Naps

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How old were your children when you stopped having them take naps?

-- Dawn (olsoncln@ecenet.com), December 30, 2001

Answers

With the first couple, I thought it was important for them to keep having afternoon naps until they were 4 or 5. As I got older;), my other children probably stopped by the time they were 3, maybe 2. It was more important for me to have them sleep the long stretch at night.

It depends a lot on the individual child, and also on your own family's schedule. We shoot for bedtime at 8(it usually stretches to 9 now), and most of the children sleep until 7 or 8 in the morning. If your children need to stay up much later, or get up much earlier, they may need afternoon naps for longer. Also, if you have a baby in the house, the afternoon nap may be a more important time for mom.

You might also consider letting them nap for awhile on particularly tiring days, but not push it on others.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), December 30, 2001.


I'm 37 and still enjoy a nap:)

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), December 30, 2001.

Charleen, I was thinking the same thing!

-- Ardie /WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.

After school, I nap, after morning service, i nap. Anytime around two, I nap. Its the only time i get to sleep very fast. I'm eighteen, and its a bad sleeping habit that i have, maybe its because i stay up too late. LOL, maybe not. But my parents stopped making me when i was about twelve, it all depends on how much sleep the children seem they need. EXAMPLE, if they're quick to get cranky, moody, disobedient, arguing. More than likely , they need a half hour in lala land.

-- jillian (daffodil_skunk83@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.

My kids wouldn't nap past thier first year. However, We had and still have "Quiet time" for about an hour or so after lunch, they stay on their beds, but can read, color, doze, whatever, as long as they are quiet. NO tv, computer, etc. I nap more than my kids! My sister spent two years in the Dominican Republic where everyone had an afternoon seista-how I wish we had that here! I try to do that as much as possible-at least get in some "down time" because I think our bodies and spirits really need it.

-- Kelly (ksaderholm@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.


Same here Kelly, my kids napped until they were 2 or 3, but I noticed they started napping later and later in the day. When they weren't wanting to nap until 4 or 5 and then staying awake until 10 or so (too late to deal with kids!!) I made them stay awake for supper, then bathed them and they were often asleep by 7 or so. Lindsey and Brady would both go to sleep at 7 every night, you could set the clock by them. They would get up around 7 to 8 in the morning which was fine with me. When they are home in the summer we do the quiet time after lunch for an hour or so but no one sleeps.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 30, 2001.

It really does depend on the child. My oldest daughter took naps until she was 6. Then the next three children were between a year and 18 months when they quit. They were all hard because if they fell asleep even for 5 minutes during the day they would stay up until about 1 a.m. That was tough on me as they would want have a nap sometimes but then we'd be up forever. My last child is 3 3/4 and has just quit napping on a regular basis. He still falls asleep sometimes during the day but not regularly. I would have loved if my kids would take naps and then still go to sleep at a normal time but it just didn't happen for us.

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), December 30, 2001.

My six year old stopped taking naps when he was four my 2 and 3 year old still take naps at school. They only take them on the weekends when I make them. I like for them to sleep longer at night on the weekends. I would love to take a nap everyday.

-- melinda (speciallady104@hotmail.com), December 31, 2001.

My son took naps until he was in first grade. I am sure it was because he had to get up very early. In K, the bus was at the gate around 6:40!!

-- DW (djwallace@sotc.net), December 31, 2001.

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