HELP I Can't Get My 3 Year Old to Nap!

Unfortunately, most kids outgrow their nap at 3 yrs old....could maybe just establish a quiet time for 30 minutes by allowing her to do a puzzle or read books while sitting in her room. Maybe play some quiet music. This is what we did with my son...he really needed a rest but would not nap...this all happened right after his 3rd bday.

Maybe she just doesn't need a nap anymore.My kids all stopped napping around that time and I know lots of others that stopped before that.

She probably does not want or need a nap. My three year old only naps when she needs one. She will put herself down to sleep. My pediatrician said not to fight it as it becomes about the battle and not the nap. My little girl will gather up her doll and her blankets and lay down on her bed if she is tired. I will go looking for her and find her asleep.
Many three year olds still need a nap but many others do not. My mother said I stopped napping at the age of two and both of my sisters stopped at three.
I have always used white noise sound machines in the children's rooms. I use it at night too. This really helps my 17 month old nap even though his big sister is still awake and playing.

Does she watch a certain show she likes, wiggles or dora? I try to limit the tv hours in our home, but I was having this problem so I adjusted our daily schedule a little bit and the oldest is allowed to lay down and watch a movie while the others nap. She gets to pick and she stays relativley still while the little ones nap. This also gives her a chance to relax even though shes not actually napping. At first she was a little rowdy still and I told her if she didn't want to watch a movie like then she could nap with the little kids, and she doesn't want to be one of the "babys" so it worked for us. Good luck!

I guess a lot of it would depend on if it seems like your daughter really "needs" a nap (some kids REALLY do)...but my oldest gave up naps before he was two and my daughter stopped napping when she was about 3 1/2. My youngest never napped but he did go down for "quiet time" a couple of times a day.

The younger 2 are 28 months apart so when she stopped napping, he was still requiring quiet time on a regular basis. With my kids, when they were done with naps, that was it. I gave my daughter quiet time each day so she wouldn't disturb her brother and I was able to do my "big person" stuff...pay bills, clean house, etc...

My daughter is in 1st grade now, but even in kindergarten last year they had about 30 minutes of "nap time" where the kids had required down time if they couldn't/wouldn't fall asleep.

I think 3-ish is a pretty common time for them to start backing off from naps - this is what I hear from friends with kids who are better nappers than my boys were - that my daughter's pattern was more common.

Good luck!

She might not need a nap. At 2 my daughter started to change her sleep habits. Sometime she does, sometime she doesn't. My youngest (who is adopted too) still naps. I had a tough time losing"my time" but I try to use that time as our one on one time now. It is difficult because she sometimes wants to nap at 5 or 6 & is a real bear til bedtime! I even put a tv in her room & tried to get her to lay down & watch cartoons just to rest. Good luck.

Without knowing if adoption/transition issues may be coming into play here, it sounds like your daughter is outgrowing naps. That's rough - especially when you need your own bit of down time. Quiet time definitely helps, but the key is making it interesting enough to keep her quiet. No one ever said quiet time has to be boring time.

We use my younger son's naptime as a "special" time for my older son. It's the only time during the day when he can play w/ things that have lots of tiny pieces, so he looks forward to that every day. And when he's really into a project, guess what? He's silent!
Some of these activities are:
- Beads - sorting, stringing, etc.
- Legos
- Trains

Surely there's something your 3yo likes to play with, but can't when your baby is awake. Or something she tries to play with, but baby gets in the way. Just take one of those things and put it completely away. Then bring it out only at nap/quiet time. See if that helps.

Maybe she has grown out of naps? My 3 older boys grew out by age 3 as did my nephew. Occassionally my 4 y/o will get worn out if we had a really active day and end up either napping late in the afternoon or he will go to bed earlier.

I would be firm with quiet time, maybe do a craft together, read a book....let her help if you are doing some housework. Remind her of the indoor voice.

When my twin boys were 3 they stopped taking naps, and I was not happy. Because I always looked forward to my "refueling"
(nap) time. So we have quiet time and they can watch TV, if they are tired sometimes they will fall asleep but for the most part they don't. Also, I don't know how well she goes to bed at night, but when we stopped the naps the boys would crawl into bed and fall asleep right away. Good Luck!!!

I hate to break it to you but most 3 year olds will not take a nap!! LOL
I know you are looking for a little quiet time to have both of them napping at the same time. Is there something else your 3 yo can do quietly while the little one is napping? Maybe some puzzles or coloring or watching a favorite movie?? Maybe help you clean or do wash? If you live in a house with separate floors, maybe send her down the basement while the little one naps upstairs?? Just some ideas.

~C.

A.,
I understand the need for everyone getting a nap! Just keep being consistent with your 3 year old. It may take a few days, but just like getting a child to bed at night, keep putting her back in and don't answer her or talk other then to say, it is nap time and leaving her in the room. You may also want to try looking at a book with her before the nap to wind her down and then leave her in there. Kiss her good night like you have been doing, but if she comes out, just put her back in with out the kiss. She is probably not used to a consistent routine and will get used to it eventually. Good Luck!

On one hand, maybe the other posters are right and it might be the end of nap time. But on the other hand, I'm all for grown-up naps and take them as often as I can.

Here's a trick I used on my youngest. She didn't want to nap, so I'd say "Ok, you don't have to go to sleep, but I DO need you to take a little rest. No sleeping - just lay down and rest your body for a bit."

For some reason she was agreeable to "resting." And of course, she usually fell asleep!

Perhaps she doesn't need a nap - you could introduce quiet time. She could help you put the baby down for a nap, and then she can sit on the couch with her favorite stuffed animal/blanket and you can read her a story or let her watch a video or something.

My 3 year old just gave up her nap a few months ago -- she just didn't need it any more. I let her watch a movie now when the little one is sleeping and about 1/4 of the time she'll fall asleep on the sofa.

Mu oldest stopped naping at 1 1/2 and hasn't really had a normal naptime since. I did everything I could to get her to sleep at nap but nothing worked so we just gave up nap time and she did fine. It was hard to get things done around her playing but maybe you could make it just a rest time for her or quiet time in her room so you can take advantage of getting some of the cleaning done. My daughter is 4 now and she watches a movie and when it is over she is able to get up. I have a 15 mo old that needs his naps and she rarely wakes him during this time. I think having some noise in the house helps him to sleep better. You can give her some books to read or just tell her shhhh it's quiet time so she does not wake up the baby. Best of Luck.

Sorry to say...but 3 year olds don't nap! Consider yourself lucky that naps lasted this long!! My 3 year old gave them up just after 2, and my 18 month old is already starting to fight them!

Well...the consensus seems to be that the regular daily naps may just be over. It was that way for my son when he was 3 (I am still mourning that time of peace and quiet!). What I do now, is put him in his room for 1-2 hours of "quiet time" each afternoon. He is allowed to play or watch a DVD or movie, but he knows he needs to be in his room for that time. He is almost 5 (will turn 5 tomorrow!) but he still needs that "down time" most days to re-charge. Also, I think a 3 year old that is not napping can have his bedtime bumped up a little earlier too--so maybe you can have your "quiet time" then! Good luck. I feel your pain! LOL

A.,
I can tell you that my 4 1/2 yr old still naps most every day. She is at a good point where if we are home she naps, but if have to go somewhere and she misses a nap its not the end of the world! She has always been an awesome sleeper once she is asleep she is out completely. However, my son 2 1/2 yrs old has never been a good sleeper from day one! He still naps every day and never has a problem going to bed, but I can never predict how long he will sleep it can be anywhere from 1-3 hrs. And he is very easily awaken. My call was always that if they can't make it to dinner time without having a major meltdown (the ones you see when they are tired) then they still need a nap. That has worked for me so far and I totally understand wanting some peaceful time to get whatever done or nothing at all! At about 2 yrs was when my son realized that he could open his door and that is when his sleep schedule went out the window completely! Even in the middle of the night he would come out of his room at any time. So after every other option seemed to fail, layign with him, doing other things to keep him sleeping, I decided I was too worried about him getting out in the middle of the night and me not knowing. So I put one of those safety knobs over his door knob and he can't get out. It took a day or two of him crying because he couldn't get out, but it worked. Now we don't even need the safety knob anymore because he just doesn't wake up to try the door knob. You may also want to try doing something soothing like an hour or half hour before naptime, like ready a book or a warm bath. Something that might calm her for a couple days or week until she gets back on track. Or like the others said she might just be done with naps. Sorry... Good luck to you and hope you can still get your quiet time! moms don't get enough! Jennifer

If it's that much of a problem, maybe you should just stop the naps for the 3 year old, i know everyone is telling you that. Maybe just do the naps a few times a week. My son is 4 and still naps on his own maybe once a week, usually Mondays.

You can always try to put the 3 year old down first and then after she goes down, put the baby in. Good luck!

I'm gonna be blunt.. at 3 you may as well give up on the nap thing, and be thankful that you made it this long with naps. I have a 2 year old and a 3 year old, and neither of them made it past the 24 month mark following a napping schedule. My oldest who is 9 also stopped napping before his 2nd birthday.

I have found the best way for me to get my work done is to put in a dvd of some educational value. My two little ones LOVE the Leapfrog dvds. The Letter Factory one is perfect for a 3 year old. Another way to get my work done is to have them help... they can hold a dust pan or help push the vacuum. No it's not as fast as doing the work alone, but hey they love helping!

Maybe she's not tired? My 3 year old is weaning himself off naps (the plus side of this is that it makes bedtime easier - he's exhausted!) Could you just make a special quiet time for the two of you so that the little one can get to sleep?

I notice in your "a little about me" section that your 3 year old was recently adopted. I don't know what the situation was but if she wasn't with you before...do you know what her nap schedule was before?
If this is a new situation or a new house she may have some fears about being alone.
That being said...some kids do give up their nap around 3. Can she color or do something quiet while the baby is napping? Maybe if you dont' call it 'quiet time' she will be more apt to do it?

Hi A.

I really think it's an age thing. My son turned 3 in January and since then naps have been a struggle. I put him in his bed and sometimes he naps, sometimes he plays, sometimes he wreaks havoc upon us all and wakes our baby too. I found that moving nap time an hour later has helped a bit because he is a litte more tired at that point and more inclined to take the nap. I also put a gate at his door way so he can't come out anymore. I give up after 2 hours, if he hasn't fallen asleep by then, he isn't going to. I make bedtime earlier if he doesn't nap because he is sooo tired in the evening. 3 is a tough age I am finding out. They struggle for control over everything, including naps. Do the baby and 3 year old share a room? If not, maybe music or a sound machine in the baby's room can help keep the other noise away so she won't get waken so easily. I wish I had better suggestions, I know how badly that nap time is needed for all of us.

My 3 year old NEVER naps. He quit taking naps by age two. As long as she is getting enough sleep at night, don't worry about trying to get her to "nap". Instead, try for a quiet time. Put the 15 month old down to nap and then lay a blanket on the floor or on the sofa in the room where your television is (if you have one) and put something on to occupy your little one for 30-60 minutes (like Sesame Street or Discovery Kids). You will still be able to get some things done and she will rest (and might even fall asleep).

I know some people will tell you that you shouldn't use the television but some of these programs are really designed to teach and I have found them a wonderful supplement to teaching my children while they are at home. I do NOT advocate sitting them in front of the television all day every day but do not believe that an hour or so of educational television will rot their brains. (BTW, my 8 year old, who I did the same thing with, now attends the Gifted program at her school.)

Good luck with your little girl.

Hi! Neither of my kids were napping anymore by the time they were 3 years old, although I know others who did. How tired is she without a nap? As others here have said, it may be time to say goodbye to the nap. You may have to put her to sleep a little earlier to compensate a bit, but maybe not.

The baby's nap time then can be special time for you and your 3-year-old. I know it will be hard on you not to have that break, but it's all part of the challenge of parenting! :)

Good luck!

Perhaps she is at the age where she is dropping her nap?