Giving up Naps/Behavior

Try tricking her into napping for a while (if you can). Take her for a long walk in the stroller at nap time, she will probably fall asleep. If that doesn't work, take her for a drive. Once she is back in the habit of sleeping at the same time everyday, then try her room again. As some others said, try laying with her until she falls asleep.
Also you may want to give her a snack just before she goes down. A full tummy does wonders. My son usually sleeps best after a large snack of cheese.
Good luck

Our playgroup was just talking about this yesterday (we have kids from 18 mos-2 yrs)! The mom with older kids remembers that when they gave up naps, their bedtime had to get earlier to compensate. Maybe you could try that?

Good luck!

This is normal! My 3 yr old gave up naps about 4 months ago...she just turned 3. When napping she would wake up in the morning about 8, nap from 12-2pm, then bed around 9/9:30.....Now that she is not napping....she is up at 7:30am, then around 1/2pm, she lays on the couch, and we read, or sit at the table and color...something....around 4pm, she gets really cranky, so that is when we go play outside for a bit....cold weather means go to the mall or something to get her walking around.....then at 7:30pm she is in bed....yes 7:30pm! WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Try it!

J.- I agree with the other responses. My daughter stopped napping at 2 1/2 (she is 3 yrs 4 months now). She would become out of control about 4PM (and would fall asleep in the car around that time as well). Just stick to your guns and make sure you keep trying the naps (or rest time, down time.. whatever you call it) and you will get past this. Also, the early bedtime is worth the earlier tantrums sometimes LOL!

We are going threw the same proublem. But we are still using a pack n play for her nap time area. And then there are days that she will fall asleep in the car, even thou it is a few mins, that little bit of time helps. How long is her quiet time in her room?

I agree with Lisa! Not much you can do about it except try to get them to have a little "down time" each afternoon. It's a sad day when the naps are done :(

It sounds like she's not physically ready to give up naps with those tantrums. But it's so frustrating when you know they "need" it, but they won't sleep! Have you tried moving her nap time back an hour? I found that helpful when my daughter started resisting naps (she's 3 1/2 now, and still takes one most days). I also use a white noise machine, because at that age, they're interested in every little noise they hear downstairs. I tell my daughter she doesn't have to sleep, but she does have to stay in her bed for "quiet time". She sometimes reads books, plays with her stuffed animals, etc. I use positive reinforcement (a treat or extra 1/2 show) for days when she actually sleeps. That seemed to help motivate her to go to sleep. I put m&m's in a big gumball machine where she could see them, but not reach. If she sleeps, she gets a small handful of m&m's when she wakes up. She does not like it when I say "you didn't nap, so no m&m's today"...so the next day usually goes better. If you can't find anything that works to get her to sleep, I'd agree with other moms....put her to bed early on every night that she doesn't nap. That way she won't be so tired the next day. I also tell my daughter that she can stay up later & have extra books at bedtime, on days she takes naps. It's working for us! My daughter goes to bed at 7:30 without nap, and 9pm with a nap.
Best wishes!

My kids both started giving up naps around that age. I insisted that they at least needed downtime so they could recharge so I always put them in their rooms. I let them have a couple books and quiet toys so they wouldn't be running around, kicking the walls, etc. If they seemed cranky in the late afternoon and evening, I would put them to bed early. You might want to try a new naptime routine that might make her more settled and ready to sleep - reading a story, playing lullabies, rubbing her back for a few minutes. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to make her sleep. I know it is frustrating. My kids are 3 and 4 and they don't nap everyday but I still give them the opportunity to have downtime in their bedrooms.

see if you can take a nap with her. at least try to lay down with her and see if she takes a nap. get up once she falls asleep.i think she still needs a nap. i would say kids need a nap until they are at least four years old. may be also tell her if she takes a nap that may be when she wakes up may be she can have a special treat or go to the local park. give her something to look forward to if she takes a nap.