I rececently had a question from someone whose daughter wasn’t napping and was getting really cranky. She was then falling asleep very early and generally suffering from tiredness. I thought I’d publish my reply as it may be useful to many of you who are going through the same experience:

Hi xxxxxxxxxxx,

It is quite normal for toddlers to go through phases of resisting napping.
These often accompany developmental milestones such as learning to walk.
The best thing that you can do is try and establish a naptime routine.

If she doesn’t have a night time routine, start with that. 10-15 minutes
before she goes to sleep go through a consistent set of soothing activities
that lead to sleep. When you have her associating her night time sleep
routine with going to sleep, you can try and implement a mini version of the
same routine for her naps.

If you go through the same set of activities at the same time every day then
the routine will act as a signal for sleep. Don’t worry about the timing at first.
Get the routine in place and then slowly move the nap time in 15 minute or 30 minute
increments.

I know it sounds simple but it really can work wonders. Give it a go and let me
know how you get on. Above all try and be consistent,

All the best,

Sarah