2 1/2 Year Old Not Napping!

Suffice it to say, he may be done with naps. A number of my friends' children gave up their naps at 2 1/2. The quiet time may be all that he needs.

I know you don't want to hear this, but my first daughter was through with naps by 2 1/2. As long as he is not crabby and goes to bed at night, its not that bad. He may have just outgrown naps like my daughter did.

Neither of my girls took naps after about 2 1/2.

He might be growing out of his nap. My kids did before their third birthday. As long as he's not having a meltdown in the afternoon, I would keep putting him to bed at 7.

I'm glad your daughter was a long napper and still can have quiet time. I don't have any girls, so I don't know about them. I have 4 boys and I know that they are very noisy and seem to have endless amounts of energy!

The last couple of days were 35 degrees. He should be outside playing. Save the indoor stuff for when the weather is below 20. The fresh air is what truely knocks them out. Even the ride in the car if you leave a window open. Rainy days in and let him walk and investigate the snow and snow balls etc. Bring a walker but let him walk to point A and if he's tired put him in the walker on the way back. Even playing with him in the back yard. Give him his little sand shovel and bucket and make things in the snow with him.

A.,

I was a SAHM and when my three year old dropped his nap I went into mourning! He stopped the day I brought my youngest son home from the hospital. He never napped again and didn't need it--wasn't fussy, irritable etc. So....your son may be giving it up. I instituted an hour quiet time which even included TV viewing because I needed to lay down and be alone for my sanity.If he gives it up, do not waffle on the early bedtime. Good luck. A.

Hi Allison, my name is T. and I have 5 children. My twins, Brooke and Blake were done napping at 2 1/2. I tried everything to get them to sleep but after 2 hours of them playing in their room, I decided that it was no longer nap time. My daughter who is now 17, napped for 2 hours every day, and even after school until she was 7. Was hoping they were going to be like her. Well no such luck. Just keep him active until bedtime, and then enjoy the quiet time.

Normal. Some kids just don't need them less than others - for various reasons. My pediatrician warned me that it might happen around 2-1/2 years old. It did. He would nap maybe 4 times a week then slowly decreased. Over a period of a few weeks he was done napping. He did have rough evenings for a while b/c he was tired. But soon enough his body adjusted and he was fine. My son did the same with playing, singing and talking. He would get some books and sit in his bed looking at the books. He'd be there for about an hour. I never forced the issue. If I needed the quiet time I would just have him play in his room for a while.

Does he seem tired in the afternoons? My younger one will go back and forth on naps and when she doesn't nap-- I put her down at 7 or 7:30 when she does nap-- she usually goes down around 8:30.

If it's not affecting his mood- I wouldn't worry. That's great that he's happy to just rest on his own!

when kids in my daycare go through this stage I use the reward to entice them. I tell them that if they lay quietly without making a noise then they will get a treat after nap time is over (2 hours of being quiet). I use sugarless gum because it's also good for their teeth. You may have one day where you don't give a treat, make a BIG deal of giving a treat to your older daughter. I bet the next day he'll sleep for you right away (or at the very least lay there quietly). I don't allow fidgeting either, kids do that to prevent themselves from sleeping.

Other things to consider - is the room REALLY dark? I use black felt over the windows (use the scratchy part of velcro to hang it up on the window frame, buy a piece of felt that is 12 inches wider and taller then the window, put the velcro at the top of the frame and just stick up the felt). Do you have music on continous play? This tends to lull them into sleep. Use the same music every single day.

PLEASE do not listen to anyone that tells you to just give up the nap. There is so much research suggesting that naps are essential to brain growth, physical development and emotional resistance. Here is an article that is wonderful about that. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/good-sound-sle...

I think I tried everything, including lying down with my kids with pajamas on. No dice. My son quit 2 mo. short of his 3rd birthday, my daughter at age 2! They are now 3.5 and 5.5 and still have rest time most days, but nobody sleeps. If my daughter naps now, she won't fall asleep until 10:00 at night, so I guess she is really done. Good luck!

Oh, by the way the transition was pretty rough-- if you get desperate, talk to your pediatrician first, but I did give my daughter 1/2 tablet of melatonin crushed up in some warm milk 2 or 3 times in the year from age 2-3. There were a few times when I KNEW she was utterly exhausted and she just could NOT get to sleep. I certainly don't recommend this on a regular basis, as I think there are some side effects. But she was so tired after one cold-- and it worked like a charm.

I'm going through the same thing with my daughter. Naptime is always a struggle, b/c she gets out of her bed & plays with her toys. I know she's tired because she yawns all afternoon. And like a previous poster said, sleep is incredibly important. I read the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book, & understand the importance of child sleep. So I'm banging my head against a wall because I know she needs a nap but won't take one. On days her babysitter has her, she naps fine. I think it's because they go out on errands & fun activities and are very active. We've been home together on maternity leave with a new baby, & barely leave the house. I've noticed that when I take her to toddler gym in the morning, she'll take a nap that afternoon. Also, her babysitter takes all her stuffed animals off her bed before putting her down, so she won't have any distractions. And leaves her door open. I'm about to start trying this approach today. Good luck!

My first 2 stopped napping at 2 years. My 3rd who is going to be 3 next month is about ready to quit napping. I think it is just time.

Like all of the responses so far mention - every child is different. My 2.5 yr old is not quite ready to stop napping. My daughter was still napping up to the time she was three, but only because I made her sleep - lie down next to her as long as possible until she did. When she started preschool- I decided to stop the naps. She couldn't fall asleep early enough (sometimes it took till 9 or 9:30 at night) to wake up early enough to get ready. When the nap stop, she was ready to fall asleep by at leat 8 or 8:30 - but it made a big difference - she was getting a proper nights sleep.

Yes - sleep is very important, but please understand your child to decide what's best. Like another person mentioned, if he's not having a major meltdown by 5 to 6 in the evening, then he's probably ready to stop. The good news is - he'll be ready to go to bed early enough. 7 PM is a great time for bedtime!

That's about the time my first daughter quit napping too. We had knock down drag outs with me trying to get her to nap. I finally just went to letting her stay up with the deal being if she was crabby she had to nap. A simple "Are you crabby?" was all I had to ask to get her behavior under control. Then we just napped when she was truly tired. He may just be done now too. Good luck.

My two oldest went through the same phase, and they both went back to napping. Stick with it, because those nap times are precious!

Good luck!

If your son does not become a tired mess in the evening, then he must be done with naps. My cousin's daughter was done with naps before 2. Everyone is different. As long as he doesn't show signs of melting down every day, he's fine. It's just harder for you without a break.

My oldest daughter no langer needed a nap at about a year and a half, and at 17, she still doesn't require a lot of sleep. That's just how her body works. But for my sanity, we instituted "quiet time", which was an hour (or however long) in her room, playing quietly. She could play whatever she wanted, listen to tapes, etc. but she had to play quietly and stay in her room. It was wonderful for her, in that she really learned to entertain herself and play contentedly. It was great for me because I was pregnant and needed some rest. I often napped right outside her door with my pillow, so that I'd hear her if she needed me or tried to get out, but it was a win-win for both of us. Blessings as you raise your little one.

I have the exact same experience happening now! My pediatrician said that if he falls asleep - say - in the car during what would be a nap time then he could definitely still use one. Regardless of actual sleep she said down time is important for kids this age. I just call it a "rest" now and he talks and plays in his room for a couple hours. I always make sure to wake him before 3pm if he does fall asleep to preserve a 7pm bed time. Good luck!

If your son isn't a crab all afternoon until his 7 p.m. bedtime, why force a nap? None of my boys napped after about the age of 2 and all went to sleep early like your son. I also had a quiet time for an hour every afternoon where they'd go in their room and play something on their beds which was my time to regroup. In my opinion I wouldn't try to make your son nap if he's fine without it. Consider the extra time during the day that he's awake as a chance to spend more time with him.