Much to my horror my 3 year old daughter recently declared that she does not have day naps any more. I have tried my best to change her mind and for a good few weeks still attempted to get her to sleep but it has become clear that no matter what I try this girl has made up her mind. We have battled and once again I have lost!
As much as I love my daughter I loved the short break during the afternoon when I can relax a bit, she is incredibly busy and always demands a huge amount of attention from me which can be incredibly tiring.
As with any change in routine and new milestones this time is exceptionally tough. I thought the change from 2 day naps to 1 day nap was hard, this is much worse. By 3pm in the afternoon she is tired and gets progressively more difficult as the day goes on. It is hard to try and discipline her in any constructive way as she is overtired: self-control has gone out the window. She cannot listen, she gets rude and cheeky and rough. It is like trying to deal with a person drunk or high on drugs!
I need to be patient and remember that she is just a little person, that is tired and going through a major change in her life. At times this is almost impossible as it feels like my child was stolen and a gremlin put in her place!
The last few days have been slightly better, but to be honest I don’t think it has anything to do with her, it all comes down to the decision I made recently to stay calm, not get upset and to be more loving towards my child no matter what she does.
What age did your child stop sleeping during the day?
