How important is a nap for an (almost) 2 year old?

[suiledonne]

My dd1 napped until she was about 3. I had dd2 when dd1 was 2.5 so I was in the habit of napping with her throughout my pregnancy and when dd2 was a newborn so I suppose that prolonged it.

My dd2 is now almost 2. Until recently she has been napping 1 1/2 - 2 hours most days but her bedtime was getting later and later and she was unsettled in the night.

DD1 started pre-school last week and a few times now dd2 has fallen asleep in the car when we collect her (12.30) and had a short nap (30 mins or less) On those days she has gone to bed earlier and slept better.

I am now thinking of letting her have a little sleep in the car if she dozes off but not actually putting her down for a nap but am worried she is a little young.

Also I am not sure what to do on days where she doesn't fall asleep in the car. Nap or no nap?

Do you think at this age a nap is important or is hours slept per 24 that counts?

Both my DCs decided themselves at 18 months that they were no longer going to have naps (much to my frustration!) Occassionally they would also fall asleep in the car but would wake up as soon as we stopped. Certainly my DS doesn't appear to need much sleep - even now at nearly 9. My DD slept much better at night with out a nap.

I think it depends on each child.you might find some days she does need one and sometimes she doesn't.
My DD is 2.6 and for the last week has been singing and chatting in her bed when I've taken her for a nap,she gets really grumpy later on though.if we go to the park or soft play in the morning she usually is so worn out she needs a sleep.

My son is 2.6 and he used to nap for 2 hours per day but he started to wake up early so we cut this down. He now naps for around 1 hour and this means he sleeps better at night. At first we had to wake him up from his nap and he was a little grumpy but after 2 - 3 days he started waking up on his own after the hour.

Perhaps try and reduce to an hour or so and see how that works.