22 Month Old Stopped Taking a Nap?

It won't go away if you don't let it. Put on some soft music, darken the room, and sit by his side keeping him still and quiet until he falls asleep. I do this by putting my hand on the child's tummy, gently but firmly keeping him still. As he tries to talk or move around I quietly say "shh! it's rest time now" or something to that effect. Sometimes I even fake falling asleep myself by closing my eyes and letting my head nod forward. Kids tend to know when they are tired and fight sleep a lot. Usually all it takes is five minutes of lying still to get them to actually fall asleep.
I know that this probably sounds too simplistic to you as you are fighting with his reluctance to rest right now, but I believe if you try it this way you'll find it works.

My son is 4 and still naps everyday. Without battle.
It is routine. He needs it.
My daughter is 7.. and will still nap, without battle, if she is tired.

At 2 years old, glitches in sleep/naps do occur. But they are still tired... and need a nap.
Just keep to a routine, daily about it. Or institute a "quiet time" daily... in a certain place, at a certain time and YOU do it too. The SAME place and SAME time, EVERYDAY. It will "cue" them. That is what I do. I tell my kids, it is MOMMY's nap or quiet time too... and we ALL nap or have quiet time.
At this time, it is no horse-play, nothing turned on... just boring and quiet. I don't even talk to them. It is a routine.... since forever from the time they were babies.

You need to gauge your toddler, DAILY, and look for tired cues. When he is tired, then he needs a nap. Over-tired kids.. often get more hyper.. and cannot sleep or wake more. So it 'seems' they are not tired... but they actually are.

all the best,
Susan

It may be the end of naps for him (not that uncommon), but that doesn't mean he has to forgo any kind of "downtime". Keep to the same schedule that he had when he would go to nap, after lunch usually or sometime between 1 & 2pm I would imagine. Set up a place in him bedroom on the floor with a blanket, some pillows, books, quiet toys & tell him "It's downtime. You stay in here & have some quiet play & mommy will be having her downtime too!" Obviously it will take some adjusting & it WON'T be quiet, but if you don't start creating the schedule / habit now, then it will be more difficult when he gets to an age of understanding what exactly you're trying to enforce.

My first son still naps occassionaly & he's 4, but even on the days that I can tell he won't go to sleep, I still insist on downtime - if only to get some separation from him for at least an hour! Most days he'll kick around in his room & eventually fall asleep.

Don't worry if your son falls asleep on the floor or fusses for awhile. If you can tell he's having a hard time with it, only do 15 minutes of separation at first. Do that for a few days, sticking to the same schedule & then stretch the time out by 5 minutes every few days. Training? Yes. Effective & necessary? Definitely! We ALL need a break, at any age, & it will continue to be important to him as he ages to know how to quiet down for a short time during the day. Good luck!

OH NO!!! my son's the same age and all your posts said it was over...how sad. now i'm nervous...boy do i need those naps he takes on the weekends! well, i'm right there w/ya' girl! hopefully it's not stopping just yet! :) good luck! :)

Sorry, my older one was done w/ naps at around 18 months...I'd say you're all done now.

Every child is different. My son stopped napping before age two. I spent many months trying to get him to nap again and he never did. Looking back I think I wasted a lot of hours trying to get him to nap and he just wouldn't fall alseep. He did start sleeping 12 hours solid every night after he stopped taking a nap so it worked out OK. Good luck.

Don't dispair! Naps should not be over at this age. He is too young and still needs the extra sleep. Both of my girls tried to drop naps at various times before they were 4 (reasonable time to drop naps). When that happened, I would just enforce a rest time. My older one was fine with it and just laid on her bed with a book (no she could not yet read) and would usually fall asleep within 20 mins or so. My younger one was a little more difficult. (she's my boundary pusher!). With her I would lay her down and tell her she had to rest with her eyes closed. I would stand by her bed and make sure they were closed. Within 5 mins or so she would fall asleep, but it could be a fight for the first few days. You may have to get out your 'mommy's not kidding voice', but it is worth it for both of you. He needs the rest and you need the break.
Be brave!

It may very likely be over. Can you require him to have "quiet time". In his room w/ a book or movie? That still gives you both some down time. If you force a nap when he's not tired, your evenings will get "ugly". If he doesn't nap is he really crabby by dinner? If he's not too bad - or just needs to go down early, you might be done.

Hi Mom
From my experience of having a three year old I think 22 mths might be a little young to stop napping so theres hope.!!
My advise would be to follow routine,be calm but firm,have a quite time before nap(sitting on the couch with a book etc) and tell him that nap is on the way in 10mins. Rest too if you get the chance.
Best of luck

Startquiet time. My daughter stopped napping around 18 months, but I had quiet time and she started napping again during the major growth spurt around 27 months. I would only let her nap for an hour, though, as she would then be up all night. Just institute an hour of quiet time.

Updated

Startquiet time. My daughter stopped napping around 18 months, but I had quiet time and she started napping again during the major growth spurt around 27 months. I would only let her nap for an hour, though, as she would then be up all night. Just institute an hour of quiet time.

He won't sleep enough (unless and until you take charge) on his own initiative until he is perhaps 25 or 30. Remember how it was when you were growing up? You didn't want to go to sleep for fear of missing out on the fun... and even in young adulthood, you often prefer to stay awake and be tired to going to sleep. So keep getting him good and tired, and put him down for his nap until he's four or five, and keep making sure he gets to bed at a reasonable time at night until he moves out of your house. After that, you just have to rely on habit and inclination!

Sorry :) Both my girls stopped napping right before their 2nd birthdays and never looked back.

As much of a bummer as it is, as long as he's sleeping well at night and not cranky during the day that may be it for his naps.

I love how so many moms say at this age their kids still "need" their naps. Yes, at that age "I" still needed my kids to nap but sadly, they didn't!!!
Good news is you can still have and enforce some down/quiet time. No TV, only beds, books and stuffed animals. If he is really worn out, he will probably fall asleep. Another option is to lay down together and read stories, this worked especially well with my third (most active) one who almost always fell asleep next to me by the third book in the middle of a big sunny bed after an active morning and a good hearty lunch, of course (that's how cats sleep all day for heaven's sake, in the sun!) Good luck :)

My daughter did this a couple of different times, but you can tell they still need the nap so I just kept trying and after a week or so, she'd be back to napping. Don't give up - you know your child!

My daughter gave up her naps at 8 months - the same week her 3 year old brother gave up his nap... I made them have quiet time in their rooms. They didn't have to sleep, but they had to stay in their rooms and play quietly for an hour. Sometimes they slept. Sometimes they didn't.
I feel for you.
LBC