My Almost Two Year Old Son Won't Nap Anymore.

My kids all dropped their regular naps at around two. On days I could tell they were really tired, we laid on MY bed, read a few stories and fell asleep together, baby included. It helped having the room dark, cool and quiet. It also helped ME, contrary to popular belief, moms often need just as much, if not more, rest than their young children. Usually I would just snooze for 15 minutes or so, which was plenty, and the little ones would sleep for a while, so I still got some "me" time to read or clean or prep dinner or just veg out for a while.
I don't think locking him in his room is a good idea at all, that sounds borderline abusive :-(

One of mine napped until he was 5. The other never napped well, and was done by 18 months. I understand that it's frustrating and he's over tired. But you can't force napping. You've turned it into a power struggle and you won't win because you can't make someone else sleep.

I suggest that you tell him it's quiet time for 30 min and use the time to read to him or even let him watch a PBS kids shows on TV. You can't force him to sleep, but you may get him to rest/slow down for a little while.

And do let go of the pooping "on purpose " idea. A kids got to go when he's got to go.

Our son napped till he was 7 yrs old.
He was growing rapidly and he needed the sleep.
That doesn't mean he didn't resist napping.
Most of the time we all napped together.
That way he wasn't afraid he'd be missing anything.
We'd all go lay down thinking the grownups would sneak away once child was asleep.
More often than not we fell asleep too - and the extra sleep helped OUR moods too!
Don't try to send him off to nap on his own.
Make this something everyone does together.
Siesta time!
Be patient with him.
Some regression is to be expected with a new baby in the house.
Make sure your toddler gets some one on one time with you.
Hand the baby off to Dad sometimes and you and your older child go do something together just the two of you.
An attention stealing younger sibling can really rock a toddlers world.
Cut the kid some slack and make sure he knows you still love him - especially when he's hardest to love.

My kids all dropped their naps early. My oldest stopped at 18 months. Her brother came along a few months later. It was rough. Occasionally she would fall asleep in the car.

With all of my kids, when I had a really rough and tired toddler on my hands, I would go for a super long drive and hope they fell asleep to take the edge off. With my third kid, i just use the TV.

Stop locking him in his room. Stop forcing naps. Stop trying to control something you cant. Give him your phone to play on or let him watch TV. He may fall asleep. Give yourself a break and always attribute positive intent to him. He's only 2.

You have a 6 week old at home. You are most likely exhausted. Stop creating power struggles and just let be what be.Cuddle up on a couch and watch a movie. You can doze off too!

The thing that REALLY jumped out at me was when you said he is pooping during naptime on purpose. I don't think one year olds are that manipulative or able to control their bowels until an exact time of day just to spite mommy. Maybe he is not able to sleep because it is when his body feels the need to poop, at this stage in his life. Babies transition in and out of stages all the time. Maybe you need to shift his naptime, or potty time or bedtime or all of the above. Mine stopped napping at exactly 3 yrs old, no matter how much he REALLY needed it. Slowly he just transitioned into a longer sleep time at night.

Locking him in his room? I'd stop that.

I would move his bedtime up so he's not totally frantic.

Ways I got mine to nap
Put a comforter on floor near toys (I'd find mine would curl up next to train table, etc.)
Put a comforter on floor in living room or on couch (put on a relaxing show after lunch)
Lay down with them or snuggle on couch (you can read, nap, put feet up..)
Let them nap on your bed (mine loved that)

I napped mine just after lunch so it didn't interfere with early bedtime.

Pooping on purpose. Don't think so .. it's more likely tied to a meal time.

When my oldest was that age, he didn't have a little brother yet. I used to rock him to sleep and then place him in his bed. When he was about 2 I started to transition him to falling asleep in his own bed. I used to sit next to his bed and rub his back a little or sing a song. Then I would just sit quietly while he fell asleep. After a couple of weeks he would fall asleep on his own without me staying.

It's not easy having a new brother or sister. It takes time for them to get used to this, so it's really very normal for him to have trouble with something.

"He's started pooping during his nap times (on purpose)." If he's asleep, it's not on purpose! So just let go of that idea. If he poops while he's napping, just change him when he wakes. It's not going to be that big a deal for him to sleep for an hour or so. He will be fine. Sleep is so much more important.

Locking your child in a room is a bad bad idea. What if there was a fire and he couldn't get out? He certainly won't nap if he's locked in his room and left to his own devices. He's going to play and stay awake. Do you try to read to him to make him sleepy? Simply telling him to go to sleep and then locking him in his room isn't going to work. It's an accident waiting to happen. Try creating an environment that makes him want to sleep. Maybe close the blinds, put some lavender lotion on him and read him some books. Put him to bed earlier at night. Sleep begets sleep. If he's constantly over tired he's not going to want to sleep.

I know it's so hard when kids stop sleeping. It's just this way with them.

Part of his issue really is the new baby, even though he's been having sleep problems. He's frantic because he wants to stay awake and not miss anything.

I recommend that you have "rest time" rather than sleep time. He has to stay in his room and rest. You can read him a book while he's laying down and then he has to be quiet. You can set a timer for a half hour or 45 minutes, if you think he will stay in his room that long. But choose a timer that doesn't ring very loud.

It's really important to expect this of him. In full day kindergarten, the kids rest on mats for a certain amount of time. It's really hard on those who aren't used to "quiet time" to adjust, but adjust they must. Even if they don't sleep. Sometimes they end up relaxing enough that they sleep.

You can stay in his room with him, if you want to, and rest as well. With a new baby, you need it. He just needs to understand that he has to stay in his room.

Good luck!

nither of my kids napped after they turned 2 so i stoped trying to get them to nap, sent them to bed earlier, and prayed for it to work. they both ajusted to the routine.

He's not even 2, so I highly doubt he's pooping on purpose. Are you sure he has been reliably potty trained for many months now? Even kids who are trained can regress when there's something new or stressful going on (like a new baby or even a super-tired very pregnant mom, which you were when this started). But are you saying he was entirely potty trained at, say, 18 months?? Maybe it seems like he's doing it "on purpose" because he doesn't normally poop at that hour of the day, but extra activity and agitation can alter the schedule.

And he's in a toddler bed now, which he has figured out he can easily escape from. So lots of adjustments.

Go from the idea of "nap time" for him to "quiet time for all" and don't tell him he has to sleep. That's what day care centers and all-day preschools do - everyone lies down and if they don't sleep, they don't sleep. But many will drop off with the dim lights, darkened room, and lack of other stimulation/distraction. If you can, make this your special time with him with the baby happily in a bassinet or crib elsewhere. If the baby isn't yet on that kind of schedule, definitely make it "siesta" time for all. Get in bed together, or put him in his bed with you next to him in a rocker, and read something quiet and soothing. Read more and more slowly with a very calm voice, and see if his eyes start to close. Put on some very quiet music or even a white noise machine (we used an air filter that made a constant noise without the air circulation of a fan).

Locking a room from the outside if you are right there is one thing. Some people use a half door (Dutch door) or a gate. The problem is, if he's angry and frustrated, and he starts climbing on bookshelves or if he pushes the bed near the window, you can't control it or even see it. If you keep going back in, he won't calm down at all.

I'm sure you want to use his nap time to accomplish other things but it may be best to just accept that the dishes aren't getting done and neither is the wash, and just make it quiet time for you too. He needs it, but so do you. This will also get you into a good habit/routine for when the baby is older and gives up the 2nd nap for one good long nap. You'll be a pro by then!