Dr.Sue (@TheKidsDoctor) offered some of her expertise during our #SesameSleep Twitter party. You had questions, she has the answers.
@JustAuntrene asked – Naptime, when is a good age to quit naps?
Dr.Sue replied…
I am a big believer in nap time, as it is important for both child and parent. Most kids will take an afternoon nap until between the ages of 4 -5 years. A few parents report that their children want to stop naps before that, but then are so cranky in the evening and can barely make it through dinner. These parents tell me that they dread the afternoons!! So I believe that children should have an hour nap or “quiet” time until they head off to kindergarten, (where they will continue with quiet time after lunch,) and many of the kindergartners will even fall asleep! (of course they don’t want to admit to that)
If your child does not want to “take a nap” I would still have them spend an hour of quiet time on/in their bed, whether that is reading to themselves, telling their dolls a story, playing with a few toys in bed, but what ever it is does not involve the parent or even a sibling. Many times you will then go to your child’s room only to find that they have fallen asleep while playing quietly and may even sleep for another hour or so. This is a nice way to then start off the afternoon with everyone a little rested and ready for the rest of the day!
Naps are such a privilege why is it that children do not appreciate that?
For more sleep related Q&A with Dr.Sue, be sure to check out how our Twitter Party went which includes the most common sleep-related questions moms had.
If you have any questions for Dr. Sue, be sure to check out Kid’s Doctor Radio which airs every Sunday between 7:30am-8:30am central time on 103.7 Lite FM CBS Radio Dallas and the Kid’s Doctor web site.
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All three of my kids gave up naps early, at around 20 months to 2 years old. If they napped after that age they’d be up half the night. I always felt it was better for them to sleep 12-13 hours at night than nap, wake up cranky and then be awake until 11 or so.
If my daughter would sleep 12-13 hrs, I wouldn’t mind skipping a nap either. But for some strange reason, when my daughter doesn’t take an afternoon nap, not only does she want to stay up later (I guess she gets overtired), but it doesn’t help her sleep any later in the morning. When the sun comes up, so does my daughter, regardless of what time she went to bed. She sleeps a solid 11hrs at night most days, but she needs her 2 hr nap at around 1pm in the afternoon. I would switch for later mornings if I could, lol