Two Year Old Exhausted and Not Napping - Mommy Tired and Looking for Support

You can put him in his room for quiet time. Leave the lights off.Play soft music, let him, rest and you go rest too.

Also, roll with his sleep signs schedule. This morning while he was getting sleepy in the car, instead of waking him for lunch, you could have quietly laid him down in bed while he was sleepy, and maybe even be able to pull down his pants and do a quick diaper change while he's out. Then, give him a late lunch when he wakes up, he'll be fine. This is the only time I can get my 2 year old to nap at all.

My son was afraid he'd miss something fun if he took a nap.
The only thing for it was to lie down with him till he was asleep (and by then I usually was asleep myself).

I'm fighting the same battle with my three year old. So far the things I have done is to continue the pattern with quiet time where she lays in bed covered up with a few books to look at and at least rests. The next steps have been to slowly start waking her up earlier after putting her to bed a bit earlier too. It seems that she is sleeping enough at night that she can make herself stay awake during nap time, yet is still getting really cranky in the late afternoons and evenings with obvious tiredness. So far, it hasn't been every day that she sleeps, but it's improving and at least I can lay down during her quiet time. Good luck!

When my 3 y/o was 2, she did the same thing. It's like their just tooo busy to want to nap! :( It could just be a phase for him that will hopefully pass soon. In my daughters case, she was never one to stick with naps. So, at 2 1/2, she stopped taking them. She has a wind down time in the afternoon on the couch for an hour. It works for her. She does go to bed at 8am., sound asleep till 8:30am. You could try lying down with him for a rest, or just snuggling on the couch for an hour. It's not much, but should help to revive you both. Good luck to you!! Hang in there Mama!

If you can't get him to nap, at least turn off the tv, radio, etc. and limit all stimulus. He may be like my daughter and although very tired, can't quite wind down. He may not sleep but he will get some down time/rest (maybe even catch a cat nap if you are lucky). That is what I had to do w/ my girl.

By the way, the occasional late lunch will not be the end of the world. Sometimes you just got to let them sleep.

still keep trying a nap everyday at the same time. My kids went through this stage of not wanting to nap but still needing it. Also I would have changed his diaper and put him in for the nap and then he could eat lunch after. Wven if he woke up earlier than a nokrmal nap because he was hungry he would still have had some sleep and you some rest time. Good luck

Could you put him in his room and just tell him he doesn't have to nap, but he does have to have a "quiet time"? Maybe set him up with a couple books in his bed and set a timer for an hour or so? Or perhaps you could just put him to bed a little earlier on the days he won't take a nap.
And I know that it's tempting to use his naptime as your laundry/dishes/dusting time, but try to resist that urge and listen to your body telling you need rest.
He could be going throught some kind of growth or other change that's making him resist a nap.
Here's the thing with kids (which will become even clearer to you after number two comes along): As soon as you think you've figured this out...it will be over and he'll be onto something else that has you scratching your head.
Good luck, I know we have all gone through this!

With my kids... I had a routine... for naps. They also were NOT "portable" nappers... they would ONLY nap if HOME... and in their crib. I scheduled myself, around their naps.
If they did not nap... they were fussy OVER-tired Trolls.

At 2 years old, sleep/nap tweaks happens. BUT your child is still displaying tiredness.... so he needs to nap.

What time are you making him nap? Or does it vary every day???
The best thing is, is to have a routine about it... not just 'wait' for him to look tired. Because by then... they are already OVER-tired of you have missed the window.
Over-tired kids, also fall asleep worse, cannot sleep well and wake more.

You need to try and be more consistent... in his nap times.
One important thing is... do NOT have lots of activity, right before naps. Otherwise the child CANNOT "wind-down" and key down... and it sabotages their falling asleep ability.
BEFORE nap time, at least 1 hour PRIOR.... be HOME.
Have a routine of winding-down.... make everything turned off and quite and boring. Verbally cue him.... "we will get ready for nap..." and then do so. With QUIET things. Not active activities. MELLOW things.

If he is tired, don't bother feeding him and doing all those 'chores' beforehand... just let him nap and get him off in the routine. He can eat later.
OR... you NEED to have lunch time... earlier. You need to 'anticipate' the process.... and so it is not all 'rushed' and then you miss the window.

Make your timing of everything... earlier.
For example: you said this morning he was tired (already) on your way home "for lunch.... but you had to feed him and diaper him before napping...." Well, that whole process can literally take 1 hour MORE at least..... by the time you got him ready for nap. By then it was TOO late. You missed the window.
So... heed to that. Don't come home... late... and then have to feed him lunch. FACTOR IN, into your errands... what time you NEED to come home BY... so that you DO have enough time to come home, feed him/diaper him and WIND-down... not it being too late.

For me, I know when I put my son to nap. He is 4. SO... when we are out doing errands/activities or whatever... I ALWAYS come home.... BY the time he needs to nap... AND I factor in our home routine... ie: lunch, winding-down and how long that will take, etc. SO... we come home WAY before that time... otherwise, everything and his naps... just gets too late and just too late.

No matter what... my son naps at a certain time. He knows that, I know that. If my son does not nap... he is a MONSTER Troll. And it ruins the whole rest of the day. Him being over-tired.

You need to have a more regular routine about it and timing of it. It is all about timing.

Nap when he naps.
OR... lie down too... and with him.

all the best,
Susan

These stubborn toddlers! He thinks that if he naps he'll miss something fun...but, clearly, since he is sleepy, he still needs his nap.

Try to make the nap period more regular, if this is not occuring - I still am very strict about my son napping at exacty noon daily. If he protests, I tell him OK then, we won't nap, we will just "rest" for a little while so that he can play some more later. It always works...he lays in my arms, "resting," and next thing he's fast asleep. So cute.