Goodbye Napping

My 20 month old is learning so much every day that sometimes settling down for a nap is NOT on his agenda. I don't like to do it, but to avoid the crankies, I run an errand and he falls asleep in the car. It doesn't feel like a super solution, but it works! Or you might try putting him to bed at 5! I've read over and over that early is better.

I understand what you are going through. My 2 yr old has given up his nap also. We just do "rest time" after lunch now. I will let him get his pillow and blanket and bring it to the living room. He has to lay down while he watchs Diego and Dora. Sometimes he falls asleep, but most of the time he will just lay and rest. I have found that he is less cranky and goes to bed by 8pm. Hope this helps you. Good luck!

wow, so early to give up napping. mine are 3 and a half and they still nap for 2 hrs minimum. the thing is i am wondering if he is getting enough stimulation and exercise in the morning for him to get enough tired to want to sleep. if i were you, i'd try to get the naps back. they need it at this age and i believe until the age of 4 it is even recommended.
if all fails, try to create 'the rest time' during naptime which means not necessarily sleep but stay in the room for some quiet time although i can't imagine how you'll be able to explain to a 2 year old it's quiet time
good luck

Try making nap time special by letting him watch a favorite show explain as long as you lay still and watch it you do not have to take a nap. The rest will do him good and without the pressure of you have to take a nap maybe he will just drift off to sleep. He senses your tension about it and this is how he is responding. If you don't want to encourage tv try reading or just let him look at some books. What ever it is you try remember the key is take away the tension of it all. Hope this helps.

I highly recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child." It's a very "pro sleep" book and gives pointers for every age and situation. The main idea is "the more they sleep, the more they sleep." Give your son quiet time every afternoon, even if he doesn't sleep. Make sure he goes to bed EARLY--it seems strange, but maybe if he goes down at 5:00 he'll catch up in a few days and be back to a bedtime of 6:30 or 7:00. There's nothing wrong with an early bedtime--they sleep 12 or 13 hours at night at that age. We always had our kids in bed by 6:30 or 7:00 and they are great sleepers. And, it's more evening time for YOU! Good luck! PS--I've read some of the responses. My daughter gave up napping at 2 1/2 and that was that. Don't feel bad if he won't nap, it can be frustrating and you certainly can't make someone sleep, but he can have quiet time in his crib alone. Don't give up that time--it's still down time you and he need. Just make sure he goes to bed EARLY.

My son did the same thing around two, he is now three. He tried to stop taking naps and he was so over tired it started to affect bedtime. I would do everything possible to continue naps. We made a rule that he was going to stay in his room at nap time for 1 1/2 hours everyday. There was crying and yelling at first but once he figured out that it wasn’t going to change things he started to take naps again. Bedtime was easier again and he felt MUCH better! I would lie down with him from time to time but my son was in a bed at 18 mths. I gave my son books and he did look at them for awhile but would calm down and fall asleep. That fact that he is ready for bed at 5pm is probably telling you that he is not ready to give up his nap. Good Luck!

My daughter stopped napping at 2 1/2 and I was really distraught over it bc my sister said they should nap until 4 - then I talked to a bunch of other moms and found out there are a lot of children who just won't nap at age 2 and 3. There is nothing you can do to make a child sleep if they won't sleep. She is now 3, we just do "quiet time" everyday and start the bedtime process at 6:30. She sleeps until 7-7:30.

Occasionally she will nap, but even after quiet time if we go for a drive she is usually wide awake, which truly lets me know she is over it - that was always a way she would sleep.

It may be a phase and he may start napping again, that sometimes happens, but until you know for sure I would just start bedtime early.

My daughter still takes a nap at 4. What I find is that if she is overtired and desperately needs sleep she will refuse to nap. It is a viscious cycle. I make her go to her room for 1 1/2 hours for quiet time. She has the chance to read books, talk to her stuffed animals, color, etc, as long as she does so quietly. Usually after 1/2-1 hour she falls asleep. Maybe try this with your son and see how it goes.