Is It Common for a 2 Yr Old to Not Want to Go down for Naps or Bedtime?

That is about the time my little girl's mouth started saying no, but her body fell asleep wherever she was.

Yes, at this age, 2 years old... sleep/nap tweaks happens.
It is an age phase... they are changing so much at this age... and cognitively too. They don't even have fully developed emotions yet, nor fully developed impulse-control.

But, it you keep to a regular daily nap/sleep routine... (a child IS tired), then they will get back to napping and sleeping.

Also make sure, she gets lots of runaround time, in the MORNING... kids this age, need to physically get out their pent up yah-yah's and energy.
Then BEFORE actual nap "time".... wind-her down... to transition her... and keep things quiet and calm... .after lunch. Time everything.. so nap time, the actual nap time she has... is not delayed and delayed....
A kid this age, needs to 'wind-down' first... before nap. Otherwise, they are either too keyed up still... or over-tired. And over-tired kids actually fall asleep worse, cannot sleep, and some even get more 'hyper.'

all the best,
Susan

It is totally normal. Just keep doing what you normally do and she'll figure it out and will stop. If you start giving her extra time, things, or take her into your bed - then you will be stuck w/ doing those things as well. So hold your gun and it will work out.

My answer is going to be two-fold. Usually a 2-year old is not old enough to be giving up the afternoon nap just yet but there are kids who sleep really well at night and sometimes start bucking the system because the need for sleep during the day becomes less of an issue. If this is the case with your child, she might be giving you some clues that she's not tired yet for this nap or might not be needing it anymore. The determining factors are her behavior, her total night time sleep, and her activity levels. If she acts cranky or get routinely cranky without the nap, is an avergae sleeper at night and is active...she needs that nap! If she can hold her behavior together, sleeps about 10 hours through the night, and doesn't run around like a champ all day long, she might be able to ditch the nap in favor of an earlier bedtime. Don't skip the nap though and keep a later bedtime....adjust it to at least an hour earlier if the nap goes away. As for the bedtime crying and such...too bad. 20-30 minutes of fussing and protesting is nothing. I've seen kids do this for hours on end. You keep a very ritualistic routine for bed, she has a bath, quiet time, snuggles and stories, and then it's lights out! You put her in and you do NOT go back in there. Let her cry and fuss. This is a stage and she's testing your limits. If you budge on this, you'll be a deadman in a few weeks as she's now created a habit of poor sleep habits and when she's out of that crib she'll be popping out of the bed and out of the room with her crying and such too. Stop the cycle now and put the foot to the floor. You are not harming her by letting her cry. You are teaching her that she has to fall asleep on her own and stay that way. If you need additional support, go find the book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. It is pure gold. Once you read this, you'll never waiver on your choices about sleep again. Good luck and hopefully...good napping and sleeping too!

My daughter is 2 1/2 and I struggle with getting her down for naps and sometimes bedtime. She'll just cry a L. but mostly whine, but I stick to my guns. I know that if she doesn't take a nap she gets very ornery later so it's best to make her take it. Occasionally, I will let her not nap, but she will go to bed about a half hour later. I think your daughter is probably just trying to exert her independence. I would continue with the routine no matter what and I'm sure she'll get over it and move onto something else to challenge you with!! Have you ruled out any illness or teeth coming in? If she hasn't yet, she should be getting her two year molars in. I always let my daughter decide how to carry out the routine, like asking her if she want's to brush her teeth first or read first and let her pick out her pj's. That usually helps to get her cooperating a L..

I like the 15 minute rule. If my boys are still crying I will go in and firmly tell them it's time to go to sleep then I physically lay them down and retuck. If they are still at it another 15 min. I will check the diaper, read a book, get a drink. Something little so they know I care but I don't get them out of bed.

This is very normal. Kids sleep patterns change a lot. Plus, at 2...they are afraid if they lay down or go to sleep they might miss out on something.
My kids were never great day sleepers, although they slept all night very early on. Still, from the time they were little babies, I got them used to "rest time" at a certain time each day. I didn't stress about whether or not they actually slept, because you can't really force a child to go to sleep. But, they can get used to having quiet time. They don't have to love the idea and they might cry, but you can be up all night trying a million different things when just keeping things short and simple is best. During the day, I never used the word "nap", I never told my kids they needed to go to sleep. It was my spin on reverse psychology as far as getting them to just at least be still and quiet. I didn't care if they rolled around in their crib or "talked" to themselves.They still had their lay down time.
Have you tried giving your daughter a "baby" or lovey to put to sleep? Let her "rock" her baby and cover it up and we all have to be quiet for her baby to go to sleep.
My son had a stuffed puppy that he covered up and fussed over for a little while at night before he konked out.
Don't let her wear you down and don't let her drag things out too long. That begins a habit that is hard to break.
Soon, she will likely go through a phase where she sleeps more than usual. Growth spurts have a lot to do with it.
Just stay calm and consistant.

Best wishes.