Hello
I need some advice on getting my almost (aug 13) 2 yr old to take naps.
He has always been really good about taking naps until just this past week. He can climb out of the crib now and does not want to take naps anymore. He still needs them, he is so tired when nap time comes but he just won't give in and go to sleep. I have tried to keep putting him back in bed. He has only given me a problem 1 night about going to sleep, I put him back into bed 4 times last night and he finally went to sleep. So it is really just at nap time. I could really use any advice on this one. My older son napped wonderfully till he started preschool. Thank you in advance for any advice you might have.
If bedtime is still going well at night time you may want to use a shortened version of the night time routine at naptime.
Good luck!
Hi T.! I see we're alot alike. I have a boy 12 and a daughter 10 and a 17 mos. old. lol!
Well, I've been having the same problem w/my 17 mos. old lately. Refusing naps and not wanting to go to sleep in her room/crib. My sister has a toddler bed she's going to give us but until then we have decided to try putting her crib mattress on the floor. I was a little apprehensive about doing this, I have never put my kids in a bed until they were 2 but we didnt' know what else to do. She LOVED it! Took a 2 hour nap yesterday and slept in her own room on the mattress. WE just close the door to her room and keep the monitor on so we can hear if she got up. Worked great! Hopefully it will keep up!
Oh, and she was taking 2 naps a day, now I just cut her down to 1 nap, that has seemed to help alot too.
S.
I have a 3 year old that never was a good sleeper and when my 2 year old son started doing the same thing after he learned how to climb out of his crib I decided to take action! I bought one of those crib tents that you can zip up when it is naptime and bedtime. It works wonders!! He now is so used to the tent that I don't even have to zip it all the time and he stays in it. When I'm ready to move him to a big bed, I think I'll invest in a tent for his bed too, since he's so used to it--and actually now likes it. At first it was rough, but the whole household gets a better sleep now :)
I agree with Kim's post. My 3 year old and 12 month old still nap (6 year old doesnt). When my 3 year old turned 2 she didnt want to nap any longer but she still needed it. I would tell her that she didnt have to sleep, but she had to take a rest. I put her in her bed and I gave books to look at and she got to pick out toys to take with her... I told her that she could play with her toys and look at her books very quietly and I would come and get her when quiet time was over. She almost ALWAYS fell asleep.
Good Luck
Are you particular about where he naps or just that he does? I ask because maybe you could institute a "quiet time". Maybe sit with him & watch videos or cartoons & he just might fall asleep. My son is 4 1/2 & doesn't usually nap anymore except when I see that he needs it. Then, we curl up in bed together (if possible) & have quiet time. If he won't lay still, he has 2 options. He can lay with me or in his own bed until I get him up. He usually opts for his own bed & is asleep with in minutes. It may just be a control issue & if your son feels in control of this, he may be more willing. For us, even if we don't sleep, just having about 1/2-1 hour is enough to recharge & help my son feel better.
