I Am Out of Ideas for a Better Nap Time!

My son will be 3 in March. We just transitioned him to a toddler bed about a month ago. It is been a nightmare! As I put him back in bed, he's getting out again. Disaster. So I would constantly be putting him in bed and he was thinking it was more and more hilarious. So I gave up. I hate to admit it, but I did. If you'd asked me my "parenting philosophy" before this I would not have told you what I'm about to tell you. We lock him in his room. We do our whole routine I tuck him in bed and then I lock the door and I don't go back. He usually plays for a limited time and then gets in bed and falls alseep. My absence has made it less of a "game" it seems and its more effective. I was BEYOND stressed about it, and I'm sure especially with twins you must be going crazy. Anyway, if he is just getting up and your daughter sleeps through it. I'd try that?? I know it seems ridiculous. But it gave me some sanity cause I was LOSING it after weeks of that. Doorknob on "backward" with the lock outside. Good luck!

I used to sit in my son's room reading a book and waiting for him to fall asleep. It works! I know an hour is a long time, but if you stick with it for a couple of days it really will get shorter and it won't be long before he doesn't need you to do that. He'll get the message.

I suggest you hang in there. Find a nice chair or a comfy spot on the floor, and read a book or get on your laptop. I don't think it will be more than a week before you can say, "It's naptime," tuck them in and walk out the door.

is it distrupting your DD? If not then keep up what your doing except start to put him down earlier. My DD was not that great with bedtime and would distrupt her brother so we put him down first (he usually is aslep within 5 min) then her.

You know..the only other thing I can think of is to put a porta crib in there. By two years old, these kids understand the art of negotiations. So, you put him in his bed and tell him he has to stay. If he doesn't stay, then you put him in the porta crib (which he can't crawl out of, I don't think). He'll hate that, so he may be willing to comply with staying in bed. You have to be consistent though. You can't put him in the portacrib and then take him out and put him in the bed and then let him get up and walk around. You have to enforce the new rule of staying in the bed 100% or there is a consequence - which is the porta crib. Then, you LEAVE. He stays in the portacrib for the whole nap time. He may cry and scream though (so this means your daughter might have to nap somewhere else for a couple of days). But, you reiterate to him, "Tomorrow, you have a chance to sleep in your bed. But only if you stay in your bed. If you do not stay in the bed, then you have to sleep in the portacrib. This is a choice YOU are making."

Anyway, I find that consistency is the key.

Good luck with it all! The staying in bed is a huge struggle.

-L.

My 26-month-old has recently given up his nap. The only time he takes one now is if he wakes up especially early and didn't get enough sleep the night before.

I used to let mine have a special thing like a book or a toy that they could have as long as they stayed in bed. If they get up though, they loose it. They would usually play for a while then get calm/bored and fall asleep.

Can you adjust the time frame at all? Maybe get them up a little earlier in the morning and put them down a little bit later in the day? that might help.