2 1/2 year old do they still need naps every day?

[Mollymom]

DD is 2 1/2 and some days she will not stay in bad/lie down long enough to go to sleep for her afternoon nap. DP is insistant tha she needs 3 hours sleep a day up to the age of 3-cos he read it in a book we have (I read the same book and didn't see this anwhere in it-the book is a guide for babies under 1!! I thnk he misread a note for babies under 3 months but he won't have it).

I think she is ok not to have a nap every day (just the daysshe is tired). DD does get cranky the days she won't sleep but I think we should put her to bed 1/2 hour earlier on those days. She sleeps through ok at night but won't actually go to sleep until 9.30 on the nap days.

I think she is growing out of naps. Do children this age do that? Does she still need a nap?

Children can grow out of naps at any age, some much earlier than others and there is nothing wrong with your dd not needing a nap.

I have a 14 month old who often just has a 10 min doze in a pushchair all day and a 3 year old who has just started dropping his nap so will sometimes not nap and be grouchy by evening and other times sleep for 2 hours after lunch.

Many children have outgrown naps by age 2.5. It often happens around age 2.

You are creating a worthless battle for yourselves

Just be led by your child.

My dd gave up napping entirely at 13 months old. She is 2.9 now. Friend has a child of the same age and he sleeps for 2 hours every day and genuinely needs it.

Thank you for the replies-its the battle with DP thats the main probelm cos he is firmly of the belief she should be having 3 hours nap a day!!

I shall persist with telling him she will nap on the days she needs one and the days she is napless bed time will be earlier.

And I may show him this thread

There are books about labour out there and what is normal and average. Some women have a completely different experience from textbooks, some women never labour at all.

There are average amounts of milk that babies will take during the day. Some take more, some less.

There is an average time that children will walk. Some are earlier some are later.

You can't force a toddler to nap any more than you can force them to walk/talk/read.

Your child is an individual and should be treated as such.