2 Year Old Quit Napping...

None of my kids napped past the age of two. But we still had quiet time, where they would lay in bed and "read" books and cuddle stuffed animals, soft music in the background. If I was tired we'd lay in my bed and sometimes we would fall asleep together, maybe you could try that :)

My DD sleeps a good 10 hours at night and no nap most days. I feel your pain. Sometimes I can get her to nap, but not always. I try to enforce "quiet time" and if she's still staring at the clock in 30 minutes, I let her out of her bed. My SD stopped napping very young, so any napping at all I feel grateful for.

When my 2.5 year old goes on nap strikes, we let him have some books in his bed to look at and tell him he has to be quiet until mommy comes to get him. Just keep with your nap routine and put her down every day, she will probably start napping again. 3-4 hours is a VERY long nap for a 2 year old though, so i would get her after about an hour if she hadn't fallen asleep

My daughter gave up napping at age 2. I started giving her quiet time. I would put her in her crib with some books to look at or toys to play with quietly. She never climbed out of her crib though, so that worked for me. You may want to try quiet time. Kids, and parents, still need some down time during the day, so I would try and figure something out.

Also, my daughter did sleep for a bit during quiet time when she was between 3 and 3.5, so I was glad we still had the quiet time routine established so she got the rest she needed.

She's over 4 now and still has quiet time where she can read or play quietly in her room for an hour. It is good for both of us!

Try a nap mat instead, maybe the novelty will help

When my son was that age, he wouldn't nap for 2-3 days but the next day, he'd crash and burn. I think its normal (osorry, I know you don't want to hear that!) that your daughter has dropped her nap.

I second the suggestion of making it quiet time. At my son's preschool, that's what they call it instead of naptime. The kids are supposed to sit on their mats - if they fall asleep, great! If not, they have to lay down or look at a book but have to be very quiet and calm.

Just keep trying. Lay down with her. If you had moved her to a regular bed by now it would be easier. She still needs a nap and this could be just a phase. Make sure she gets lots and lots of gross motor play, take her to play at McDonalds or somewhere to run and jump a bunch.

She will only get crankier and crankier because to grow and develop she needs that rest for her body to refocus the energy on it's insides.

My 2 year old usually doesn't nap either anymore (she will be 2.5 next month). Sometimes she will fall asleep if she is very tired and we are in the car or she is watching tv. I find it is easier to have both my kids in bed early (by 8) than have one nap and stay up later. My kids are 2 and 5. My older one I really pushed the nap until age 3 (I was pregnant and needed the break) but it was such a fight the last 6 months I decided it was easier to just let it go with the younger one. I tried quiet time but my son seems unable to be quiet for more than 5 minutes if that (he has always been like that).

Is she able to make it until bedtime or does she meltdown because she's exhausted? I wouldn't expect to get 3-4 hour naps from her at this age unless she's in a growth spurt. But an hour to two isn't unusual or unreasonable. Not having a nap routine and letting her be up sometimes and trying to reintroduce nap sometimes doesn't usually work. Kids learn that if mom lets them be up sometimes, they can be up all the time, and no matter how tired they are they won't go to sleep.

If you don't have a nap or quiet time routine, I would adopt one, by brushing teeth and settling down with some quiet stories with her (outside of her room), then taking her to a dim room and giving her some favorite books to look at or rubbing her back for a few minutes. If she's not focussed on *fighting* sleep she may relax enough and fall asleep anyway... And I agree with Abby, after an hour if she isn't sleeping, I'd get her up.

Some kids outgrow naps by this age or are in the process of it. I think down time is still vitally important though. There's probably a degree of control in it for her, so I would let her know that she doesn't have to "nap" but she does have to have quiet time in her room.
Good luck!

My children stopped napping in the same week - he was almost 3 and she was not even 8 months old. Yes, I was crushed...
I instituted quiet time. They had to stay in their rooms and read or play with a quiet toy until quiet time is over. I would take an hour to get stuff done or rest while they were in their rooms.
They didn't have to sleep, but they had to play quietly.
LBC

My daughter dropped the nap around 3, so I'd say it's very likely that yours is doing the same. I wouldn't try to force it. Instead, enforce quiet time. Maybe put her to bed a bit earlier to make up for the lack of nap.

My oldest was the same way. I could sometimes get her to nap if i laid down with her but by 2.5 naps were nonexistent. I have found that taking her swimming does wear her out and helps to encourage a nap.

My son did the same thing at 2.5. He is now 4.5 and will occasionally nap at preschool. They have quiet time from 12-2. On days that he is home we have quiet time, but he never naps. I did not force it with my son. On days he does nap he will go to bed later. I know you need that down time. Try a set routine of a quiet activity at the same time each day. Each child is different with giving up thier naps. I wish you the best.