How Long Does a 3 Year Old Nap For? Well… It Depends.

Read on for how long your 3-year-olds nap should be and when the nap should be dropped, I hope this helps your daily routine.

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Let me be the first to say, with my 5 babies, I hung onto the afternoon nap as long as possible. Man oh man I did NOT want to give it up.

If you’ve got a 3 year old who is still napping, congratulations! Enjoy these days because they will soon pass. Most 4 year olds don’t need to nap, although they do need rest time, so count your blessings.

How long does a 3 year old nap for?

Well, it depends.

But I’m not being coy, let me explain. Here are some factors that go into determining how long your 3 year old’s nap should be.

Some may sleep 2 to 3 hours at naptime.

If so, are they going to bed easy at night and staying asleep all night? Are they waking super early or at a reasonable time? If your little one is waking up at night and won’t go back to sleep, resists bedtime, or wakes up early, then shorten the nap to 1.5 hours. Or, even shorter if it persists.

Some may sleep 1 to 2 hours at naptime

This is typically a solid afternoon nap. If your 3 year old will still go to sleep at a reasonable bedtime, doesn’t wake up in the middle of the night (more on that below), and doesn’t have early morning wakings, then keep on with this nap time.

When is it time for my 3 year old to drop the afternoon nap?

You’ll know it’s time for your 3 year old to drop their nap if it’s affecting their other sleeping times. If your child has their nap at 1pm and sleeps until 3pm, but then won’t go to sleep at bedtime until 9 or 10pm, it’s time to shorten the afternoon nap.

Or drop it altogether.

If your little one goes to sleep at a normal bedtime, but then wakes at, say, 1am and stays awake until 2am or later (whether they cry, come out of their room, or simply lay there and sing, etc. doesn’t matter) then it’s time to drop your 3 year old’s afternoon nap.

Then, if your 3 year old wakes up early in the morning ready for the day, too early in the morning, then it could be a sign they’ve had enough time in the bed for that 24 hour period.

2.5 hour nap + 11 hour nighttime sleep = 13.5 hours of sleep per day which may be too many. Or it may all need to be condensed into nighttime sleep, not a daytime nap.

Should I wake my 3 year old up from their nap?

If your little one has napped for 2 hours or more, and you know it’ll affect their bedtime, wake them up.

When your 3 year old is sleeping and it’s within 3.5 or 4 hours of when you want to put them to bed, wake them up.

What time should my 3 year old take their afternoon nap?

I typically suggest noon to 1pm as a good time for an afternoon nap. If you want to put your child to bed at 7pm, then a 12:30pm nap is a great idea which will give them some time to have a long nap and still build up the sleep pressure before the evening.

By 3 years old, the nap should be midday to afternoon, not the morning.

Help! My 3 year old won’t go to bed, do I need to drop a nap?

If your 3 year old takes a long afternoon nap but fights bedtime, it’s definitely time to either significantly shorten the nap or drop it altogether.

Here are some signs your little one may be ready to drop their nap:

• some days the nap is skipped and they are fine
• bedtime is a nightmare, battle, and your child fights it
• your child wakes up in the night, for up to an hour or more, and has difficulty going back to sleep

My 3 year old wakes up in the middle of the night and won’t go back to sleep… what do I do?

This is a very common occurrence. Some children have a lot of night terrors, but waking up for longer periods shouldn’t be confused with those.

A child who wakes up in the night and is simply awake, and not sleepy, this is a sign they have clocked too much time in their bed.

I has already had enough sleep during that 24 hour period and is simply not tired. Usually, significantly shortening the nap or dropping it completely will solve this issue.