Help!!! My 2 Year Old Has Stopped Napping.

I don't have any real specific advice, but I think that 2 is a little young to throw in the towel on napping, especially if this "no nap" scenario is coming right after a change in routine. I would keep doing what you've been doing and he'll probably learn to fall asleep again. If not, then it's quiet rest time in his room and an earlier bedtime. But my daughter went through a couple phases where she tried out being ready to give up her nap, and she really wasn't (didn't stop napping until about 3.5, and still naps at school at a little over 4).

Good luck!

My son did a similar thing. he was extremly busy and wanted my undivived attention when up
. I told him that after lunch we needed quiet time and that he had to go into his crib/bed he could read a book [look at the pictures] or play with a quiet non noisy toy for an hour. we would both have quiet time and some times he would have a nap without fighting to have one good luck

I don't have any real specific advice, but I think that 2 is a little young to throw in the towel on napping, especially if this "no nap" scenario is coming right after a change in routine. I would keep doing what you've been doing and he'll probably learn to fall asleep again. If not, then it's quiet rest time in his room and an earlier bedtime. But my daughter went through a couple phases where she tried out being ready to give up her nap, and she really wasn't (didn't stop napping until about 3.5, and still naps at school at a little over 4).

Good luck!

How long is he sleeping at night? The older they get the less sleep they need. A two year old needs 12 3/4-13 hours of sleep a day. So if he's getting it at night then he might not need that nap. If that's not the case then maybe a little adjustment to the schedule. My 20 month old son was recently getting up between 7 and 8 and then going down for a nap between 10 and 11 and would sleep for two hours or so and then be up until his 8 p.m. bedtime. That had to be adjusted. Mostly because of our summer schedule, but also because I noticed he was getting very cranky at dinnertime. So now I keep him up until he has lunch and put him down around 12:30 or 1:00. Depending on the morning we've had he usually sleeps until about 3. Some days it might be a little less some days it might be a little more. Depending on how active we were or how well he slept the night before. Sometimes a little adjustment to the schedule is all you need. But it's also very possible he's getting all of his sleep at night. And if you aren't ready for him to give up that nap just yet then you could just make it quiet time in his room. He doesn't have to sleep, but he does have to lay down. You might find that on certain days he might take a little cat nap and that's fine, but other days he might just be up in his crib talking to his toys or perhaps protesting the confinement, but that's find too. If he's getting the recommended amount of sleep a day then he's doing just fine.

P.S. The information on the recommended amount of sleep for children I got from a Parents as Teachers handout. If you'd like to read more about it check out their website at www.parentsasteachers.org.

hijen,
unfortunately at this age some kids are done with taking naps. this may be the case for him, but maybe it is just a brief stage.myson did this for a week where he was wakingafter 20 min napor soandknew he needed to sleep longer but eventually fell asleep for longer periods. i look forward to nap time. iknow itis a matter of time before they will cease but enjoy it now. if he is still waking up, i would just lethimplay andhave the down time in his crib. it givesyou some quiet time. sorry but this is all i have

Hi,
I think the advice you have alrady gotten is great-I will just add, for the heck of it, that I found it amazing how much my 2 1/2 yr. old girl's molars affected her. It totally messed up her sleeping. I don't know why they seem to hurt so much when she's sleeping, but they do. We have been watching them come in and they are huge!! I am not one to medicate a child, but you could just give ibuprofen once and see what happens...

My son gave up naps at 2. The only time he would nap is if we were in the car and he fell asleep in spite of himself. If you really need him to nap that day - take a drive - otherwise...welcome to FULL TIME STAY AT HOME! :-)

do you put him down before or after lunch. my son seems to sleep much better if I put him down after lunch before if we wait too long and lunch comes late then i miss the window and he plays in bed for over and hour and doesn't fall asleep. I would play around with lunch time and perhaps trying to put him down earlier or later depending on what works for him. If he seems to take a long time to fall asleep, maybe put him down earlier. this may seem opposite of what to do, but perhaps you are missing "the window" since he is now putting himself down to sleep. This could also just be a short phase, he may need to eat more this week (growing) or he may be getting his two year molars. My son went through a few days of not napping but it back to napping. We do skip naps here and there because we are at the beach all day, but by the 2nd or 3rd day he is due for a nap. He'll fall asleep on the way home around 5 or so and sleep late in the evening. We try to keep bedtime the same around 9:00 but if he gets a late nap we'll let him stay up until 9:30 and he wakes up at 8 or 8:30am. good luck and keep trying the nap. some days will be better than others and he should get back to his routine soon. But there are some kids that just won't nap, but you can still have quiet bedtime/playtime instead.

Hi J., My oldest stopped napping when she was 2 years 2 months - I know this exact timeframe because we just had our second daughter! It was hard to get used to her being up all day, but that is just what happens as they get older! Maybe your son will nap a couple times a week or maybe just while driving or maybe he'll just take a short hiatus from naps and then start napping again. My best advise is just to try and go with the flow - children are constantly changing and beginning new routines!!