2.5 year old sleep/nap battle - about to jump off a cliff with despair!

[Crazyone84]

So my 2.5 year old has always been a good night sleeper, not so good napper.

The situation we are in and have been for at least a month if not longer (may just feel longer from the sleep deprivation) she will scream the place down to not nap in her bed, she is happy to nap on the sofa with a blanket.

She did have a period of not wanting to nap at all and we thought it was time to drop so we started to reduce and miss the naps but this made for an extremely overtired, tantrum toddler who then was so over worked would not sleep at night.

She is at the child minders 3 days a week and was refusing naps before and after lunch but couldn't make it to pick at at 6pm so would fall asleep in her dinner at 4.30/5 and this would then throw out bedtime to a 3 hour screaming match even if it was just a 10 minute shut eye. Waking in the night several times and refusing to go back to sleep or even stay in her bed.

Last week she was down for a nap in the cot at the minders, which she kicked off about, and minder sat with her in the room until she thought she was asleep, she wasn't and as soon as she left the room she climbed out and landed on her face, 3 hrs in A&E and a dentist trip, potentially is about to loose both front teeth as they are wobbly, luckily no further damage.

She wont sleep on the sofa at the minders as the other children will be playing etc.

Example today: she went to be last night just before 8pm (slightly later than normal) and woke in the night at 1am, then was awake for the day at 5.50am. she has been at minders since 8.30am and has fallen asleep in her dinner at 4.30pm. We would be putting her to bed around 7/7.30 but can already see this being a screaming match and a horrible situation for her to go to sleep on.

Please help with advice or suggestion on what I can do!

This takes me back. It is one of the biggest issues about using a child minder, which, of course you have to do because you need to work.
The early waking and terrible sleep is almost certainly down to extreme over tiredness because of the lack of a day time nap.
So I would explore any and every option to find a way to get her to have a lunch time nap at the childminders.
Is there any alternative space in the CM's house that isn't a cot?
Any alternative space that other children could be playing?
2 and a half is too big to be safe in a cot IMO.
When she sleeps on the sofa at home, what else is happening?
My 2.5yr old always dosed off on the sofa after morning nursery if there was music or TV on low, so I wonder if all the children at the CM could sit and watch something suitable for half an hour after lunch. If they are all quietly watching, DD might dose off for half and hour?

We are very lucky with our minders and they are happy to adjust but the downfall is there is lots of children playing who all sleep and eat at different times and mine is a nosy one who hates missing out on something! Also the minders at tied to certain ofsted rules about forcing sleep and where they sleep.

Yes she is too old for a cot and tomorrow we are going to try her in a "big girl bed" at the minders and see....
When she naps on the sofa at home I normally put on a calm tv programme and leave the room, (she will not sleep if anyone is about l, even me!)
Thank you for your understanding and msg, I'm not the only one!