I don't know about your toddler, but Sofia stopped napping at home at around 2.5 years old. Since then (a year ago!) she has only napped in the car (if the time is right, of course) which has been great, because when we need to drive 1h+ I plan it around nap time, and she can sleep up to 2h in the car. But otherwise... zero nap at all, and she makes it to the end of the day perfectly fine too!
3-5 year olds need about 10-13hours of sleep every 24h. She does 10h straight at night (from 9pm to 7am) so she really doesn't NEED a nap. But, the days get crazy with a crazy toddler, she is on go go go mode all day... and QUIET TIME is something we do mid-day implement in our home!
"Quiet time" is a period of time mid-day where she plays with low-key toys and activities independently, and gets a chance to rest her body.
How to implement it?
Find a time that works for you. Typically, mid-day around nap time.
Find a routine pre-quiet time that works for you. For us is being active / outdoors in the morning is key so she can get movement, get sunshine and fresh air and coming back home to eat some food followed by quiet time so she is also excited for it!
Get a box ready for quiet time: with toys and activities that don't require any supervision, and that allow quiet / sit down play. Make sure there are different choices and options. Add a new activity every now and then. Make sure you keep adding age-appropriate ones as they grow. Don't allow them to play with this box until it is quiet time, so they are looking forward to it. They can be in their room or in the corner of the living room like Sofia. Here's a list of activities: - My First Library - Wooden Puzzle - Wooden Puzzle - Wooden Words - Writing Tablet - Water Wow Books - Art Puzzle - Magnetic Game - Busy Board - Magnetic Building
If you are just starting, do it shorter for a positive experience & allow time to grow slowly, they can do it around 1h every day.
Be consistent offering quiet time daily at the same time.
Quiet time is needed for the whole family, and it allows them to be creative and independent playing. Sofia now plays alone and focused so many random times through the day, not only during quiet time, but it definitely allowed her to develop her creativity when it comes to playing on her own with no instructions or adult help, and it's great to combine that type of play with everything else she gets through the day like structure play + kid play + outdoor play + adult play!