I have heard more than a few times that naps are a parent’s saving grace! If it wasn’t for nap time, many parents of young ones would truly lose their minds. I think that is why it can be so disconcerting when a child either gives up naps, or turns out to be the sort of person who requires less sleep. We worry for the health of the child and we also wonder what we are going to do as parents without that nice nap time break!
I know that in my own parenting, it came as quite a shock when I had my third child and, feeling all experienced in the napping and daily routine organization department, had to adjust when he gave up first his morning nap at only a few months old and then the afternoon nap in his second year. The more I tried to insist that he really needed those naps, the more he just evolved into his natural self anyway. By preschool and kindergarten, the “nap issue” was well-established. I had to advocate for him repeatedly in our Midwestern public all-day kindergarten since they insisted he “needed” a nap and he hadn’t been taking the mid-day nap for years.
Some children DO have different sleep patterns. My son still sleeps less than anyone in the household and tends to shift his sleep patterns around a bit, preferring to sleep in big batches than to take naps and stretch things out. I’ve had years to adjust to it, however—in those early months and years I was quite worried as to why he wouldn’t nap and be “regular” with his sleep habits like his older sisters.
For those of you who are coping with a child in “nap transition” you can try turning nap time into “quiet time”—insisting that the child stay in his bed or room for a set amount of time and do quiet things. If you have a baby or toddler who seems determined to give up either the morning or afternoon nap (or both)—try not to panic, it might be temporary or she might just be readjusting her sleep patterns. As long as she seems healthy and isn’t too crabby or stressed, giving things time to settle down again might work better than trying to force a sleep pattern that she might be growing out of. When in doubt, you can always check with your health care provider to make sure there isn’t something physical going on.
Eventually, most kids do give up those naps so we all have to adjust at some point. I can tell you though, that they have a tendency to reappear in the teenage years when they seem to need a ton of sleep again just to keep up with all the physical and mental changes going on!
Also: Catnaps, Naps and Your Toddler
School-Imposed Naptime for Kindergartners