25 months old---is she ready to drop nap?

[Sima]

On and off, she has refused to nap for over 2 months.  I am not sure if she is resisting it since she seems to want to have fun. 
Also, if she does nap--more than 1 hour--then she will wake up real early---sometimes 4.20.  Once she slept 1.75 for nap and woke up at 4.20 refreshed.  She never used to do this.  If she takes 1 hour nap, she does better, 5 wake up.  Today did not nap and went to bed w/o problem and did not show crankiness.
Does anyone have info on what signs to look for when dropping nap?
But if we in the car, she seems to want to nap.  I think maybe she just realized that sleeping in her crib means she will miss out on something fun.  Maybe just a phase.  Anyone going through this too?

[Sima]

Hi, me again
Okay, so yesterday did not take nap from 6 awake time and went to bed at 6.30.  She slept from 6.30-6.15.  But today she was super cranky so I figured that she does need nap.  But if she sleep more than 1 hour, then she cuts down night sleep.  Today is still napping after 1.5.  I am afraid of the 4.20 wake up!!!!!!  Sometimes I give her 2 naps (the last one short to forward bedtime.)  I am so confused. Anyone???

[deckchariot]

That seems really early to drop the nap altogether....Have you tried moving the nap just 30 min later or earlier?  I know some mums find just adjusting the nap time a bit makes a difference.  Or possibly limiting it to less than an hour, maybe only 45 min?  Or could you move her bedtime a bit later if she naps longer than an hour?

There is a support thread for toddlers dropping that last nap, you may want to give that a look:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=138416.0

hth
michelle

[Sima]

Thanks Michelle, I apppreciate it.  Yes, I have moved nap both direction- less and more A time. 
If she is awake longer, she will usually sleep 1.5 and then wake up earlier.  5-6 hours awake before nap--she will usually only sleep 1.10 min.
If put her down later...haven't done that one.  Maybe I will try tonight since she slept 1.5 hours and see what happens.  Thanks a bunch!

[deckchariot]

let me know if that made any difference  - hopefully it makes a positive one

[mamamarce]

I just went trough the same thing two weeks ago (my son is 27 months old), in my case moving the nap earlier worked and sometimes he takes a nap, sometimes is just quiet time in his bed listening to some music.  If she won't nap, try to introduce quiet time.

Even if it's just quiet time, I believe it helps him to feel better and more active in the afternoon, which also helps at bedtime at 7:30 or 8:00 p.m.

Hope you find a solution soon

[Sima]

Hi Deckchariot,
After 1.5 nap, I  to put her down 1/2 an hour later and she woke up at 5.40.  She only slept 10 hours and today 1 hour nap. 
So with an 1.5 nap--I put her down a little before 6 hours awake time. 
Then for 1 hour nap, 5.5 hours later.for bedtime.
It appears to me that it could be an independent phase...she looks like falling asleep in car if she resists naps.  Also, the waking up early, could that be a phase too???
When she wakes up at 4.20 I give her two naps.
One 1 hour long and the other 20 mins?  Don't know what else to do.  Thanks!

Mamar-thanks for suggestions. What was her schedule before she started not napping on and off.  Also, what do you do for quiet time.
I told her it is quiet time and did not interact with her. Told her she could read some books and hang out.  Thanks again!

[Katet]

My neice gave up naps at 25mo & her younger sister at 27mo, so some children do. My SIL was/is BIG on room time & her girls from an early age had 4-5pm in their rooms to play (alone) & then when naps started being refused 1-2pm also became room time... so they had 2 hours of down time right up until the eldest started school, now they only have the 4-5pm room time as the younger is at preschool & also watches TV in that 1-2pm time. No way I could have tried that with my boys, but she started it at such an early age (with gates on the doors) that it worked for her. TBH SIL has such a short fuse that it has probably been in the children's best interest LOL.
SIL would put a CD on in the hall outside the bedrooms & give them toys to play with, as they got older colouring in etc.

[mamamarce]

For quiet time I started spending time with him reading a book or listening to some music for 45 min. to an hour, and after a week I started leaving him alone after 15 minutes, but leaving the book and the music. Now I just say is time to rest and leave him in bed with the CD on. He will stay there with his toy for 90 minutes or fall asleep after 20 or 30 minutes.

[Sima]

Thank you all for your ideas!!!
Very helpful!  However, I think my lo was going through a phase I think--because for ex. today told me she did not want to nap and I did not say anything--just put her down and she fell asleep for 1 hour.  And last night she slept for 12 hours.
So maybe it is a developmental thing--I noticed that once she could assert her independence better--her sleep got wonky.  I will have to wait and see what happens though.  But maybe again...she might be losing her nap? Who knows???