Do Kids Still Nap at Three Years Old?

According to Elizabeth Pantley, author of "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" and other parenting books, approximately 65 percent of 3-year-olds still take naps. In comparison, 85 percent of 2-year-olds, 25 percent of 4-year-olds and 15 percent of 5-year-olds nap almost every day. She says most children drop their nap between the ages of 3 and 5, if they get enough sleep at night. Every child is different, and continuing to provide optimal napping conditions and watching for behavioral clues are the best way to know if your child still needs a nap.

  1. It̵7;s Nap Time

    • Knowing your child needs a nap is pretty simple when you recognize the signs. When kids are tired, some sit and stare straight ahead, zone out, start blinking or rubbing their eyes and yawning. Others get fussy and cry. General crankiness is often a sign that it's nap time. Also be aware of more subtle signs of fatigue, like problems in school or behavior problems, like aggressiveness, inattentiveness, impatience or hyperactivity.

    Resistance Is Futile

    • As your child nears the age of 3, you may notice her waking up earlier from her nap or no longer showing any signs that she needs one. However, if your child resists taking a nap, he may simply be overtired. Three-year-olds generally don̵7;t want to miss out on anything and often fight sleep for this reason. If this is the case with your little one, allow your child to look through books or play quietly in her room for a set amount of time, rather than battling it out, since you can̵7;t force her to sleep.

    Routine and Environment

    • Try using the same sleep routine for both bedtime and nap time. For example, allow your child to do something calming, sing to her or read her a book as a ritual before nap time. Simply sending her to her room for a nap is probably not going to be successful if your child is set on resisting sleep. It's also helpful to have your little one nap in the same environment every day. Consistency helps your child associate her environment with going to sleep.

    When Nap Time is Over

    • Pantley shares some clues that your child may be ready to forgo nap time, like rarely falling asleep during designated nap time and remaining in a good mood, with normal highs and lows and a consistent personality, throughout the day. In addition, if your child has the ability to learn new things with ease and an attention span appropriate to her age, she may be able to do without a nap. If she goes to bed on time and sleeps well through the night, napping may be a thing of the past. Another sign it's time to give up the nap is if your child goes to bed later and takes a long time to fall asleep at night on the days when she has taken a nap.

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