Frustrated Mommy Around Nap Time... :(

If he is fighting a nap that hard - I mean 3 hrs is way way way too long to keep trying, I would say he is either ready to drop the nap or he just needs the quiet time to relax. I would start a new routine with him where he is put/left in his room with some books or somewhere where he can quietly sit and watch a movie without getting up and moving around but 3 hrs I think hes not gonna slleep after 3 hrs
Its exhausting just thinking about it =0)
Good Luck

You might try putting him down a bit earlier. If that doesn't work, you may have to be satisfied with just having quiet time. If that's the case, he will eventually stop falling asleep during the day, and he will go to bed earlier.

Well, what time exactly, are you putting him to nap?
Maybe it is too early?

In the mornings, do outdoor physical activity.
Boys need that.
They need to runaround.
Then have an early lunch, then wind-down time, then make everything calm/dark/quiet. Then nap.

Or, put him to bed at night, earlier. AND thus, make dinner for him and the whole night time routine, earlier. To collaborate with that.

Or, do your errands in the MORNINGS.
THEN, come home for an early lunch, THEN wind-down, and transition to nap.

No tired kid, is going to do well, running errands, when they are tired and cranky.
For me, with both my kids, I ALWAYS did errands in the morning and their runaround time.
THEN I'd come home, early enough for their early lunch and to wind-down, prior to nap. A kid won't nap or wind-down well, if rushed.
So you gotta time everything.
THEN, my kids napped. And then, after they woke, I didn't have to rush around doing errands, because I had already done it, in the morning.

3 hours of trying to get him to nap, is too long.

For my kids at that age, or 28 months old, well my kids were still in diapers for naps and bedtime. So they didn't wake to use the bathroom. They just slept.
And my kids, even at their ages now of 5 and 8, they LIKE to drink milk before bed or nap. Even I do. Its fine.

Also, your son seems to be having his own "quiet time" in his room, when he can't sleep. So that's, good.

you have to wear him out....get him with other kids, get him outside, get him moving & using his body.....& he'll sleep better!

Darkened room, quiet music, & a firm mom!

Hope it helps....oh, & no sugared products at lunchtime.

My kids would not nap at that age.. especially a 3 hour nap time is way too long if he is fighting it. Give him quiet time earlier in the day if you need to. Since I don't know when the nap is, or what time he goes to bed/wakes up in the morning, it's hard to tell a good timeframe to suggest.

My daughter gave up her naps around that time. I tried and tried and tried to no avail but alas, she won. As long as she gets at least an hour of quiet time, she's ok. Just make sure that he stays in bed and that's the best you might get. My DD is in her bed right now talking, lol.

That's a tough stage. All kids reach it. We compromise for a set amount of quiet time in bed reading, just one book at a time. Or one quiet toy at a time. I set the alarm, tell them how long they have to lay there, and just hope the quiet time works and maybe they sleep a bit. If they do go to sleep, I turn the alarm off and let them get up when they're ready. Such a sad day when naps don't work. :(

I would get him up a little earlier in the day, try the lunch and nap a little earlier and then bedtime earlier at night.

There will simply be days when my 2 yr old (at the time) would just play in her crib and not nap. I had a pretty set nap time and if she slept, great, if not, then there was a super early bedtime that night. Also, if you like to read, my all-time favorite sleep book is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It is worth a read to see if there are other ideas or reasons for the non-napping child :)

Is he maybe going through a growth spurt? Some kids sleep more during this time and some sleep less. I'd say as long as he understands it's quiet time then let him have that and lie down to relax. I bet eventually he'll fall asleep over time during this.

Most of my kids had stopped napping before 28 months. One of them quit taking naps by 18 months. She would sleep at least 12 hours a night, but would seldom nap in the daytime.