2.3 year old suddenly refusing naps

[babyrose]

his sleep has went down hill and now he is refusing day time sleep aswell. he just mucks about and makes excuses not to go to sleep.ive given him painkillers and nothing helps. im going to go mad.

anyone any ideas?

Perhaps he's not tired? Perhaps if he didn't have a daytime nap he'd go to sleep quicker at night?
Just a suggestion!

He might not need to nap any more.

DD stopped having a daytime nap at 20mo.

DS also has stopped naps overnight (at 2 yo). He now has "quiet time" in his bedroom for half an hour of bliss instead, involving playing and music.

Perhaps you can try this with your DS?

Don't give him painkillers if he's not in pain. Why would you?

At 2.3 my dd suddenly gave up her naps too...3 weeks later ds was born. wishful thinking on my part that I would have both babies sleeping at some point during the day.
Seems a fairly common age for kids to drop their naps. Dd will sometimes nap in the car if we are out and about but I gave up trying a long time ago.

Is he in pain? If so, take.him to the docs.

He has 2 teeth coming thru but also 2 year old molars.

He is yawning his head off and rubbing hus eyes and fell asleep on the floor at 3 even tho he was offered a nap 2hrs earlier.

there's nothing wrong with sleeping on the floor! - I'd leave him there for a bit, with a blanket over him if you think he might be cold. Wouldn't leave him sleep too long though if you want him to be tired in the evening.
I'd get into a strict bedtime routine, even if he doesn't actually go to sleep: bath, then story in bed, then lights out. If he's not too sleepy, maybe he could play for a bit in bedroom after the bath, then story and lights out - but we always made our DDs understand that after a certain time in the evening, downstairs was for adults to have quiet time with no children.

It's a tough one to swallow when it's time to drop the daytime nap! I now put DD (2.6) on the sofa after lunch, or whenever she looks tired as long as its before 2. I put a quiet film on and she lies down under a blanket. Often she will just fall asleep but if not will lie there for 45mins to an hour so I can get some chores done or have a sit down myself (god forbid!) Maybe try this? For what it's worth it has made bedtime a million times better and she now sleeps pretty much 1930-0645. Good luck!

We always do the same routine every night tidy toys, pj's, brush teeth and then stories.
He just seems to tired especially since he was up at 5.30 this morning and most mornings these days!

If he is ready to drop the nap how early to bed?

It's a normal age for dropping the daytime nap. It would be nice if children dropped the daytime nap at the point they didn't need it, but IME with both my two they seem to drop it then spend months getting grouchy and overtired in the day before they adjust.

What time does he go to bed?

Anywhere between 6:30 and 8 just depends if he has slept that day and how long for.

It's a while ago, but at that age I think my DDs used to go to bed around 6.30, rigidly - whether they were tired or not. After 6.30 is "adult time" - children should be in their bedrooms, either asleep or playing quietly. (Or at least that's what we told them). It doesn't take long to set expectations, if you stick to a rigid time, and don't deviate at all. A couple of weeks maximum. If he gets out of bed, take him back without making a fuss, no cuddles etc.
Suggest you drop the nap, and aim for bed at 6.30pm. But have the courage to stick with it! Good luck

Thanks, we just got our 3rd round of antibiotics for an ear infection. Im just wondering if its this thats been bothering him again.

No naps for 2 Wis now and super early. Nights it was going well until a couple of nights ago now we are back to nw's,ew's and short nights. Sigh