my eldest daughter is likely in the process of dropping her nap. i'm not ready yet . i still send her to her room and so she "rest her mind and body" because it's healthy and I really need a break, but it's just not the same.

just whining. thanks for reading .

Quiet time instead of a nap is actually a good idea for her as well as you.

How old is she?

Seventeen.

- Then I would suggest you try to get her to nap without a bottle beforehand (works well for 3 year olds too)

At seventeen they are old enough for a different kind of bottle. Then they nap whether you want them to or not .

acts like 17 at times, but she's only 2.5.

a couple days ago she sassily asked me, "can you please stop bothering me?" .

No, the daughter

The age is kinda important, also what is normal for her or not. I think you can easily find out if she just resist because she does not want to miss out on being awake and playing, or if she really does not need it anymore (if she does not need it, she will have real troubles falling asleep at bedtimes, after a nap).

You sit her in a car, during her usual nap time, and if she sleeps, she still needs it, she will give in the car rocking her to sleep. If she does not need it, she will talk your head off no matter how nicely the car is rocking

I wouldn't want to nap all alone in my room knowing my family is around, I'd feel excluded. Can you nap with her?

My 4.5yr old loves to nap. 2hrs straight. Creche really helps, though, the routine they do and all kids being together is a nice experience.

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"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

I think at 2.5, she should still be taking a nap, or else you end up with a very ratty and irritated toddler at dinner time.. well that was the case with my daughter... However she is now 11 and sleeps in later than me on weekends...

Apparently, it's time to implement 'choices', e.g. "Ok, it's either nap time or time to mow the lawn. Which one do you want to do?"

i don't think it's going to be a quick process - the nap dropping that is. i'm expecting at least a few months. i can feel we are headed in that direction though.

a lot of it is resistance i'm sure. i try to be back home no later than 11:30 most days because she will nap in the stroller on the way home. even 5 minutes asleep in the stroller is a definite nap killer! however, if she doesn't nap and just sings and talks in her bed instead, then i don't like to go out by stroller in the afternoon either because she will also nap.

the thing is that she is now capable of getting through a day without a nap and without being a total mess because of it. on sunday we had a large bbq party and despite refusing to nap, she was a delight to be around all day. go figure.

since i also have a 5-month old to look after, my options to coerce her to sleep are somewhat limited. perhaps i can explore a family siesta in our bed. i was the one who really wanted a nap today, but neither would cooperate .

Ours went through periods where it looked like naps were over. Then it passed. Kids like and need ritual, so try to develop and stick to a pre naptime regime (if you don't already). I would say at that age they are still pretty important, so it's worth making an effort. BUT, don't get stressed about it, the kid will know and that's the end of that.

What MC says here about what is normal for the child is the important part. Different kids need different amounts of sleep just like adults. My youngest dropped the daytime nap at around 2 my eldest much later, for each of them it was normal.

Just want to say that I really feel your pain. I've got a 2.5 year old daughter going through the EXACT same thing! And another baby (8 months) in the house as well. I always try to be home about by 12:30, but every now and then we have days when naps get pushed farther out or even skipped all together and she turns into a maniac! It usually makes bedtime even more difficult somehow - being overly tired I guess. It will be difficult for me when her afternoon naps fizzle out because it is my very, very much loved and adored precious downtime! And when both actually nap at the same time, (like right now!) DIVINE! I love my kids, but holy Mother of God they wear me out sometimes!

Ah, povre mama...with a baby on top, tot that is being social instead of napping, I'd need a nap everyday.

I think, the cue is, if she falls asleep on your way home at 11:30 then she definitely does need a nap. How many hours does she sleep in total? Ours needed 12-13 back then, but right around 2,5 she had a moment she was giving up naps, she was too busy exploring. I think 2,5yr is still too early to not incorporate naps and count on them, push her a little, car rides, sleeping together in one big bed, soft music on, room completely dark, etc. Or, have her nap in the stroller, if you take a slight detour instead of going home?

If she has one good napless day, does not mean she won't be needing it..for us it usuallly goes like this, slowly, over a stretch of a few months, dropping one day....then two days...then a few months she would drop the third day, then for 4 mo she would nap every day, chaos, then two months nada. But nap was something important for us, for other things as well, the other half is a napper, too, destressing, so it was relatively easy, lazy days. I don't need to nap, so I was happy to not sleep, but planned family outings on those ocassions we could go, that would match the nap in the longer car ride, so my child would have her rest.

If I tried to send her to her room by herself, no matter with what rationalizing, she would tell me to go do it myself, hahaha. They are extremely social in this period, especially if you have another wee one. Lay with her on a couch, put animal planet on quietly, she will doze off.

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

I think it depends on the child. My sister's two were out of the napping stage by the time they were three but my son was still having a good 90 mins to two hours by the time he reached four, although not every day.

Almost from one day to the next he decided he didn't sleep any more because he's "a big boy now" and that was that.

Gaffer tape and a gag is the only way to get peace nowadays...

LOL, she sounds like my own...only she never napped except when she was really sick and even then only rarely. Folks keep telling me this is the good part and wait until she gets older which is where I blanche and wonder, wtf, she's a teenager now, what am I going to do in 10 years?!

I found that telling mine that it was OK not to nap, but that we all need 'quiet time' so she could choose a quiet activity to do on her own, e.g. color, and it seems to work. There are days when she'll still drive me bonkers by not abiding the 'quiet' part but, most of the time we're good. Maybe something to try.

Okay, that was almost funny. This afternoon quickly spiraled into a hot mess. I think today was the 3rd or 4th day in a row where we put her down for a nap she ultimately didn't take. She was a real pain and after her umPteenth irrational tantrum of the afternoon, I tossed her back in bed at 3:30. 5 minutes of crying later and she was asleep. Woke her up at 4:30 out of fear of screwing with bedtime.

Thanks for all the tips. Hopefully I can keep her to them for a little longer!

Arrgh, it is a tough time I remember so well. I had flu and my toddler was exhausting - I brought plenty of toys to put near my bed and just lay on the bed- keeping an eye as she played. Suddenly I woke up in a sweat, having fallen asleep despite fighting it - and she was NOWHERE to be seen. I run around the other bedrooms, run down the stairs, looked everywhere - nothing! I run to neighbours screaming, everybody came out and we checked the the whole cul-de-sac in total panic. Then Betty my angel of a neighbour called 'Odile - look what I've got!". Little one had managed to climb in the bed, and was fast asleep under the duvet. I cried, cried and cried some more. Thanks Betty RIP and bless your cotton socks. She kept her with her and gave her some tea (supper!) and sent me back to bed.

You'll have to learn, like we all had to, to take any small moment of peace whenever you can get them - even if it means watching kids tv or video for an hour in the afternoon - in the hope she will sleep and you too!