Dropping nap at 18 mos?

[askins]

My 18-month-old son appears to be dropping his nap.   He dropped from two to one nap early (around 10 months).  Then around 11.5 months his sleep really stabilized:  he was able to sleep through the night sometimes and at most needed one or two assists or feeds during the night, and his nap went from very erratic to a very predictable 3 hours, 1p-4p.  We weathered the 18 month sleep regression - it ended a couple weeks ago, and now his nightsleep has been stellar - 8:30-7:30, no wakeups, no assists.  But as soon as his night sleep got amazing, he started not napping.  He's very happy to chill out in his crib, chatting with his animals for a couple hours, but he doesn't fall asleep.  On the days he does fall asleep, it can take 1.5-2 hrs to get there.  On the days he doesn't nap, he does fine in the evening - he is very rarely cranky, irritable, or fatigued.

Everything "official" I'm reading says that 18 months is WAY TOO EARLY for no naps.  But... I'm offering him the opportunity to sleep and he's not taking it, so... as a believer in baby-led parenting (especially in issues of sleep), I am forced to assume that he doesn't need it.

What do you all think?  Is it a sleep strike and he'll come out of it?  Do you have babes who really gave up napping this young?

Thanks in advance.

[kentuckymom]

My son (now 7.5 years) gave up his nap around that age. He also gave up his morning nap early. Like your son, he slept through the night well and didn't seem grumpy or tired before bedtime. Unlike your son, he wasn't content to be left alone for a quiet time during the former nap time. I decided to just ride with it and see what happened. He did pick up at nap again for a few months at two years old, but it didn't last long. 

You, not the experts, know your child best. If he seems fine without the nap, don't worry. By all means continue to give him some quiet time by himself in his crib if he puts up with it. If he does need a  nap on any given day, he will have the opportunity to take one.

No matter what the experts say, some kids just need less sleep than others. Enjoy the fact that you don't have to plan your schedule around nap time and relax.

[greenemami]

My daughter, and now my son, mostly stopped napping around 2.5, so not as early as yours but still on the early side.  If he is happy then I wouldn't worry about it for now.  Definitely keep doing the quiet time in the afternoons though-I am so sad I never instituted this, it would have been so nice for all of us :)  

I wouldn't be at all surprised if he starts falling asleep some days or even falls back into napping everyday.  I had a friend whose daughter seemingly stopped napping (or would only nap in the car) but when she started doing quiet time, she started napping regularly again. 

Good luck!

[Curlyfry7]

My DD dropped her nap at about 19 months. She went a couple months after that where she would fall asleep if we were driving in the afternoon, but then was done. It definitely made bed time easier! And my 16 month old seems to be heading down the same path.

All of my kids have not been "good sleepers"...sleep did NOT beget sleep, Right now with my 16 month old, if he sleeps past 3 in the afternoon, he is up until 10 pm. I try to follow his lead, but sometimes have to guide him or he'd never sleep, or sleep from 4-7 pm, then be up until 2 am, and I can't handle that.

[askins]

Update: We moved naptime back to 2p instead of 1p.  He is able to get to sleep much faster by waiting until 2p.  He now sleeps 2p-5p and I wake him at 5p otherwise it affects his night sleep.  50% of the time when I go in at 5p he is already awake. 

He does skip his nap about 2 days/week.  On those days he has quiet time in his room from about 2p-4p, and I go get him at 4p. 

Honestly, it's kind of the best of both worlds.  Most days I get 2-3 hours of afternoon quiet time (or at least one child time!).  But if I need him to occasionally skip his nap (on a travel day or something), he is able to do so without having a meltdown. 

I definitely do think we are on the road to dropping the nap, but not there yet.  Thanks for your input and support, ladies.