2 1/2 Year Old Needs Nap but Refuses :)

Find a good routine that works and stick to it. It may take some time....a few days but soon this too shall pass. Don't give in! Maybe set a time for lunch, a story for wind down time or sing to him and then pick up the toys (they have to nap too). When my son's toys became too tempting for him to sleep, I put everything out of sight and took some toys out of the room. Then after a week or two of normal nap times, I would bring in a toy at a time and see how he did with that. He is now 3 1/2 and still a fabulous napper. If he tries to come out of the room, place him back in his bed and be consistent. Some soft music is helpful too.

My guess us that he is getting ready to give up his afternoon nap. Maybe you can turn it into "quiet time" for the two of you...read quietly in bed...if he falls asleep...fine..if he doesn't that's ok too. My guess is that if he gives up his afternoon naps that he will be ready for bed a little big earlier...and you can have YOUR quiet time in the evening!!

Our son is 2.5 too. There are weeks where he very consistently takes a 2-3 hour nap, then weeks where he doesn't nap at all. When he doesn't nap, he still goes into bed and relaxes. If he is still up after an hour I go in and get him. He doesn't usually mind going in, I think he likes to relax even if he doesn't sleep...and let's be honest...mama needs that hour too!!

My son did the same. As the other poster said, I moved up his bed time by at least an hour, expect that I did that every night. He ended up getting the same amount of sleep as he used to be getting with nap time and night time sleep combined, but just all at night instead.

I've found that my DD goes through phases where she naps easily or has a hard time, so I would suggest that you keep trying even if he doesn't actually sleep because in a few days he may go back to napping. Good luck!

I think it's just the age when they start outgrowing nap. Both mine did! I have to work (I work at home), so they still have quiet time. I made it special for my son--"You're a big boy, so you can have quiet time now. If you play nicely in your room, you can have your toys." I'll offer to get him a game or special book (he can get them anyway, but he likes it if I start him off) and then I say I'll get him up when it's time to pick up his sister. He loves quiet time--but will correct me if I ever say "Nap time" by accident.

At first, we were putting him to bed at about 6:30 because he was so cranky without sleeping at nap, but now he's balanced out. And he still does fall asleep sometimes--even on days when I really don't expect it, and usually on top of his toys!

HTH!

Yep. All 3 of my boys gave up naps around then too. You could try putting him in his crib/bed with some books and stuffed animals. Might buy you a little time, but that only lasted a couple months for me. I think ultimately it's just a new stage to get used to. I hated giving it up too, so I know where you're coming from :)
He's just getting bigger mommy :)

my son, who is now 4.5, has not had a nap since he was 2. it actually works out better for us.

i make mine lay down about the time he gets whiney. i take all toys away. i do not say night night or sleep just make him lay down. it takes 5 minutes he is out. i lay mine on the sofa and let him "watch tv" instead of putting him to bed.

What time does he go to bed? Could you try putting him down earlier if he seems tired? Both of my boys stopped taking naps at 2.5 much to my disapointment so I just put them to bed an hour earlier if they seemed tired. You could tell him he doesn't need to sleep but needs to lay in his bed quietly fo aittle bit and see if he will eventally fall asleep.

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What time does he go to bed? Could you try putting him down earlier if he seems tired? Both of my boys stopped taking naps at 2.5 much to my disapointment so I just put them to bed an hour earlier if they seemed tired. You could tell him he doesn't need to sleep but needs to lay in his bed quietly fo aittle bit and see if he will eventally fall asleep.

I am having a similar problem with MY 2 and half year old. My mother suggested that its time to eliminate the nap, but WE Need them!! haha.

This sounds like I am being manipulated by my 2 yr old (and I guess I am) but I found for us the only sure fire way to get her to fall asleep for nap is to drive. It literally takes 5 minutes. I have a particular route that I drive and shes always asleep by the end. I think its because shes strapped down and automatically relaxes. If I lay with her in her room she KNOWS whats happening and fights it.

It also seems to come in phases with her....2 weeks on 2 weeks off..etc

-L.

My 2 year 11 month old has not napped really since last summer, and even then it was sketchy. But like others here, it would go in spurts. A few months ago it got a little more stressful going through the whole process, since I would do a mini bedtime routine with her (milk, stories, pray, songs). She got a stomach bug right after Christmas when we were out of town and after that she wouldn't drink milk anymore...and that was sort of the trigger for her nap/bedtime. She gets bedtime, even if she doesn't want to go, but would definitely try to distract us from naptime. So, after a few weeks of struggling over the whole routine, I finally just decided to call it quiet time. She seemed to feel better knowing that she wasn't going 'night night' and would just read books quietly in her bed. Since January, we've gone through a number of phases with her getting out of bed and playing to taking random 2 hour naps. Since I have a 5 month old, I need her to have some time to rest--even if she doesn't sleep, she is usually in a better mood after she has the time alone. All of that to say, if you're not bent on him sleeping, perhaps you can persuade him to just have a little down time without the expectation of sleeping. He may be more receptive. My husband likes to have my daughter change into her pajamas, like we just to do for her nap time, but I don't always do it. But I do try to keep her as quiet as possible and in her bed. We have a video monitor so we can watch where she is at--this whole thing is part of the reason why we put up a video monitor in the first place! We couldn't tell if she was out of her bed or not and it was getting frustrating. I often put books on her bed so that she can look through them, though I don't leave the lights on. In the end, even if she is singing or playing, I need the time either to myself or to take care of the baby, so I don't stress too much over the details. But...we do put her to bed on the earlier side. Anywhere from 7 to 8:30, depending on when we have dinner, etc. Our routine is always the same, but if my husband works late or if the baby requires more of me, then it seems like everything just get pushed back. My daughter does sleep 11.5-12.5 hours at night as well, so I know she is at least getting the minimum amount she needs.
Unfortunately, lots of kids don't keep the nap as long as we'd like, but getting him to do a rest time would be good, even for when he goes to school eventually. Hope it gets better for you!