What to do when 2 year old won't nap?

[Mazzatron]

Hello.

My boy just turned two. He's been on nap strike for a few weeks now. He'll nap maybe one day out of 3. When he doesn't nap I just put him to bed early (6ish) and he then sleeps til around 5:30 - 6. Which is fine by us as he's always been an early riser so we are used to it.

I just wondered what is best to actually do when he won't nap? I ask him to nap in his cot but we tend to end up having a cuddle on the bed. He sometimes fights this, gets up, starts playing or wandering around. Sometimes he lays quietly for 10 - 15 mins but doesn't sleep and then he starts chatting away. I ask him to lay down and close his eyes and lay there pretending to sleep.

I'm not too worried about how to get him to nap on these days because I've accepted he's in a regression and it isn't going to happen. I just wondered how long to give it before giving up and what other people do on non-nap days?
He's usually ok until about 4ish then the tiredness hits him and he's generally pretty emotional until bedtime. He is generally good at going to bed.

Thanks in advance.

Will he nap in the car / in a moving buggy?

We had this with DD but we kept putting her down and encouraging her to close her eyes and lie down quietly. She started napping reliably again and still does at 3.5.

Obviously there are kids who are ready to drop their naps at 2 but I was quite keen to hang on to them!

My DC didn’t nap when they were 2 🤷🏻‍♀️ Sorry, that’s no help but if they sleep enough that night it may not be be a problem.

My twins stopped napping at 18 months. I was exhausted. Naps aren't for everyone, I'm afraid. Give him an early dinner and go to bed early.

My DD is exactly the same at 2.1! I just tend to have some quiet time on the sofa after lunch eithe reading stories together or a bit of Peppa and sometimes she drops off sometimes she doesn't. If not then I just carry on with the day like normal. Trying to force it just stresses me out so I just try and go with the flow and follow her lead. She gets tired at 4-5 ISH on the the non nap days so that's the hardest thing about it really trying to then keep her awake until bedtime!

I take my 2 year old on walks in the buggy when he’s exhausted and won’t nap

I'm not too worried about how to get him to nap on these days because I've accepted he's in a regression and it isn't going to happen

He isn't regressing. He is progressing. It's quite normal for 2 years olds not to nap.

My best napper napped until they were 4, my worst, 16 months!

My 3 had all dropped their naps by that age, we just had a quiet time on the sofa for an hour mid afternoon. Read some books or watched a bit of tv that sort of thing.

When this happens to my son it is usually because his awake time is slightly off, eg he wakes at 5:30 and I kept trying to put him down for a nap at 1pm but a better time would have been 11:30. Perhaps tweaking that may help?

I had one that was still napping at that age but with a much later bedtime - 9ish and two that had definitely dropped it. That 4/5 period was horrific trying to keep a grumpy child awake and not risking a trip in the car or a cuddle on the sofa but totally worth it for them to drop off instantly at 7.
I used to throw them in the garden, have a kitchen disco or go for a splash in puddles. I also prepped dinner in the morning so they could have my sole attention late afternoon.

I wouldn't worry too much, children of his age sleep when they need to.
Mine did have an afternoon sleep at that age but we went to bed together for a while (I liked napping :-). You can't force it though. He certainly goes to bed very early at night so at least you have your evenings to yourself.

2 yrs old is a normal age for a child to stop napping. It sounds like they don’t need a nap anymore.

Thanks everyone. Very useful to hear all your thoughts and experiences.

I just wish we could get his bedtime a bit later than 6 because that's pretty early in terms of doing stuff but when he's up at 5:30 he's just so tired.

I guess we'll see how it all unfolds. I'll keep offering him a nap on days when he seems more tired and see what happens. He only turned 2 a week ago.