The Vital Activity Your Child (& Mine) Probably Skips

I never took naps by the time I hit pre-k and I turned out just fine, thank you very much.

My sister in law, after my younger son's 2nd birthday, when I put both boys (3 1/2 and 2) down for a nap, said to me: "It must be nice to have kids that nap."
My response, "That's because I make them."
She smiled and rolled her eyes. I was dead serious.
My older son would love me to believe he doesn't need to nap, he certainly doesn't want to. But every day, at about 12:30pm, unless we're doing something special and there's just not time for it (which is rare), both boys go down for a nap. They go potty (yes, they are both potty trained), get in bed, lay down in their dark bedroom, and they sleep.
Yes, sometimes, they get up several times and have to be told to lay back down. But every day, without fail, they both sleep.
This is one more occasion in which parents baffle me. "My child won't do _____". They will, if you make them. That's why you're the parent.
If you're totally cool with your child not napping, that's awesome. That's your choice. For us, the napping will end when they go to Kindergarten, which is all day here.
But don't cop out and say they "won't" do something. If it's something you tell them to do, and they don't do it, that's on you. Not them.
Again though, the napping thing is totally up to you as a parent. But stand behind your decision.

Working at a preschool, you would be surprised how many four-year-olds DO need a nap and DO take one (pretty much everyone last year in a class of 22). Most parents take defiance against a nap as a sign their child doesn't need one anymore. But they're also defiant about eating their vegetables, taking a bath, and going to bed on time...obviously the same rule does not apply, these things are done for their own good. Children as old as kindergarten can benefit from having a daily nap or at least some downtime. For adults, a nap revigorates and energizes. For children, it's a chance to rest their minds from all of the cognitive activity going on in the day. Without it, it's kind of like information overload, hence the crankiness at the end of the day. They're basically physically and mentally worn out.

I would love if someone would teach my 3 month old to nap. Baby boy is TIRED! But wont usually sleep longer than 15 min. Seriously if you have a suggestion pm me. Even if I believed in it Cio isn't an option bc of his epilepsy.

@ ChicHippie - have you tried letting him nap in a swing or rocking him to sleep? We also had a bad sleeper here and for the first few months, the swing was pretty much the only thing that would get her to sleep.

My 4 year old stopped taking "naps" about a year ago, but she still gets quiet time. For an hour to an hour and a half she plays quietly in bed in a dim bedroom. She ends up falling asleep half the time, but even when she doesn't the recharge from quiet time is incredibly noticeable.
I recommend this method for children who won't nap. It took about a month of having a non napping child to figure it out.

@chichippie is a sling or wrap an option? each of my kids didn't sleep well unless held (product of co-sleeping, i suspect). plus a sling keeps his close so you don't worry about a seizure.

@jellyphish i did that with my older 2, still do with my almost 5 year old since she is not in school. does wonders for a mommy too, to have some quiet time.

there are other ways to get your toddler to sleep without "making them stay in their rooms" that might be half the problem... 

My son is almost 4 and he naps for nearly two hours every day. I've actually been wondering about when kids grow out of their nap phase because he still seems to need it very much.