when does a toddler stop napping? How many hours of sleep do they need?

[RhoGre]

Hello - I am wondering when toddlers stop napping...and how much sleep they need?  My 2 1/2 year old has stopped napping the last few days...I put him down at 41 ish and he is quiet but not napping...I leave him for quiet time for an hour ....he seems fine and he sleeps from 6:45-6:30 in the morning....he was napping for 2 1/2 hours and then none...I do wake him early from the nap if he sleeps....I just don't want to have him get over tired...but clearly if he is not napping,..maybe he is not tired?  What is your wisdom on the subject?

[weaver]

Can you post your routine please? And maybe say if he's generally needed lots of sleep, or not so much.  Does he go down easily at BT when he naps? That can be a real indicator of nap needs. 

I have to say that this is a very individual thing.  I have had one toddler still napping at  over 3.5 and the other who stopped at around 2 y 5 mos, needed a super early bedtime though and still does, she probably really did need that nap but was pushing herself.

[RhoGre]

Thanks for the reply.

Our routine is:

between 6:15 and 6:30 I get him up (he is always awake and quiet...so I really don't know when he actually wakes...I just get him at that same time each morning - he is just laying there and quiet

we have normal eat and activity times and I was putting him down around 1:00 (used to be around 11 and I kept pushing it later as he could handle it since he was getting older)

He was falling right asleep with in 10 minutes and easy....then about a week ago he is skipping naps...laying there and just talking to himself - not fussing but not sleeping...

I always woke him by 3:30 at the latest if he did nap...sometimes it would take him 30 minutes to get to sleep.....

Today I tried a 2:00 nap .... he fell asleep around 2:30 and I woke him at 3:30 and he was super sensitive and teary b/c I woke him...I never usually had to wake him so soon after he had fallen asleep.  His bed time has always been early...6:00 but since we now have another little one..it has been pushed to anywhere between 6:30 and 6:45 (sometimes 6:55)...I try to keep it consistent but sometimes he takes longer going to the bathroom or eating dinner....I just try to go with the flow.....

(yesterday he did nap at 1:30 - 3:30 but that was b/c he was a little under the weather)

Should I try to keep the 6:30 bed time if he doesn't nap?  I am still planning on keeping at least an hour of the calm room time....I think if he was up and active he would break down at dinner (that has happened before)

Thanks for the help Oh - he is quiet at night when I put him down so I don't always know exactly when he falls asleep.