How long do you persist before deciding your dc has given up on daytime naps?

[HeadFairy]

This is for my friend, her ds has never been the greatest sleeper, but now at 18 months he appears to not want a daytime nap. My ds is still doing 2 hours at 2 years, and he loves them. Should my friend keep trying to get him to take a nap... how long do you keep trying for?

[HeadFairy]

?

[wastingmyevening]

Apparently I stopped having a daytime nap at 9 months old.

I think it really depends on the child. If they're tired and grumpy, they need a sleep. If they happy enough without a nap, then what's the problem?

[HeadFairy]

She says he looks tired, and is pretty grumpy. She thinks he still needs one. It's only been this week he's been refusing to nap. To be honest, his sleeping is always all over the place, he'll go through phases when he barely sleeps at all, waking up at 4am most days, then he'll go back to a phase of sleeping 7pm to 7am. I think this is just another phase and I've told her to keep putting him in his cot for his naps, but I wondered if that's the right thing to do.

[wastingmyevening]

I would, though I've not got to this stage yet with mine.

Maybe do a bit more running around in the mornings so he's more tired at nap time.

[HeadFairy]

I've always said that to her. I think she gets a bit exasperated with me and my apparently perfect ds (yeah right, she's not there at bedtime!) because he sleeps really well. Of course he eats nothing but that's another thread... However, I've always dragged ds outside come rain or shine regardless of the weather, and I'm sure that's a big part of why he's such a good sleeper. When I suggest this to my friend she says he doesn't like going outside. Maybe she's right, he's quite a sensitive quiet little lad. Not like my rough and ready ds.