How did you cope when your toddler dropped her/his nap?

[franch]

Yes, it really is happening with DD1 (25m) ...

DD2 (6m) isn't sleeping, I'm trying to wean her, we're moving house, potty-training is looming ....

What the heck am I supposed to do with DD1 all day? And how do I deal with DD2? (Up till now I've been doing a long feeding session to settle her for her afternoon nap as soon as DD1 went down.)

Aaaaagh - survival tips please ...

[RedRidingHood]

I know this is probably politically incorrect but for a while I had quiet time after lunch with a DVD - Winnie the Pooh or something just to give me 5 mins sitting down.

[franch]

that makes sense to me rrh

[franch]

... thing is I really do need to leave DD1 on her own for a bit - quite a while in fact the way I do things at present. Normally if she's awake and I go off to settle DD2, she'll crash into the bedroom just as DD2's dropping off, yelling "ALLO MUMMY!"

[chipkid]

def go for the quiet time in the afternoon-videos are good for this.

[spod]

Message deleted

[fruitful]

Sometimes I get dd to lie down on (not in) her bed, with the curtains open but the door shut, and a story tape on. I have some that last 30 minutes. Its called "rest time" instead of nap time and she knows she has to stay in her room and be quiet till the stories end. Sometimes she falls asleep and sometimes she doesn't.

Sometimes she sits on the sofa and watches a video - similar deal, no running around. Usually I tuck her in on the sofa with a blanket to emphasise this.

But she was 3 before she dropped her nap - don't know how it would work with a 2 year old.

[mummytosteven]

another one that hasn't found anything better than videos for distraction

[gingernut]

We use TV in the gingernut household too. ds1 was getting on for 3 when he dropped his nap though.

[RedRidingHood]

Fruitful that reminded me!
My dd is 28 months - got a story CD for Christmas and loves it will sit in a daze and listen to it over and over and over again - got M & S ones and Parragon ones from Toys R Us

[mummytosteven]

DS mostly dropped his by about 21 months!

[festiveface]

i used tv or a video with ds1, nap time became rest time and he had to lie down for an hour.
ds2 didn't stop napping until it became impossible to do so, as he had started school!

[Katemum]

Am trying to cope with it now, dd is 21 months and has no interest in the telly.

[nulnulcat]

my 2 yr old dropped her nap a while ago but we do quiet time on the sofa with her favorite dvd and i give her her teddy and quilt sometimes she might drop of for 10 mins but even if she doesnt its still peaceful and i get her to bed earlier now 630 645 and she sleeps in til after 830am so i get time to do stuff

[Elibean]

dd (25 months) is having the odd nap-less day, and its the pits: dvds and quiet time in her cot with books are definitely going to be the way through in this house! I don't think she's quite ready, tbh, because she was literally nuts with tiredness by 6pm...and had a 2 hour nap the next day. But its not far....
Will your dd sit/lie on her bed with books for half an hour or so? I don't know if mine would if she was out of her cot, but as it is she will play and 'read' for an hour easily.

[franch]

Thanks for all the excellent tips - I just tried the story tape one (had a freebie cassette lying around) - she went silent the moment I left the room - AND IS NOW ASLEEP!!! Have requested more tapes urgently on the 'wanted' thread and will try the other ideas too - thanks again :)

[RedRidingHood]

Excellent :)

[expatinscotland]

CBeebies and a burgeoning DVD collection.

[sunnydelight]

DD (just 3) still sleeps on the days she doesn't go to nursery - thank goodness! But when she stops I will do the same as I did for the boys (DS2 stopped sleeping during the day at 6 months) and have "quiet time" instead.

[CaptainDippy]

Am trying to cope with EXACTLY the same thing at the moment and my DD1 isn't interested in telly whatsoever either Katemum - Felt nice to read someone having the same dilemma as me - Perhaps we can bounce some ideas off each other sometime!!?

Franch - glad that the storybook CD thing is working for you!! Long may it continue .....

[faeriemum]

ds is 22months and doesnt have a nap everyday.....he will get grouchy and clumsy at aound 1.30-2.00, so i lay him on the sofa with his cuddlies and a blanket and he lays there with either the tele, a story or a toy.......sometimes he will fall asleep for half hour ...but other times he just lays there for about an hour resting.......i've put the computer near the sofa so that when he's resting he knows that im not far and that its my time to sit and rest too..
the plus side to having no naps is that come 7.00pm, he' in bed and asleep within 5 minutes....its definatly an improvement where my ds is concerned!

[nulnulcat]

dd had always been a bad sleeper at night was up quite a few times in night but never awake in morning til about 8 since she has got used to going without daytime nap in past 2 weeks she has slept 645 ish til gone 9am! yday was 10 :0 thought it was coz we had been on holiday but have been back over a week and the sleep is just getting better! much better to have no daytime sleep and unbroken nights and lie ins at the weekend!!

[pucca]

My dd dropped her afternoon nap at 20 mths i found it hard and still do, its difficult trying to keep them entertained all day but i do find that bedtime is much easier because she is so tired.