- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
If You Snooze, You Lose?
Knowing When It's Time
to Give up Naptime
to Give up Naptime
By Lisa A. Goldstein
Dealing With No-nap Behavior
If despite these efforts your child doesn't nap and melts down, parents shouldn't consider it so much "bad" behavior, but "predictable" – albeit frustrating – behavior. "Once they look at it that way, they should be better equipped to plan for and handle the consequences, i.e., allow for an earlier bedtime, forego a lot of social, out-of-the house-requiring-good-behavior-type activities, etc.," Dr. Jana says. "Lastly, realize that when young children are 'falling apart' because they are tired, that's not the time to teach them and rigorously enforce principles of good/expected behavior. [It] tends to backfire and make it worse." In terms of whether to enforce naptime and routines, Dr. Jana suggests assessing your child's needs and tendencies to decide how rigid to be.
Children may skip a nap for several days in a row, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're ready to forego naps altogether, says Dr. Owen. "Look for a more consistent pattern over a few weeks," she says. Some children may also return to napping temporarily after a hiatus if they experience a change in activity level (e.g., 
starting preschool).