How Do I Get My Two Year Old to Nap?

I have found a lot of kids at this age will stop taking naps. If you really want him to though you might have to really work him out in the mornings so he will nap. Don't let him fall asleep to the TV, he will come to depend on it and it could cause problems when he's in school later.

It is going to take some time to get your 2 year old adjusted to falling asleep on his own because he is used to falling asleep next to someone. You will need to change his sleep associations. It is hard to do, especially when you have one routine during the day and another at night. It will take some time. You might try sitting down next to your son on the bed and patting his back, providing physical contact while at the same time maintaining some distance. He will cry but will get used to it. And don't feel bad about the crying; it is his way of protesting. But it is not mean or cruel to have a child cry in the loving arms of his or her parents. This is a period of growth for him and he will adjust and learn he can fall asleep on his own.

Another idea is a "nap fairy". Every time he falls asleep on his own, the nap fairy will come while he is napping and deposit a little gift at the foot of his bed. The gifts can be very small trinkets, but they do work. The "night fairy" visited my son for almost a month before he felt comfortable falling asleep alone in his room--but it worked. Try reading the book No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly. It is wonderful and has a lot of good ideas for getting and keeping kids asleep. Good luck.

Laying with your children to help them fall asleep is great, but it is a habit and your child is used to having someone there when he goes to sleep so he will want that and think he needs it everytime he goes to sleep including naps. you and your husband need to figure out a way to help him go to sleep at night on his own. I used to tell my daughter that I would sit in the floor/chair for 5 minutes and then I would need to go do other stuff and she needed to go to sleep. and over a couple nights we would shorten the time til now she cannot go to sleep while we are in the room, and she will even ask us to leave after story and prayer. It might be a few rough nights but children tend to break habits easily at that age and it is a good time to start making him sleep on his own. He will adjust and then you won't have trouble with him at nap time, he will lay down and go to sleep because that is what he is used to.

Read "Healthy Sleeping Habits: Happy Child." It'll be good for when you are ready to put Samwel on a sleep schedule. My daughter is 4 months and through the "extinction" method she is sleeping through the night and napping 3 times a day. As for your 2 yr. old, he should be getting at LEAST 1 nap a day, if not 2. Put him in his bed the same time every day, leave and let him be. Make sure he understands it is not play time in his room, it is rest time. He will eventually figure it out for himself. If he gets up, put him back down. Read the book and you'll get more in depth info. :)

i doubt you'll want to hear it, but your husband should probably stop laying down with your son to get him to sleep at nite. it may be the only way your son has learned to fall asleep and now won't be able to do without it. you don't need to have your son fall asleep on his own cold turkey. maybe start by having your husband read bks, talk, rub back and then leave the first week, cut out the back rub the next week, cut out the talking the next week... i know this is what the sleep bk i have suggests. i have 2 kids now, too. so i know firsthand what a blessing it is to have naps run as effortlessly as possible (not that it's ever 100%!!) good luck!

When my son stopped taking naps we had him sit in his room with his favorite Thomas the Train book that had music buttons on it. He ends up falling asleep to it most nights too. My son is VERY high energy, so I make sure that he gets to run and be very active in the morning. It really helps if they are physcially tired to get them down for a nap. I had him in a crib until just recently. So we would put him down and let him play by himself until he fell asleep. It takes a lot of courage to let them cry in the crib until they fall asleep, but it makes it so much easier in the end. Hope this helps.

When my little boy (almost 3 yrs old) gives me a fuss about taking a nap, I tell him that he doesn't have to go to sleep, but that he has to have "quiet time." He has to stay on his bed in his room with the lights low and he can read or play with his stuffed animals quietly. Even if he doesn't go to sleep, I have noticed that this personal quiet recharge time makes a huge difference for him. (I won't kid you-it helps me keep sane, too!) I also agree with the suggestion that he be more active in the morning. I have noticed that my son practically leaps into bed for his nap when he has been tired out!

If your son is good at following directions and likes to play games, this might work: I have read about someone who tells her daughter that if she can lie very still and very quiet without talking for 15 minutes and not fall asleep then she can get up. The trick is that every time the child opens their eyes, talks, or moves too much, the timer gets taken back to 15 minutes. Usually, if they are following directions, they fall asleep before they win the game! Best of luck to you!

hi i would put him down to nap and if he cried or got up id let him know it was nap time now and go to sleep i know its hard to just let him cry but sometimes it does them some good i have 2 daughters 1 is 14 today and 1 just turned 10 last month i know whats its like to have your hands full but when my youngest was born my oldest wanted to help me all the time with her sister but i didnt breast feed my babies so you might be different from me

Good luck on this issue...I wish I had some advice but alas I have the same problem with my 2 1/2 year old daughter! She sleeps in our bed and cannot go to sleep without someone laying beside her. I am going to try Shannon T.'s advice though, my daughter is a big one for any kind of "treat or surprise" and I think this might help. We will see, but please let me know what you try and what is working for you.
Good luck, C..

If he's still in a crib just lay him down and he will fall asleep. And if the TV works (I have a 19 month old and a 3 month old so I know how ytou feel) then at leeast make sure they are educational. Just make sure you aren't using the TV as teh babysitter all the time. I let both of my kids watch TV when I need to get things done or give attention to one of them one on one and I don't feel the slightest bit of shame or like I'm being a bad parent.