How long is too long?!

[EverythingsDozy]

Put DD (2) for a nap at 11 ish because she was screaming / crying / being a bit of a nightmare because she is tired. Normally, she will go to sleep within an hour if she is being like this. If she gets out of bed I will put her back in without talking to her. Its been over 3 hours now and I really don't know what to do.

I don't want this to turn into a power struggle (although after 3 hours im afraid we're already there) but i don't want her to come out of her room until she has had a nap and calmed a bit, so im putting it to the MN jury. WWYD?!

P.S. Please don't flame me, im struggling to cope with over 5 hours of screaming so im pretty worn and a bit of a wreck

next time, don't fight with your baby. it isn't worth it. every moment of her life is precious to you.

Next time, accept she might not want a nap after 10 - 15 minutes of trying. or put her in the car/buggy and drive/walk until she's asleep. Or put on Cbeebies /read a book and have some quiet time rather than a nap.

She's probably asleep now because she's been crying that long - crying in her sleep isn't normal. From 2, DS didn't nap everyday, he'd be tired and need quiet time, but not always a full nap, trying to make him caused more problems than it solved.

An hours tantrum before a nap is not good. She probably sleeps in the end because she's exhausted by the screaming, not because she actually needed the nap in the first place.
Why are you still so regimented about naps at 2? Lots of kids drop them entirely at this age, maybe she's trying to tell you she doesn't need them anymore?

Sounds like she wasn't tired, I'd have taken her out for a walk and had a change of scene. When ds was small if he wasn't settled after half an hour then I would presume he wasn't tired enough to sleep during the day.

I would also say that 11am is a very early nap for a 2 year old unless they have been up all night ill.

Oh I remember the feeling of desperately wanting ds to have a nap.

It's really hard when you have a small baby as well, but getting in a routine of getting out of the house each day really helps.

Don't feel awful it's really hard. I felt like sitting on the floor in town earlier and weeping. She needed to nap but wouldn't so I bought a coffee and say on a bench whilst she ran around. I have definitely learned that pushing the nap for too long is just stressful and upsetting. Always best to stop and try later.