2 Year Old Refuses to Take Naps... HELP!!

when my youngest son was 2 and his little sister was 1 he refused to take a nap. I needed a little brake so I decided to change it to REST TIME I put then both in their rooms shortly after lunch found a classical radio station for them to listen to. My daughter always went right to sleep. After a few days my son would stay in his room in his BED and Rest not always sleep but it seemed to be enough to keep him from being miserable in the early evening. I strongly believe that even at 2 years old they know what there body needs even if they can't tell us or we refuse to listen. Good Luck

Don't fight it. She is old enough to know when she is sleepy. What you have to do is set the ground rules. You tell her that it is nap time but she doesn't have to sleep if she doesn't want to. She does have to stay in bad and be quiet. When nap time is over, you will come and get her. The first time you do it, she will probably test you and do anything and everything to stay awake. When she realizes that you mean it and that this is quiet time, not play time, she will start to sleep. I have tried this very successfully with several of my children.
Good luck,
S. J
Mother of 5

I totally know where you're coming from. My two year old is a mess if he does not get his FULL nap every day. An hour won't do it- he needs TWO!!! Some days it is a hassle to get him to take one. I have found that if he is already tired (this goes for bedtime as well) he will not go to sleep- not in a pleasant manner anyway. He typically naps from noon until 2pm. If we are out and he does not get to nap until 1pm or so, it is much harder. It stinks because when he's not at daycare I have to pretty much be home at noon. Just try to get into a naptime routine as you would bedtime. Maybe a quick show or short movie, then lunch, then potty, then nap. It will take a few days of consistency and she should, hopefully, get the hang of it! Whatever you try, remember to be as consistent as possible! Routine is critical at this age!! Good luck!!!!

I don't have any sggestions as my son (who is now 8) stopped falling asleep during nap time a little before he was 2. I was consistent and continued for a year and a half to put him down for a nap. We didn't do pacifiers or TV or toys in crib. He cryed at first but after several months that stopped and for the next 1 1/2 years we would still put him down but he would just sit or lay in the crib, awake, for the entire nap time. Only on a very RARE occurance would he acutally fall asleep. I woke him up around 7:00-7:30 and I would put him to bed at night around 9:00-9:30. At 3 1/2, I realized he was never going to nap (after 1 1/2 years of trying) we stopped. Maybe your daughter is just not a NAPPER.

Hi , I used to be a child care provider. This is what I did for my own and for others.

At night time when they "weren't tired" I told them their eyes were tired. I told them the close their eyes and if they fell asleep, I would wake them up. They most always fell asleep. And true to my word, I would wake them...at the end of nap time.

Good Luck.

D.

i know that this is not going to sound very fun but try getting her up earlier in the day as babies get older they nap less and put her in bed and tell her mom is not answering and you have to stay in bed don't sleep if you don't want but you must stay in bed and be quiet. she will fall asleep at times and she will stay awake sometimes. i do not think a tv will help it stimulates the mind. even adults that watch tv have sleep issues. also try a fan for the noise it is relaxing.Good luck

I myself have a 2 and a half year old, and about a month ago, she stopped taking naps for me, so I just let her stop taking them. I would go to put her down for a nap, and she would just cry and yell "mama, I wanna hold you." So, I would just have her go to her room, put on a movie and make her lay down to watch it. Well, after about a week of no napping, she decided that she needed to nap again, and started taking her daily nap and has ever since that week of not taking one. I think she even realized that she couldn't handle the lack of sleep! I'm glad because she can be a terror if she doesn't have a nap by the time dinner rolls around at night! So maybe if you just let her stop taking them, she may realize she needs them! I hope this helps, good luck!

Have you tried giving her quiet time in place of the nap. Try letting her know that even big kids need some quiet time so they have more engery for play later in the day. This could be after lunch or whenever her nap normally was. Let her take a few toys to bed with her were she can play quietly with them. Leave the lights off and the area quiet. She may eventually fall asleep, but even if she doesn't an hour or two of non-active play should help.

Hi. I'm not sure this will help you, but it did help me. I had a 3 year old neice who would not take naps, and since she lived with me, we all needed that break in the middle of the day. Someone gave me a tip that really worked for me. She was tired and cranky at nap time and it just frustrated her to a point of anxiety. I put her down on a quilt in a quiet area (not in her bed) and read to her for a little while. Within minutes, her little eyes began to close and she was asleep within ten minutes. It took a little time on my part, but it was well worth it! She was down for about an hour or more, and it made the rest of the afternoon a breeze because she was rested and calm...not cranky and tired. It took a little time on my part, but was very well worth it. It may work for you as well. I think it is worth a try. Good luck to you and your beautiful child. By the time she got to preschool, she was napping like a pro!

I work with two's all day. Naptime can be interesting at times. I put eight little children to sleep every day. Each one has their own personality and believe me not a one of them "want" to go to sleep. Dark room, sleepy music, rubbing backs, patting, singing their favorite songs, and sometimes just waiting them out. The rule is you have to stay on your bed. Most children will fall asleep if you can limit the stimulation and their movement. Sometimes I lay next to them and pretend I am sleeping also while I pat them or rub their backs. Its a struggle to stay awake myself..lol. Keep your routine, read your bedtime books, lights out, no TV at least one hour before bedtime, quiet activities before nap. She is going to need a nap for a couple more years. Dont give in because you both need her to have a nap.

My 2.5 year old is doing the same thing. Lately, I have to let him lie on the couch and put his favorite movie in (a documentary on airplanes and garbage trucks...so it's not really exciting) and he will fall asleep about 50% of the time. If he doesn't sleep, at least he lies quietly for about an hour...it helps a little. At least I get a break! I'm not a big TV fan, but it's all I can find that works other than car rides. I also put him to bed a little earlier if he doesn't nap. I think they are just transitioning out of their naps (SADLY for us).

Dont give her one. Dont let her in her room either. If she lays down wake her up. No blanket no pacifier. Those are for nap time. Stress it enough and she will get the picture

My two year old had no nap days as well. On those days, I can't make her go to sleep, but I can make her rest. I put her in her bed and tell her it's quiet time. I make her rest in her bed for at least an hour. She has a doll and blanket in her bed. And if she throws them out, she doesn't get them back. Sometimes I just ride around the country (no traffic lights so continuous movement). Even if she doesn't fall asleep, at least she's being still. Good luck!

The TV thing has worked for us as well. We allow our kids one short movie like Elmo or Barney at naptime and they can pick a longer one at bedtime at night. That's part of their routine and I put them in bed early enough to allow for it. They get one movie and when it's over they know it's time to go to sleep. Having said that, I also have a two year old that recently quit wanting to take her naps or go to bed at night. I have discovered that she is cutting her two year old molars so she is just feeling yucky. I have started giving her Motrin at naptime and at bedtime to take the edge off of the teething pain and she goes down much easier. You might want to check for that.

my husband granddaughter wouldnt take a nap so i got a small tv and dvd player and put it in her room and told her to pick out a movie.i told her she had to stay in the bed until i told her she could get up and she would fall asleep watching the movie, so you might try that. i told her lay down and be very quit and stay in the bed or i would turn it out and she would not watch anything and it worked. i did that to get her to sleep at night she stayed with us for a year. she missed her mom and i guess that helped. good luck!

Hi D.`,

Making someone sleep is difficult. Routines change and patterns differ as they grow. You say no nap is out of the question because she's miserable w/o one. From what you describe, she sounds fine and dandy to me. I'm thinking it will pay off in the evening anyway when she finally konks out.

Don't forget the best time for a snooze is after lunch; any earlier and she'll be a wreck by evening; any later and she'll have trouble at night. Nap time at this age should be no more than ONE hr.

The explanation is simple, though the solution may not be: Two yr. olds fight the urge to rest simply because they're so interested in what's going on around them. Your curious child has so much to see and do and she's afraid that if she naps, she'll miss out on something. Avoid making naptime a battleground.

In the meantime, during her not so tired hours, why not try and read together, create a learning hour of spelling, numbers, etc. I know that would bore me to sleep, but kidding aside, make it productive.

I did like the movie method some gave; also, letting her 'crank' it out in bed, shutting the door is fine if you must. Even if a movie doesn't put her to sleep, she is distracted with something to hold her attention long enough for you to have your own time.

Remember that no nap generally means quiet nights. It's not the end of the world to not have one. As 2 yr. olds increase their independence, they often increase their fight against sleeping. Unless she really shows signs of being overly tired or crabby, it is not necessary that she take a nap.

Yes, at the 'terrible two' stage it dwindles down, and the hard fact of reality is... they need no nap at all. Sad but true. You'll get used to it Mom ;-))

I am glad to see that you are sticking to your resolve that she must take a nap.

I have three boys - all past two now - and they all took naps until they were at least four. I did several things when they didn't want to take a nap. I told them they didn't have to go to sleep, they just had to stay on the bed and look at books (no toys, other than a stuffed animal or blanket). Many times they would go to sleep. I think it helped them "thinking" they were in control. :) With my youngest I would set a timer and tell him he could get up when the timer went off. He would go to sleep most every time. I would always check on him before the timer went off so it would not wake him. I would tell them they were not allowed to call me or get off the bed unless they were hurt.

There are some days when they would just not sleep. I had to tough out those days and then put them to bed earlier. I hope you get through this part quickly because it is very frustrating - especially when you know she needs it and you have a baby in the house.