Nearly two year old suddenly refusing naps he really needs! Help!

[SmallWaistFatFace]

My lovely 23 month old son he suddenly started screaming like he is possessed when put down for his daytime nap. He wakes early at about 6am and is knackered by midday after lunch as we are very active with him. Normally I put him down, give him a big kiss and say sleepy time and he rolls over and goes to sleep.

The last four days he just screams and screams and screams. I leave him for a few minutes and keep an eye on him on the camera, I know he is fed and tired (naps are consistent so I don't think he is over tired).

He needs his nap still, the last three days he hasn't had one and has been just so clumsy and falling asleep by 4:30pm, we keep him awake and by bedtime he basically passes out he is so exhausted.

Any advice??

(We let him have twenty minutes if he danger naps but not too much longer as otherwise he won't sleep through the night)

Maybe try a different nap situation?

My toddler stopped sleeping in the cot for naps but would fall asleep having a cuddle and quiet time on the sofa with the blinds closed. Then I either leave him to sleep on the sofa with me around or carry him up to his cot.

We got hit with nap-time separation anxiety at that age. He still definitely needs his nap (he's now 2.3) but we had to stay with him in the room for a bit while he fell asleep. He still gets it from time to time now but there was a definite phase. It seemed to coincide with him becoming a lot more vocal too.

My elder two refused naps at 12 months. My youngest was three. There's not much you can do because once they want to stop, they do however tired they are.

My 2 year old won't entertain a nap in the cot anymore. If we think she needs one, she will drop off in the buggy if we snuggle her up and pace the streets. Similarly, she will sometimes drop off in the car if we drive anywhere in the middle of the day. On those occasions, we'll park up and let her have a power nap.

Both mine stopped at 18 months. We could occasionally force one by going for a drive, but not reliably.

DS (2.5) has phases of refusing to nap. We put him down with a few books to look at. Sometimes he sleeps, sometimes he doesn't. Is there anything that would distract him from screaming? Or can you try a car nap etc for a few days? I'm a fan of persisting with the nap. I think they benefit from naps until 3 (or longer!) if you can ride out the tricky phases. Of course if he is just screaming, that is much harder.

We've just been through this with our just turned 2 year old. Only in the last few days have we been able to put him down and leave like normal. It went on a few weeks and we sat with him while he fell asleep for naps (trying every few days to leave him to fall asleep on his own). It doesn't sound like he is ready to drop the nap so persevere with it and hopefully it's just a phase. Funnily enough my DS doesn't refuse to nap at nursery, just with us!!

Urgh.... It's so hard when they decide they are done napping. My DD decided to stop napping in a bed at just over two, I could get her to nap in the buggy for a few more months but that stopped too eventually. I think try whatever you need to in order to keep that nap for a bit longer - so in the buggy or stories on your lap or an audio book are all things I had success with. I also started doing dinner earlier and giving her a bedtime snack just before sleeping. Eventually they do just last longer and it's not so tough late afternoon.

I think I'm going to buggy or car nap him for a while! He is soooo needing sleep, such a lovely little boy normally but becomes just such an asshat if he doesn't nap and then tells me he is tired and when I say, shall we go to sleep? He says NO 😂😭

Thanks for the advice. Glad to hear it's a common thing. Toddlers, why are they like this.

Similar here. We had a sleep regression around that time. DD is now 26 months, she has a toddler bed but also has a double bed in her room so we give her a choice when it's naptime... "do you want to sleep in the big bed or the small bed"? Do you want to sleep with the brown bunny or the teddy? ... I remember when she was really refusing the nap I took her out in the buggy ... but now she seems to be back into napping. Although it will be never be the same ...good old times when we used to plonk her in the cot and 10 minutes later she was sleeping ... good old times... 😬🤣