Naps Aren't Happening.... Other Suggestions?

I have the same situation, similar aged kids. Same problem!
I tried giving up the nap and quiet time, but that was a total disaster.
Now we do quiet time/nap time. They can play, read book, play leapster as long as it is quiet & in their room, together or apart.
It helps us get through the rest of the night, but it is tough.
Everyone is up to bed at 7.30 fpr the night time routine of brushing teeth, reading books, songs. I am done by 8 or so.
Quiet time help all of us, including me so hang onto that at least.

She will occasionally nap if I lay with her, but then the night goes much longer.

So I've found either no nap, then rough night but it is over at 8. Or nap and the night goes till 9 or 10.
I've chosen the no nap route so I can have some time to myself at the end of the day.

Good Luck!

Personally, I would drop the nap altogether and focus on ways to keep her up past 5:00. My almost 5 year old stopped taking naps just before he turned 4. He sleeps about 11 hours at night. He usually goes to bed between 8 and 9 and then sleeps until 7 or 8.

Maybe you could keep her up until 6:00 pm for a few days, then 6:30, then 7:00, then 7:30, etc., until you find a time that works.

Good luck!

If you are able to, try to find a time when both the oldest and the baby are sleeping, then take the 4 yr old into your bed to try to nap together. I'm able to get my son to nap about 50% of the time this way--and I get a little power nap too before slipping out of the room.

My 4.5 yr old is exactly the same way--high energy, doesn't want to miss anything so he doesn't want to nap, but very cranky and difficult to manage after 3 or 4 pm. Good luck! I know how horrible those evenings can be when they are overtired while you're trying to make and eat dinner!

My 4 year old has been this way since he was 3. Desperately needed a nap but would fight, fight, fight it. If I didn't get him to nap he would be a mess later in the afternoon. At 4, I told him he didn't have to nap, but what I did is left a little early to go pick up my oldest after school and I would drive around for just a bit and he would pass out like a light. This also worked for my, at the time 3 year old, who was trying to give up naps as well. Now that school is out, neither of them nap regularly, but the younger one is okay not napping and the 4 year old is getting better. If you know it's going to be a day when a nap is absolutely needed, I recommend putting them in the car and driving. Even with higher gas prices, sometimes you just need a little sanity. Even as recently as this month, I have put everyone in the car and run a few errands that didn't require getting out of the car. The two older kids played their DSs or read and the three younger ones slept. It gave me a little bit of sanity and I got somethings accomplished :). Good luck!

I used to bribe my son with a (very small) milkshake after his naps. It was the ONLY thing that helped.

He's 4 now, and he absolutely refuses to take them. The only way I can make him do it is if I know we have a late night activity (so bribery again) or if he's been so naughty that I can't take it anymore, and then it's a punishment.

He doesn't seem to need them the way your daughter does, though.

Since she is 4, I would do away with the naps unless she did not sleep well the night before, was sick, or had a very big day. Keep the "quiet time" and push through the cranky time and she will adjust very quickly.

I have a similar problem with my 3yo. I also have an 8yo and 17mo. My 17mo will obviously still take naps but the older two don't. We have quiet time during those nap times. The older two have a few options but they must stay quiet and they ahve a choice of being in the living room or thier bedroom (they share a room, the youngest has the nursery)
Some days quiet time is calm, actually quiet and its nice. Other days my 3yo is crawling up the walls and hollering alot. Its just the age/stage. Keep doing what you want to be done and it will workout.
Remember. This too shall pass!

My oldest did this around that age. Its that phase in between napping everyday and not napping at all. At this age she was like a rubber band...stretching and stretching until she just couldn't not take a nap...and so it ended up every other day worked for her. Sometimes if we didn't have much going on and no chance to get out all that energy she would nap about every two days. But either way she had to spend time in her room so I can have a break. Good luck!

I have zero advice since I basically could have written this myself. My son has been the same way since birth (he's 3 1/2) now. Doesn't nap. Jumps on his bed, hits the walls, throws a fit when I tell him it's rest time.... and by 5 o'clock he's a MESS and by 6 he's practically passing out in his soup. Your daughter sounds hyper active (or spirited) like my son.... I have found that sometimes he just absolutely cannot calm his body down. Whole foods has this homeopathic medicine for kids called "calms forte". That has helped us occasionally. But basically at this point I just let him play with toys in his room (quietly) or look at books during his 45 min rest time.... and then put him to bed at 6:15. But i know how you feel. If my son were to take a nap, he's an angel at night time. But since he doesn't, he's a brat from 3-6.... ah well. I feel your pain, at least.