Does my toddler still need a nap or is this her dropping it?

[CynicalSunni]

On and off for the last couple of months my toddler has been refusing her afternoon nap.

I am not sure whether she is ready to drop this nap or not.
She used to go down at about 1130 and sleep until 1300 or 1330. (Sometimes 1200 - 1400)

I have tried to continue with the naps because she seems so tired. By 1300/1400 you cannot really do anything with her. She gets annoyed/ barely touches her food and everything is a fight.
Then she just crashes at 1600 or 1700 and falls asleep which is way too late I think.

If she doesnt crash she is just in a mood and we tend to put her to bed earlier than usual ( 18:15) at the earliest.

Night time sleep is usually grand with the odd night wake or early morning. Her bedtime was always 1900 with wake up usually 6am.

It always seems much better when she has her nap which are few and far between these days. Think she had a nap twice last week and we were actually able to play with her etc.

Does anyone have an idea on what is the best course of action is? Do we give up on the nap? Try and continue as usual?

Hi @CynicalSunni, how old is your toddler? This sounds to me like a sleep regression based on what you’ve said and might pass. I’d keep trying to put her down for naps and follow your usual routine but if she refuses for more than a few weeks then try and replace at least with “quiet” time instead eg reading or cuddles on sofa. My DS is almost 4 (tomorrow!) and this sounds similar to some things I experienced with him. Good luck!

You dont say how old she is?

Our DD 32 months stopped napping with me and DH last month, but still has a 1hr nap at nursery. We asked them to cap to 1hr because if not she is up til 9pm. We've found she needs a nap at least every couple of days, but we recognise it's on the way out!

On days she doesn't nap she falls asleep at 6.30 as opposed to 7pm.

I think if yours is falling asleep earlier than an hour before bedtime, you need to keep the nap but maybe cap it?

And if she wont nap, take her for a drive?!

Good luck x

An 11am nap is very early for a 1 nap routine. I think a lot of toddlers that still very much need a nap would fight sleep at that time. You’d normally do an after lunch nap e.g. at 1pm, which fits with her being tired at that time, have her up by 2.30/3pm and do bed at around 7pm. So without knowing how old she is, which is pretty crucial information, your post reads more to me like yes she does need the nap but you’re offering it too early.
Unless she’s 3 or thereabouts then ignore all that, she’s probably getting ready to drop it.

Can you shift the routine to have lunch at 11:30 or 12 then one long nap after lunch. And if she doesn’t nap at that time, keep it as “quiet time” with an audio book or music. She might have a break from naps and then go back to it after a week or so.

Sorry thought I had added in her age.
Silly me. 😅

She is 2 yr 3 months.

I have tried putting her down later but she just decides to not sleep. Sometimes she seems like she is going to turn over but then she just doesnt.

@SearchingStar - quiet time doesn't really work. When she tired she is the type to act restless and doesnt really sit still.

Will maybe try a drive or a walk after lunch. I get quite confused by the timings now because she does start acting tired. But will try tomorrow with a later nap.