Our 2 Year Old Daughter No Loner Nap's During the Day.

All I can say is to remember that you are the mom and YOU decided when naps start, when naps end, and that she WILL continue to go to her room, get in her bed and lie there whether she sleeps or not! A child should never be the one to decide whether or not they should continue to take naps. My 3-year old also tries to forego naps, but I just tell her that it's not up to her and I put her in her bed. 95 percent of the time, she will fall asleep. On the days she doesn't, she stays in her bed until I say it's time to get up. My son took naps till he was 4 1/2. My daughter will do the same.

She's testing you to see if you'll forego the naps. Be strong, stern, and TELL her she WILL nap whether she sleeps or not and continue to put her down in her usual nap routine. If she gets up, put her back to bed and contine to do that until she realizes that she will not win that battle. Good luck.

Hi K.,
My kids were both the same way. We used to struggle and fight about it. It was more stressfull than it was worth. Some kids just don't need as much sleep. We switched to quiet time. They needed to be in there rooms and they could look at books or do puzzles or whatever as long as they were quiet. The kids need it and the mom needs it too,am I right? The kids will get tired in the evening and after dinner they seem to go to bed easier. I hope whatever you choose to do works well for you.

K., this may just be a phase. My son did the same thing right around age two. A few months later, he was napping again. I was certain he had given naps up. Maybe she's going through some cognitive development or getting teeth.

My son was the same way. He took a nap everyday when he was two but then we went on vacation for a week and that messed up his schedule. When we came back he wanted nothing to do with a nap so we created "quiet time". That was his special time where he can lay down on the couch with all the pillows and his "Thomas the Train Quiet Time Blanket". He was allowed to watch cartoons for one hour in a room by himself with the lights off. Sometimes he fell asleep and sometimes he didn't but at least he got a little rest. To this day (he is 3 1/2 now) he asks if he can have some "quiet time" after lunch, not everyday but at least 3 to 4 times a week.

We're in the same boat, my son is 2 1/2 and does not want to nap anymore. Even though he doesn't nap, he still gets quiet time, during what would be nap time, if he sleeps great, otherwise he knows he needs to be quiet and usually is. He'll lay in his crib and talk quietly to his toys. We heard him talking to his stuffed dog a few days ago going "bark doggie, bark".
But his bedtime is earlier now too, part of the consequeces of not napping. I would still suggest a 'quiet time' of some sorts for your little girl, even if it's just laying in bed looking at books.
Hope that helps.

I had six children. Five of them took naps until they were 3 1/2 or four years old. The other one did not. When he was 2, he stopped sleeping. Now, I did have him lay down for "rest time" and he could look at books or have his favorite stuffed animal with him, but could not sit up or get off the bed. Luckily for me, he had brothers napping in the same room, so he knew that he had to be quiet. But he really did not need the nap.

K.,

From time to time we have the same issue with my twins. They are 2 1/2 now and depending on the days events will determine if they will or will not go down for a nap. At about 20 months it dawned on me that their energy level was getting hire and that they we able to cruise threw the day with out a nao, possbile melt down, but no nap. My DD gets tired from learning new stuff I really have to push her menatlly to get her to take a nap. puzzles, games etc or from playing outside with her brother for a couple of hours. My DS on the other hand needs to run a lot and play outside before he will submit to a nap. Also, we don't use a stroller at all anymore, they walk with us everywhere, even at the mall. We kept the stroller so that if they go out with Grandma, she will be less stressed than worring about 2 2 year olds taking off on her.

Hi K.,

I feel your fustration. My son, who is 4yrs old now,did not want to take naps when he was 2yrs. I tried everything but he always fought to stay up. The only thing that helped was laying down with him in a dark room. It took like an hour for him to fall asleep and I constantly had to be pulling him down when he sat up. I finally came to the realization that he didn't need a nap. If he didn't take a nap he would fall asleep at 7p.m versus if he took a nap he would fall asleep at 9p.m or 10p.m. I just made sure he had quiet time during his regular nap time.
If your daughter is cranky during the day then she probably needs a nap but if she content then she is fine without a nap. Just compensate by making her bedtime earlier. I believe children this age need anywhere from 12-14 hours of sleep.
I know is nice to have an extra break during the day, but not all toddlers are the same. My 2year old daughter has been a great nap taker. Good luck to you.

Some kids still need naps at 2 and others don't. Every child is different, and has different activity levels. Both my kids stopped napping around 2yrs. They would sometimes fall asleep in the car, but that was about it. My neighbors son took naps until age 6, although he was a little more hyperactive and his body needed time to recharge. Don't make it a battle it she really doesn't need it.

I have no personal experience with this (my daughter is only 7 mos), but I remember my mom said that when I was young, instead of saying the word "nap" to me, she'd tell me to go to my room and rest my eyes. And she told me not to fall asleep, but to just rest my eyes, and I'd fall asleep every time. And we (my brother and I) napped until we were 5 y/o with this method.

Both of my kids stopped napping around the age of 2. I found that when I was successful at getting them to nap after they got to that age, it would usually back-fire in the sense that they would stay up later and resist sleep at night. Unfortunately, they are both also early-risers, regardless of how late they go to bed - so an early bed-time is important to us (even now at ages 3 1/2 and 5 years old, they do best if they go to bed by 7:30 or 8 at night).

BUT, having said all that, every kid is different! I know 5 year old kids who still nap, but it just didn't seem to be in the cards for us. I'm sure you will get some great advice from other moms who were successful at keeping their kids napping to an older age. But if none of that works, just know that it's really not unusual for naps to end at the age of 2 (I know many moms with the same experience). It's just whatever works for your child! If she doesn't seem overly tired or cranky in the afternoon and evening, then that's your best queue that it's ok for her to skip naps. Also, she might just need a nap a few times a week while she transitions.
--S.

My son who just turned 3 went through this at 2 and just again a few weeks ago. I still make him lay down for quiet time everyday during the no nap times. Sometimes he would fall to sleep and sometimes he would not. This last time it took only a week of him playing quietly on his bed with his stuffed dogs until he started napping again. Good luck.

My older daughter (almost 3) has been the exact same way. What I ended up doing is realizing that there is no way I can actually make her sleep, but I can set expectations of her. So every day at the same time, she has two hours of "quiet time" that she spends in her room. During those two hours she is allowed to read a book quietly to herself, lay down and rest, or actually sleep. About half the time she actually takes a nap, the other half of the time she fools around... but at least I get a little bit of a break, and at least she has the opportunity to take a nap if she really needs it.

:-) T.

I worked at a preschool in the 2 year old room. Everyday after lunch was nap time. With out fail they would all sleep except one little boy. No matter how hard they played or what they did he would not nap. He did rest for 1 hr each day he had to be quiet and not get up from his mat. we the kids moved up to the next room he still didnt nap.

So even though they need it you get a rare child that comes along and will not need the sleep or want the sleep. As long as she is sleeping good through the night well just make sure she has resting time. Set a timer if you need to so it will not become a fight.

My son stopped napping around age 2 as well. There was absolutely nothing I could do to get him to take a nap during the day. The only times that he will nap is when we are in the car or if he will just crash while watching tv in the late afternoon while in his room. But if I tried to make him take a nap, it all I did was wear myself out from fighting with him to take a nap. Some kids just stop napping sooner than others.

If she dosn't want to nap, you can't really force her if she's not tired. My son had mostly given up naps at the age of two as well...and he'll still sometimes do it but not on a consistant basis. When a child is tired, they will let you know...if they aren't. Usually their bodies know how much rest they need and will act accordingly.

Two of mine stopped napping at a young age. I eventually stopped putting them down but put them to bed really early (6:30) at night!

Disagree, your child must be ready to give up naps. As long as she goes to bad happily at night and sleeps through you have nothing to worry about. My daughter gave up her naps when she was about 18 months and I was in my first trimester with my second child. Now that was tough!

I know this may not be the best solution and it has worked for me. When my 2 year old son won't nap, out of desperation one day I turned on a movie and left him in his bed. Often, he falls asleep, but even when he doesn't he at least "rests" during that time period, which makes the evening a little nicer.

If you don't do TV, this obviously won't work for you. I wasn't a big TV for children fan prior to having children and this has saved my sanity at nap time. Good luck!

Hello K.,
I own a store called Angel Wings and Other Fine Things at 7121 E 5th Ave Ste 1 just West Scottsdale Rd and I sell a doll that mother's have come back and told me that the doll really helps the child take their naps. She is called Heavenly Hug and very soft and machine washable. She is about 3ft in height so cute. She comes in Red Pink and lavender as far as the sewing and ribbons and runs for 39.99. I am open 7 days a week from 10 until 5 and the number is ###-###-####. Maybe you want to bring your daughter in the store and see how she reacts to it. Take care and good luck , P.

Hi K.,
Our son, now 3, also does not sleep every day. We also do what Jennifer did, and have, "quiet time." He still falls asleep most of the time, but the days he doesn't he'll usually stay quiet, and not be too much of a "bear" the rest of the day.

Sounds like she's feeling her independence :)
T

My son also stopped sleeping during naps at around 21 or 22 months. We continued to have 2 hrs. of "nap" time in the crib, but he was allowed one toy. It was still a down time for him and he was resting rather than running non-stop. On the rare occasion that he did fall asleep during that time, he would then be awake for 2 hours after we put him to bed--so he wasn't gaining any sleep time from napping. He's just a kid that doesn't need as much sleep, and he functions fine. He sleeps about 12 hours at night. I was concerned too and talked with quite a few medical professionals, and they all said that even though it's young to give up naps, some kids just don't need them, but they all urged me to have that quiet nap time. My suggestion--keep her in her crib as long as possible--once my son was in his toddler bed (a little after 3 yrs. old), that was the end of quiet time unless I laid down with him--so now I don't have a break until bedtime!