My little guy is going to 4K and still takes 2-3 hour naps in the afternoon. Last year he did preschool at the same school but it was in the morning. Six months ago I was pretty sure he would either shorten his naps or be done with them but NO-- he still naps! Of course by the time IEP's were done the A.M. classes were full so I told them to put us on a waiting list for morning classes.
Any suggestions how to adjust IF he does have to go in the afternoon? He'll be going from 12:30 to 3:30. HUGE difference from 9-12!
Currenly he'll nap at about 2:00 but can push thru if we're out doing something. Normally bedtime was about 8:30 and he slept all night until about 6:00 when I get up. Even if he goes to bed later he'll STILL get up at the same time. SO frustrating especially for my second shift husband.
It sounds like he's going to need a much earlier bedtime. When my kids gave up their naps, they were in bed by 7:00 sharp each night. That is the only way it worked. Good luck!
My 4 year old takes 2 hour naps too, so you are not alone. His preschool is from 9-12:30, so I don't have the same problem. If I were you, I'd try to push his bedtime up way earlier - like 7pm if he doesn't nap at all. That's what I do with my little one. If he can't nap, he goes to bed early. Good luck! Some kids are just sleepers! :)
My daughter is still a daily afternoon napper and last year she ended up with afternoon preschool (3 year old) from 12:15 to 2:45, twice a week. On those days she usually ended up just resting on the couch, watched some TV and once in a great while ended up falling asleep and taking a kind of "mini-nap" for an hour or so, then going to bed at her usual time. Or if she didn't nap at all, she went to bed earlier. I would maybe start getting him adjusted to either a shorter nap or, if no nap in the afternoon, then an earlier bedtime. You never know, he might end up sleeping later in the morning too!
You may have to change his bedtime, depending on what time he goes to bed. My 4 yr. old no longer naps, and sleeps 7-6:45 or 7. If he is going to bed later than this, start moving it up 15 minutes each night, and see how he does without the nap. If it is too light out at 7, hang a sheet in the window to darken the room.
My daughter napped for a very long time, 2-3 hours as well. She still loves to sleep, but she did eventually grow out of such long naps. She is almost 9 years old, still loves to sleep, and I have accepted the fact that she is a sleeper. We worked with her teacher so that she did adapt her napping to her school schedule. One of the reasons I accepted her sleep is that our society has changed, but the human body has not. Few of us actually get enough sleep and I decided that beginning her sleep deprivation clock early was not really acceptable to me. Once I began to give her melatonin at night to help her sleep better, I did notice an improvement in her need for daytime napping. She got the good sleep she needed at night.
I would say let him go to PM school, but make sure he goes to bed earlier - and no he probably won't wake earlier ( mine acually sleep later if I put the to bed earlier - and wake sooner, if they stay up later), or at least not for long....start putting him down about 15 minutes earlier every 3rd night, so he can get used to the earlier bedtime, now. Bring bedtime forward to about 7 pm. and he will be fine - it might take a week or two to adjust, though....
Jessie
Hi C.-
You mentioned an IEP...
My daughter has an IEP...and she was (is) a 'cardiac' kid...and we had it written in her IEP that IF she needed a 'rest/nap'...that she could. They even set up a 'cot' behind a screen where she could rest if need be.
She rarely needed a rest...lol...too much going on in school...BUT it was nice to have the option...Ultimately, we found a slightly earlier bed time (and sometimes a power nap on weekends) helped a lot!
I am not sure...but if there is a real 'medical' concern...have a doc write a note...
If not...maybe an earlier bed time?
Best Luck!
Michele/cat
If he is consistant at taking naps his body is still going to shut down and he will not enjoy Pre-K even if he is there and awake. He will be cranky and need his nap. I am so glad our school districts do all day Pre-K and all day Kindergarten where they can nap a couple of hours and still have a lot of stuff going on all day.
What time does he go to bed? Maybe he will go to sleep earlier or sleep later to make up for it. My 4 yr old sleeps 7-730 to 7-730. Maybe he can sneak in a late morning nap.
Kids... get very tired, from being in school all day.
That is probably why, he is napping.
Is 4K.... Kindergarten or Pre-K?
I am not familiar with that term. Sorry.
My son is now in Kindergarten, and still naps afterschool for 2 hours.
He has always napped and need it.
I go by his, cues.
He still sleeps fine at night.
My daughter is 8 years old, and when she is tired, she will nap too.
He will be tired in the afternoons.. if his time slot is in the afternoon.
It will be a big adjustment... and be prepared for an over-tired child.
It takes LOTS of time.... a month or more even, to get used to.... no naps.
That was my situation last year - my 3-year-old tested into an inclusive preschool but they only had room in the afternoon classes. School was 1:00-3:30 and that's when he napped every day! I was almost panicked. But we gave it a shot and yes, the first week was tough on him. But he worked it out - at the beginning, he fell asleep in the car on the way home. A few months into it, he'd sometimes catnap in the car on the way up the hill. Poor guy would get 7 or 8 minutes before being woken up and whisked into school - but then he'd usually not nap after school, and would go to bed earlier.
Some mornings I could tell that he was going to be a disaster if he didn't get at least an hour, so we'd pack up early and "go for a drive". As soon as he fell asleep, I'd drive up to his school and park, and let him nap in his carseat until 1:00.
Anyway - I encourage you to give it a shot even if you are assigned to an afternoon class. He'll adjust. Put in your request to switch to a morning slot if something opens up, but it may end up working out better than you think it will.
