How long should a 2-year-old child nap?

While nap times vary by child, WebMD recommends that 2-year-old children have a nap that is anywhere from one to three and a half hours long, once during the day. This nap can be divided into two smaller naps throughout the day.

A child's nap time will vary from day to day depending on how tired the child is, according to Parenting.com. Extended naps, or missed naps, typically cause a child to be irritable. Children will gradually lose their desire to nap as they get older, sleeping for shorter periods of time until they stop napping altogether; this usually occurs around age five or six. At that time, children typically get all the rest they need during regular sleeping hours.