Is My 2.5 Yr Old Ready for No Naps?

L.,
My son went through this same phase at about 2.5 also. I am a stickler for naps and find that all children this age no matter how energetic need some unwind time in the middle of the afternoon. I would tell my son that he didn't need to sleep but needed to "rest his eyes" until I came back to get him. I told him he was allowed one book in bed and that was it. After about 1-2 weeks of that he was back to his usual nap schedule. He is now 4 and naps EVERYDAY the same time my 2 year old naps. I go in his room with him, he is allowed to play in his room for 15 minutes, I go in after that time period and tell him it's time to get in bed and rest. He sleeps everyday. He is super energetic and if he doesn't get his nap he is miserable by 5:30! I say change it up a bit (in terms of the time you put her down) But like the previous poster said, with 2 you will want to have both of them napping, at the same time, or having "quiet time" everyday. Be gentle, but firm, she needs her rest.
Good Luck.
K.

I would say skip her naps if she was fine without it once. All kids are different. My first son took 4 hours naps religiously until he was at least 3, then came along my daughter. She was fine with 20 minute naps at 2 years!!! I figured for sure she would fall back to sleep, but she never did. She wasn't crabby, so that was a plus. Anyway, unless she shows signs of being tired without her nap, I would skip it. Good luck!
A.
www.opportunityofyourlife.net

with baby 2 on its way you are going to want your daughter to have a nap or at least some quiet time in the middle of the day. even if she won't go to sleep tell her that she has to have quiet play time in her room by herself. she can listen to music and play with her dolls or books but she has to do this on her own and for at least 30 minutes. you are going to need a break and so is she.

not wanting to go to sleep by herself at night time may not have anything to do with her napping durning the day. all children go through periods where they are afraid to be by themselves. she may have figured out the when her new sibling comes she is going to lose alone time with her parents and she is trying to get all she can.

maybe try changing her nightime routine, read an extra book, start earlier so when she fights sleep she isn't up until 10. does she have a doll or animal to comfort her? does she have a night light? what if you left the door open?

2 is early to start giving up nap time, i would try every other solution before i gave into that.

good luck!

We had a similar problem at that age with our son. She is definitely ready for a much shorter afternoon nap. Your doc will tell you that she's NOT ready to skip a nap. Plus this is just another phase and it will pass, espcecially when she's outside playing all summer long. We cut naps back at that age to 45 minutes. It's hilarious trying to wake them up. I remember our son never wanted to wake up from that nap. But the shorter nap will mean she's much more tired at night. Plus, make sure she's getting a lot more outdoor physical activity! She's a big girl now, and these toddlers need lots of activity to tire them out!
We really saw big improvements right away when we did all these things. I think that summer we also pushed bedtime back a little later (like 9pm) so that we could be outside more in the evenings. Plus, she's not falling asleep earlier anyway so you might as well enjoy the time together rather than fighting her to fall asleep. It's hard when the sun's still out and you're trying to put them to bed.
and FYI: now our son is 4 and he's been back to taking a 1.5 to 2 hour nap for a long time. The phase will pass....