My daughter is turning 2 in 2 weeks and she's not napping at all anymore during the day, even though she gets up at 6 in the morning. Is that normal or am I just not trying hard enough? At daycare it seems like the other kids are more flexible with it.
At 2 years old, a midday nap is definitely still normal and lots of kids need it too. With my own daughter it was similar - there were phases where she slept really well during the day and then phases where she had zero interest. But if she's getting up at 6 and active all day, she should actually be pretty tired.
The problem often is that you wait too long or the routine isn't right. For us it helped to actually put the midday nap at the same time every day, so not to mess around trying different times flexibly. Maybe try it between 12 and 1 pm with a set routine - that could be a few minutes of reading, blinds down, super calm. And it's also important that she doesn't have too much action before nap time. Some parents don't even realize how wound up the little ones are. For me it was always a question of quiet time beforehand and a dark room.
But the kindergarten thing is real too - some kids are more flexible, yeah. It depends on the kid and also how much you work at it. At 2 weeks your daughter is still pretty young for her to have completely stopped needing sleep. Keep trying, but without pressure. If it still doesn't work after a week, it could also just be that she's in a phase. That often changes again.
Most 2-year-olds still need a nap, but there's really big differences between kids - some give it up earlier than others. If your daughter gets up at 6 in the morning and just can't wind down at noon, she might just not be tired enough or her rhythm has already shifted. I'd say try it for a while longer, but don't force her into it - some kids manage without a midday nap if they go to bed earlier in the evening. The other kids at daycare are just all different, that's totally normal.
Hmm, so from my experience with my own dogs, I can tell you: big individual differences are totally normal. With two-year-olds it's similar - some still need a nap, others don't. But honestly, I'd watch it more carefully. If your daughter gets up at 6 and just isn't tired at noon, that can have several reasons. Maybe she's just a kid who needs less sleep earlier on - some kids are wired differently. But I'd also question it: Did that change all of a sudden or has it been like that for a while? And how's her behavior in the afternoon and evening - is she overtired, irritable, or does she actually seem fine?
What I'm skeptical about is that sometimes people just give up too early. Some people think because the kid doesn't fall asleep right away, it doesn't need sleep anymore - but that's not necessarily true. Have you really tried it consistently at the same time, with set routines? With my dogs it works best with structure and patience. That said: If you really try it for several weeks straight and nothing works, it could just be that your kid is in a phase right now where it doesn't need a nap anymore. That's most normal from about 2.5 to 3 years old, but not impossible earlier.
I wouldn't see it as a failure if it doesn't work out. But maybe try it for two, three weeks with real structure before you give up. And the daycare situation is different anyway - other kids are involved there, it's more tiring, so some suddenly sleep anyway.
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