How to Get Toddler to Nap Elsewhere

Good Luck! :-) Mine would never nap elsewhere but at Grandma's and even if we went somewhere and were there late they never would go to sleep. I gave up finally. At home, great sleepers and took naps everyday.

well I have 2 kids. And, they were nappers and regular about it and napped every day. And they napped very well, for 2 hours.

BUT, my kids were NOT portable nappers. Meaning, they could not and did not nap.... on the go or in a stroller or in a car or anywhere else, besides at home. So, I did not go anywhere when it was their nap time. I scheduled my day according to their naps. Especially when they were babies and very young. Because, the thing was, IF they did not nap and could not nap... it ruined the entire rest of the day, they turned into fussy grumpy Trolls and for the rest of the day and evening. And, short little "cat naps" did not do anything for them. In fact short little cat naps just made them more tired and fussy. Because it was not a good solid complete nap.

So, at nap times, we were home.
And I did not mind.
I rather have had my kids have their naps, a good nap... because not napping made them so overly tired and fussy and even impacted their night time bedtime.

Then- I have friends who's kids would NOT nap... at home at all. They would ONLY NAP in the car or in a stroller. So, compared to my kids who only napped at home... I felt fortunate. Because, my friends had to, when the kids were tired and fussy and sleep deprived, had to drive around or wheel them around in a stroller to fall asleep and nap... and do so until the kids woke up. Which could be 1-2 hours.
To me, that is a worse option or scenario.

I agree with S.H. Probably not the advice you were looking for, but alot of people have this problem, including me! Nap excellent at home, but not-so-great elsewhere. I would just try my best to be at home during this time, and if not possible (like during xmas!) then get the best nap you can and put them to bed a bit early. Remember, it's only for a couple years, then the kiddos will be much more portable (or so I keep telling myself!) :)

Question: how do you sleep when you aren't in your own bed?

My daughter would only sleep in her bed or in the car. My son would nap anywhere; however, I would bring along his portable crib and all the things that were usually in his crib (his blanket, his transitional object, etc.)

I do think, however, that my son is just a great sleeper, while my daughter isn't. Some kids just need their own beds and room.

not sure there is an answer to this one...some kids can do it, some can't. my son was pretty good about napping but honestly, i tried very hard to work around his schedule. having a toddler i knew i wouldn't be able to run around all day and expect things to go smoothly. there was always the exception, if it was something we had to do (a family wedding comes to mind), but i really just scheduled around naps as much as i could. i was very happy when around age 3-4 we started really being able to enjoy all-day events. and even then, if we did something on a saturday, i'd most likely make sure we had a quiet sunday with a good nap. for me it came down to, my child's sleep was more important than almost anything else we might want to do at that time. suprisingly, it rarely caused an issue. not sure that's the answer you're looking for but it's what we did.

I would just take your 1/2 hr and hope for the best. Of course you should do the routine, noise machine, quiet etc..

I was never able to do this. My kids, at any age, would not nap well outside the home (even in strollers or car seats) - they were so used to their routine and their own beds. My price to pay for providing them such a routine. They would always be the over-tired kids at the end of a long day and vacations away from home were not enjoyable until nap stage was over.

My son would not go to sleep anywhere, but home or in the car.
Once in a while, after he turned 3 we were able to get him to sleep at my moms.

My daughter is fine for the most part. But we have always been on the go go go with her.. so she had to..

Good luck.

take a book where every you go so if u want ur kid to sleep read him a little story or sing very softly to ur child...

Hi, H.:

Learn to adjust to the changing behaviors of your child.

Good luck.
D.

It really starts from early on. You have to get them to be flexible from birth.
Can't expect them to sleep elsewhere when they are always in crib with sound machine and blackout shades. So I do not think at this point he will sleep for a long time anywhere.