Toddler dropping nap

[GlummyMummy]

My two year old has started being really funny about her lunchtime nap all of a sudden. Four days in a row she just flatly refused to have it, howling in her cot until we got her up. Yesterday she howled for 15 minutes then fell asleep, and today she slept for 40 minutes. We are struggling to even get her upstairs to her cot, she wants to stay and play and tries to go back downstairs again.

Is this a sign she is dropping her nap? Problem is she is so grumpy in the afternoons and is obviously overtired. How long does it take for them to get over that?

Ugh. A while, in my experience. DD took nearly a year to drop her nap altogether. For that year she would have it most days, but skip it some days. Then we had a tough couple of months where she really still needed it, but would kick off massively at nap time. Then on days she had naps she'd take forever to go to sleep at night. When she finally dropped it for good, life was much easier!

Is there a way to help her have a short nap but with less angst? A drive in the car or a push in the buggy? Would she snuggle on the sofa in front of the TV and drop off for a bit? (not that my DD would ever do any of those things!)

she's going down fine at night time, that's not a problem (nap or not) but she does wake earlier on days when she's not had a nap. The problem is the howling at nap time, she tries to run back downstairs, all she wants to do is play and isn't placated by the thought that she can play after the nap. She's only really had naps in the car so buggy and in front of tv probably wouldn't work. She does sleep in the car but it's a pain for me having to be driving around aimlessly at that time of day!

Just remembered something that worked briefly with DD. Putting her in her cot with books and saying she could sit up and 'read', that she didn't have to sleep if she didn't want to, etc. Usually she'd be asleep within 10 minutes, but giving her that sense of control avoiding the nap time meltdown. Worth a try?

that sounds like a good idea. Tried that today, left her in the cot with the bedside lamp on and a couple of books, and she still started gurning that she wanted out her cot. She's only had a nap twice in the last week and that was the two days we drove her in the car, had to drive for an hour yesterday to get her over!! No wonder we go through so much petrol!!

I do think she's early to be dropping it altogether but the cot seems to be totally out now, so it's car or nothing!

Is she just 2 or nearly 3? My DD just decided one day she didn't want to sleep after lunch and grudgingly we just went with it. She was 2.7 I think, barely had a nap since. Before that the naps had got later and later and bedtimes were shit, soon as she dropped the nap they went back to normal. But a friend's dd (same age) dropped hers for a couple of weeks then started again, but no bedtime issues.

She is only 2.2. Her nap dropping has literally come out of nowhere, bedtime all still fine and she's going down at 7.30 as always. She's waking a bit earlier in morning but that's all. I assumed before nap went that she would start refusing to go to bed at night but that's not happened.

It is a bit young to be dropping it, but plenty are finished with napping by that age.

If it really is a miserable battle, is there another solution? E.g. give her some 'quiet time' in front of the TV? DD dropped her nap for good just after she turned 3. On days we're at home, we often give her 45 mins watching something on the iPad with headphones on. It helps her chill out and also gives whichever one of us is on parenting duty that day a break.

DS is 21mo and he now only naps every few days. We find if we drive home from somewhere he will sleep in the car and it doesn't affect his bedtime thankfully.

Every few days he will have about 3 hours though so it's worth it!

Tried putting in the cot again today at nap time but no way was she having that! Then put her in the buggy and pushed her outside for a bit-no luck! Finally put her on the couch in front of a DVD and she did stay quiet for 30 mins though not asleep. After all that, we were out in the car at 4.30 and she fell asleep-typical!! So frustrating! Proves she is obviously knackered so don't get why she won't just go for her nap!

Does she stay asleep.once the engine stops? If so could you pack yourself a travel mug of tea and a book and drive for 20mins then stop for an hour while she snoozes?

So, she still hasn't gone in cot for naps since. To be honest, I haven't even attempted it. As soon as I mention nap and cot she starts to panic!! The last few days I have managed to get her to nap in the buggy but not until 3pm so two hours later than her usual nap!! And it's been sunny so happy to walk around pushing pram, but might not work so well in the rain!!

Anyone else found their child just suddenly refuses nap in for all of a sudden one day?

one week on, and she's still napping 2.30ish after me pushing her around in the pram for up to an hour before she goes to sleep!

If they need to drop nap, are there always signs eg the bedtime sleep is affected? She still goes down to bed fine, has just been waking earlier in the mornings than she used to