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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Children do not "give up" on their naps at that age. Do some reading. Inexperienced parents let them do that and there is no shame in that, it just comes with experience. I completely understand parents who do not wish to fight but please know that you only need to fight a few times and then the naps will start happening. Also, remember about all that brain development that happens during sleep. I know lots of kids who do not nap on weekends with the parents but DO nap in childcare settings, or with nannies, so it's more of the behaviour thing rather than "giving up". Very small percentage of  children don't need nap at 2,5, in my 20+ yrs as a teacher 90% napped just fine in a daycare center. And, the worst behaving children typically didn't nap over weekend and were exhausted, napped at school better than others. And yes, of course all sleep training was happening after the parents asked to try and sleep train.
Most parents wanted to.[/quote]

While I agree you don't want to give up on the nap too soon, lots of kids really do stop being able to or wanting to nap before 3. I've found the best approach is to convert it to a "quiet time" so that they still get a sensory and interaction break (as do you). Many daycares and PKs do something similar, where kids who don't nap anymore are expected to lay down fro 30 minutes and then allowed to engage in quiet independent play for the remaining time.

But telling parents "oh you just need to fight for the nap a few times and it will start happening again" can be really self-defeating. I was extremely committed to naps with my eldest and she simply would not nap past about 2 years, 10 months. Even before then, it was intermittent. But rather than fighting her on it forever because she was "supposed" to be be napping, I recognized that she was a very good sleeper at night (usually 12 hours and no bedtime fights or early wake-ups) and probably just did not need more sleep. So we moved gently to a quiet time and she did great with it.

In general, telling people they just need to force their toddler to do something a few times and then they will acquiesce is a recipe for disaster with many kids. So many toddlers respond very oppositional to any kind of order or command, and then people get locked into a combative relationship with a small child who has nothing to lose by simply resisting everything. Once your kid is old enough to have a mind of their own, you need to learn how to work with them, not against them. You can't force a child to do anything, really.[/quote]

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