Should 2-year-olds still nap?

Today's guest blogger is Meghan Walls, PsyD, a pediatric psychologist at Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children.

Thinking about dropping your child's nap time probably sounds scary to most parents. Your precious two hours of free time about to be swiped! Recently, an article from the British Medical Journal suggested that children over the age of two who nap have poorer sleep quality. The researchers argue that total amount of sleep per day is important, and that children get more sleep in a consolidated overnight period than with naps and overnight rest.

Of course, there are two sides to the coin. Other research suggests that naps create a space for rest and prevention of negative mood and behaviors often caused by overtiredness. One study even points out that midday sleep enhances learning in the preschool environment.

As with all things sleep, there is no one solution that fits all children. We know that sleep needs vary greatly. In fact, the most recent National Sleep Foundation recommendations range from 10-13 hours for toddlers — a four hour per day difference in range.  A 2-year-old who sleeps 13 hours at night may be clocking their daily requirements and able to stretch through the other 11 hours of the day without a nap. Another child who is only sleeping 9-10 hours at night might truly need their two hour nap.

What can you do? Decide what works best for your child. Are they cranky by noon? Does behavior deteriorate if they skip a nap? If this is the case, your child probably still needs their afternoon snooze. Try to limit it in length to 90 minutes and have nap end at least 4 hours before their expected bed time. Your child may also need to nap every few days as they start to transition away from naps.

If your child doesn't need and thrive while taking naps, you can consider starting the transition out of naps.  The most important thing, however, is to remember they still need the same amount of overall sleep. You can't expect them to skip naps and sustain themselves on shorter over night sleep. Once your child transitions out of nap time, try having quiet time during the day when they can read books, do puzzles, or otherwise play quietly. Bed time should be early when your child first drops nap- usually between 6:30 and 7:30 if they need to be up in the morning before 8:00am. Overtired kids are usually slower to settle down and can become hyper or restless, so make getting your children to bed on time a priority.

Overall, make sure your child is getting adequate sleep. If they seem over tired or cranky, you may need to find a way for them to clock a few more hours per day. If you still have questions and want more information about napping, Kids Health can help you find the appropriate information based on your child's age.

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