a nap. I always have her sit quietly and we watch a movie or read for a little while. If she is still awake, then I don't press the nap issue. She typically will go to bed earlier. 
    See, up until two and a half weeks ago this was what we did. She would often not nap on weekends bc DH is home. Now she doesn't nap at all. Technically she naped Sunday. We had an overly exciting day as we adopted a second cat. She fell asleep in the papasan chair around 5pm and woke up after 7:30pm and then went to bed around 11pm. Today is typical. We went to storytime and then the playground. We came home before 1 and had lunch and ready to lay down just after1:30. She pooped and we read some books while I nursed DD2. When DD2 was asleep I asked DD1 if she would like to nurse and take a nap and she said yes. But she was so bouncy while we were reading books that I agreed only if she would lay down and cuddle with me first. She laid down but was hyperactive the while time and I gave up when DD1 (in my bed next to us) woke up. She was cranky, overtired and uncooperative all the rest of the day. There is something about her behavior that makes me think that she is fighting her nap to spend more time with me. But the less she naps the less patience and energy I have to play with her. I am thinking that if I make an effort to spend more quality time with her in the am that she will feel satisfied enough to nap after lunch? Has this worked for anyone else?

    How has everything been going the last few days? 
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  • SidraJediSidraJedi member
    @SLGILL1978 thanks for asking. Any extra focus I was able to put on our time together didn't seem to help her to want to nap. But one day after lots of activity in the am she fell asleep on the drive home and managed to stay asleep for two hours. Then that night she fought her bedtime and ended up only going to sleep when DH and I did. Having her skip a nap and be cranky all afternoon and then fall asleep earlier was preferable to her napping and then being cranky at bedtime and staying up when DH and I are missing our only time together.

    DD2 is getting more of a schedule amounting to about four solid naps a day. I'm starting to get used to the idea i guess.
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  • SLGILL1978SLGILL1978 member
    I would just try to be flexible with the naps. She is at the age where some still take them and others transition out. I would watch her cues. When she is getting cranky, I would suggest a "rest time". She doesn't necessarily have to nap, but play or read quietly. I do that for my daughter, and often times, she is sleeping within 5-10 minutes. Her naps are all over the place on the weekends.
    For example, on Friday/Saturday, we were traveling. I purposely left when she started to get really cranky so she could rest in the car. We weren't even out of town and she was asleep. She slept for about an hour and a half. Then on Sunday, we were just having a lazy day. We woke up maybe an hour later than we usually do. She     wasn't interested in taking a nap the couple times, I had her lay down. She ended up not taking a nap at all and went to bed for the night around 7pm. She still has a tendency to wake through the night, but she slept soundly until about 5am. 
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  • kyraaDkyraaD member
    I'm sorry, but, really? your 30 month old..
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