my 2 andhalf year old doesnt want naps anymore?

Question

About a month ago my daughter stop naps. She oesnt like them anymore.Before she likes them and slept for almst 2 hours, and it was good for her, she was happy when she woke up and still slept for 12 hours at night.Not she goes in her bed for a second and calls me at nap time, and comes out of her bedroom.Is this ok, should i stop her naps???Doesnt she need atleast 13 or 14 hours sleep in 24 hour periode??Should u still try her naps, she doesnt want them at all. Will this be bad for her growth???

Answer 1

My daughter is 4 and still takes an hour an a half nap every day. I firmly believe that children need naps until the age of 5, their brains need rest, especially a 2 year old. So she doesn't like them anymore, too bad. Of course it's more fun to stay awake and play, but she still needs sleep in the middle of the day. She is not a short adult, she is a child. If she didn't like sitting in her car seat anymore would you let her stop? If she didn't like holding your hand to cross the street, are you going to let her run out in the middle on her own? I don't think so, just because she doesn't want something does not mean it's not good for her. And yes, she does need about 13 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Have you seen a change in her night time sleep as well? I would guess that she's not sleeping as well at night either. It's all connected and the better they sleep during the day, the better they sleep at night and vice versa. Keeping a child awake during the day in hopes that they will sleep better at night is a sleep myth. Anyway, trust your instincts here, yes it is unhealthy for her not to nap at this age. Be tough and tell her that it's nap time, end of discussion. If she continues to get up, start taking away toys that she likes to play with after her nap. All I have to do is remind my daughter that she will not get to watch a video after her nap if she doesn't sleep. She knows I'm serious and rarely tries to stay awake after lunch. Good luck.

Answer 2

I think she should be taking naps at 2 1/2 years old. Does she have to have them? Probably not. There are a few reasons that she may have stopped. First, she may be testing her boundaries. Not all kids want to take naps and will do everything in their power to avoid them. You should try explaining that she needs naps and that she must take them. She'll probably ask for water, hugs, stories, need to go to the bathroom, ask for more water, etc. As long as you keep responding to her requests she is learning that she has power and is in control. Establish a short naptime routine and stick to it. Do not let her leave her room (unless she really does have to go to the bathroom) and establish consequences if she does. This can all be done in a firm, loving manner. Soon she will realize that you're not giving in and will probably decide to take naps again. Of course you can't make her sleep, but you can mandate she has quiet time alone in her room.

Another probable cause is that she is getting too much sleep. I would try reducing her nightime sleep to 10 1/2 to 11 hours to start with. She'll probably resume a 1 to 2 hour nap without any problems.

All children have different sleep requirements. I have read that 10 -13 hours is perfectly normal at this age. Your child would have to be really sleep deprived for it to affect her growth. More than likely a lack of sleep will make her cranky and unbearable to be around. I have three children and my youngest required more sleep than the others. At 2 1/2 she slept 11 hours at night and took a 1 1/2 hour nap. Now she's almost three and sleeps 10 hours at night and takes a 1 1/2 hour nap. If she sleeps too much she might skip a nap one day (rare) and stay in her bed and look at books. If she's tired, she'll take a longer nap.

Chances are she's either testing you (which is perfectly normal and to be expected) or getting too much sleep. Before giving up on naps completely, I'd adjust her nightime sleep. I'm NOT suggesting you try and make her overly tired so she'll want to take naps again. I just think she may be sleeping too much right now.

There are many websites on this. I did a Google search on "sleep requirements by age" and found many good resources. Just keep in mind that they all have different sleep ranges and draw your own conclusions once you have read a few. Good luck to you!!!

Answer 3

I think as long as she is resting for a small period of time, she'll be fine. My kids had a problem called night terrors when they didn't nap during the day. Night terrors is when they get so tired that they fall into a deep sleep way too fast and then become confused and scared, yet they are almost sleepwalking. They would cry uncontrollably and scream and run around in their sleep for about 10 minutes. If this happens, the best thing to do is comfort them constantly, even though they don't really know you are there.

Answer 4

Look at her general attitude and behaviour without the naps. If she's getting really cranky by late afternoon, she probably still needs some nap time. Every kid is different as to how much sleep they need.
What I did with my two boys was suggest a 20-minute 'quiet time'. I'd tell them they had to lie in bed quietly for 20 minutes (of course, they couldn't tell time so sometimes I'd fudge it and let them stay in for longer) and if they still weren't asleep after that time, they could get up. I would never say the word 'nap' to them, so it didn't seem as bad. And knowing they could get up in a few minutes took the sting out of it too for them. More than half the time, it would work too (woohoo! Mom gets some quiet time too!).

Answer 5

Well my daughter just turned 2yrs old in November and some days she won't take a nap. But she will still go to bed at night and sleep til morning. Even the days she might take a nap she will sleep about 2hrs and still go to sleep at night. I don't have a detailed answer for that but I just let my daughter stay up if she doesn't feel like taking a nap. As long as she goes to sleep at night like she is suppose to I wouldn't stress it.

Answer 6

Well when my kids didnt want a nap anymore but I thought they still needed one I got them to take a rest time instead of a nap. They could look at books and play quietly with a doll or toy in thier bed and often they fell asleep too.

Answer 7

a million question! What time does your toddler upward push up? If she's napping till 11am then i doesn't pick to take a snooze at 2 both. #2 question! what's happening if you're attempting to make her take a snooze? Is the t.v. nonetheless blasting? Are each of the lighting fixtures on? Has she had an total can of soda and sugar for lunch? seem after this stuff first. Then set a standard agenda. awaken time and mattress time could be an identical (or as on the fringe of it) daily. She received't choose as lengthy of a snooze as in the previous yet she nonetheless needs to destress. Are you hollaring at her to position down? Or are you keeping her on your hands in a helpful quiet surroundings and encouraging relax? commence procuring father and mom mag. Lot's of options for each style of adolescence concern, each personality.

Answer 8

13 is more then enough. 11-12 hours per night is average. Both my kids stopped napping before the age of 2.

Answer 9

Having her play quietly for a bit in her room would be good for her, gives her some "down time", but if she's ready to give up naps, don't push the issue, she may ust not need as much sleep anymore. But it could also be a phase. She'll let you know if she needs more sleep.

Answer 10

A couple of things are happening. One, it -is- true she might not need as much sleep anymore. Two, she is growing up (drum roll) and reaching the so-called "terrible twos". What would a kid rather do, play or sleep? She is eventually learning to say "no, I don't want to sleep, I want to do... something else". In a way, this -is- healthy... but you still need to be the one in charge. It gets tired quickly when a kid learns the power of the word "No."... "No, I don't want cheerios, no, I don't want breakfast, no, I don't want to go to sleep, no, I don't want to go to church, no, I don't want a bath, no, no, no, no...!" You just have to say, "It's time for a bath." "It's time for breakfast." etc.