Help! 2 yo refuse nap

[peggy0062]

DS just turned 2 last month, been refusing to have an afternoon nap (normally 1.5 hours). He only sleeps 10.5 hours at night and when he wakes up he just wants to play. These few days he gets so tired near dinner time that he is half asleep and doesn't want to eat. Is it normal? I am pregnant (v. tired) and would ideally like to nap with him. Advice please.

DD got like this just after I had had ds. In the end I said she could have the nap on her cushion or beanbag instead of the bed and I had to stroke her head to get her off to sleep. She would then sleep for ages, and be mega grumpy on waking and difficult to settle in the evenings. Once I got past the first post natal month I stopped trying to get her to sleep and accepted that she did not need a nap any more and now she only falls asleep for a short nap in the car or buggy. It is just unfortunate for you if he has dropped his nap. You never know though it might just be a phase. Also when I was pregnant and desperate for extra sleep I would put cbeebies on for an hour in the morning and sleep on the sofa when she was watching it. Even now I feel a bit dozey when the balamory theme tune starts!

ds turned 2 a couple of weeks ago and seems to be dropping his afternoon nap too. He's missed it more often than not over the last week or so. Sometimes he falls asleep very late in the afternoon, which messes things up badly, of course. No nap does mean an earlier bedtme, which is a price worth paying IMO as we never used to get him to bed before 9pm before. You may well have to accept it and move bedtime forward.

DD gave up her afternoon nap at 2.3 Actually it was a struggle getting her to nap after her 2nd birthday, but I was in 1st trimester and knackered so persevered til I was 3mths pg!

I made her lie on her fifi ready bed and watch cbeebies for an hour or so. She lay there happily and I could get stuff done or even lie down

The upside is that she's in bed asleep by 7pm latest

In the last month she has actually asked to go to sleep in her bed after lunch on quite a few occasions (fab cos I now have a newborn to look after!) Don't know if she's having a growth spurt or something (also never stops running around!) but as long as she doesn't nap for more than 1.5hrs she's still in bed by 7.15pm

Does he fall asleep in his buggy or car if you take him out? I've resorted to a daily walk round the block with DD (2.5) as she's been refusing naps in her bed since Christmas. She gets sooo crabby if she doesn't have a nap, and it usually only takes about 10 mins (max) to walk her to sleep. Sometimes she falls asleep before we've even got out of the door! I then just park her somewhere quiet and she sleeps for an hour or sometimes two.

It's not ideal by any means, but she needs the sleep, and I appreciate the downtime!

DS hasn't fallen asleep in his buggy for a long time. The only option is to drive him round but me being petite and my bump is pretty big already, it's almost touching the steering wheel so I haven't done that.
Perhaps you are right, he has decided he is big enough not to nap. He gets so tired he does still need his nap. If only kids would just do as they are told...