Naptime Help

If it's possible with the baby... Stay in her room with her. Everytime she gets up, tell her it's nap time and lay her back down and then sit on her floor near her door and don't say a word. After a few days, this should stop and you should be able to leave the room with in a few minutes.

Hello E.,
I have never been a stickler with nap time. The more I would try to fight my children the harder it was on all of us. My children are 8, 6 and 2 1/2 years old. My 2 1/2 is fighting me with naps now - she simply thinks she is to big. Since you have a 2 month old and you are exhausted (I completely understand), try having her color, or read a book in a room with you. Maybe she thinks she will miss out on something great if she is asleep or even in a room away from you. Sometimes they give out and fall asleep when they are just having some mommy time. I hope this helps.
T.

Hi, E.!

It might sound off the wall, but try pushing her nap back an hour. If she usually goes down at 1pm, put her down at 2. It's worth a shot.

If all else fails, use my tried-and-true method: Peer pressure.

When my boys were not wanting to go to sleep, I'd lie down too. We spread out pillows and blankets on the floor or on the couch in the family room, and everyone would lie down. Lights turned off, curtains drawn, no TV. They were usually "out" in less than 15 minutes....then I could get up and do whatever I needed to do.

Of course, sometimes I'd fall asleep too....

Good luck!

I would tell her that quiet time means staying in your bed and reading/looking at books, not talking, singing, or getting into things. Tell her that if she only reads her books she doesn't have to take a nap, but if she gets noisy or you catch her getting into things, it's nap time! You might even move her into a different room just for naps.

It seems to me that she is ready to wean herself from naps. My daughter was about the same age when she stopped taking them regularly. Since I only have one child, I was able to go with it. We moved her bedtime to 6:30 which meant that everything else had to move up, and she went days without seeing her Daddy. The upside was that I got my quiet time in the evenings instead of the afternoon. SHe still took a nap about once a week, and on those days, bedtime was a real struggle.
Based on what you describe, I think you need to make some hard and fast rules for quiet time and if she violates them have real consequences. I take away a favorite toy or tell her that she will not be allowed to go a birthday party, dance class etc...
At 4, I have a kid who sleeps great with no nap and maintains a good energy level throughout the day. When she does dose off in the car for a few minutes it really affects bedtime(still) so I work hard to make sure she does not sleep during the day at all. I guess I am trying to tell you that it will get better and work to your benefit eventually. Once the baby gets a little older and does nap regularly, you can use that time for one on one time with your older daughter.

Mine are 13 months apart. They are late teens now. This worked whether it was right or not. I turned a fan on in their room. Put them in their beds -laid down in the middle of the floor with a pillow and pretended to go to sleep myself. If they said "mommy" I didn't answer - I would just breathe a little loud so they could hear and not move. Within 5 minutes they were both out.

Maybe try laying her down later than you have been too.

I have a 2 1/2 year old little boy who is the same way!!! The best thing that I have found is to wear him out with morning activities. An hour at the park in the morning does wonders at naptime! Or, running errands all morning wears him out too. Then, I get great results at our 1:00 nap, and I get the quiet time I need (I'm 9 months pregnant). Good luck!

We had the same problem with our son starting when he was about 18 months. We had an older toddler car seat (the kind where the buckle pulls down over their heads and it has a little hand or head rest with it.) We put it in his room and buckled him in at naptime! He was still at an age where he needed a nap. He actually seemed to take comfort from the secure feeling of being buckled in and took really good naps (although there were 5-10 minutes of tears many days.) This worked for us until his big sister went to kindergarden and then he and I would just nap in my bed!

I lay down with my daughter (just a couple months younger than yours) and we nap together. She feels less like she's missing out on things and it is easier to settle her for a nap with lots of snuggles. After she's asleep I can get up and do whatever I need to, but sometimes I just nap, too. Either way it makes for a happier afternoon for us.

Try strapping her into the stroller for her nap.

Well, my son is almost three. He stopped taking naps when he was just about 2, and won't take them. I stopped trying to make him very quickly because it was more stress. He's perfectly happy to wake up at 8 and go to bed about 8 or 9. Some children don't require naps during the day, my son being one of them. Forcing a child to nap when they don't need one is going to cause you more problems than anything. I know a lot of parents will disagree but my advice comes from both experience and discussions with my pediatrician about it. I was worried at first, and talked with them, and she said that it does happen that 2 and 3 yos will sometimes not nap, and as long as they are active and healthy, and not tired during the day, that its perfectly normal. Unfortunatley, it makes it hard for the mom in the situation, but as she told me, a lot of times its not the child that needs the nap, but the parent. Sorry I can't be more help, but mine definately doesn't take a nap, or need one. (If he did, he'd be up till 2am).

E. I do feel you sister...maybe you could try shortening her nap to 1 hour. Leave her door open until she falls asleep. She may feel she is out of the loop with her door closed and is rebelling because you closed it. Tell her that she must rest in her bed and in her bed only. With the door open you can see her get up. I did this with my daughter. I also punished my daughter a little more harshly than you seem to be. My daughter was very stubborn...if she got up the first time she was warned...the second time was another warning...the third time she got a spaking on the bottom (usually three wacks to the bottom, or thigh if she had a diaper on, just hard enough to sting alot). It didn't take her long to understand that I meant business and that she had to stay in bed. Whether she slept or not was her choice, but she had to lay in bed and either "read" or lay quietly. Her naptimes were shortened and she slept for about 1 1/2 hours. By the time she was in kindergarten she didn't take naps but laid on her mat and didn't disturb the other kids around her either. I hope everything works out for you in the end. Remember that your two month old will probably be different than your older one, so be prepared. Good luck and God Bless.

Keep trying! Come up with a nap routine - we read stories, tuck in, kiss on the head, "Good nap, sleep tight" and then I leave. I peek in every 5 - 10 minutes. If my son is up, I go in and do the routine starting with the tucking in. If he is up and not lying down, I take a "friend" - stuffd animal - and put it on the shelf until after nap. I keep this up and he eventually falls asleep. I also do stickers during the tougher phases - one for lying down and going right to sleep and one for taking a good nap. Just don't give up!!! She will give it up after a while.

Hi E.,

What does make her sleepy or bores her to sleepiness? Try those things. Also, take a look at what you are feeding her.
Is there too much sugar, especially within an hour or two before you want her to take a nap? Look at the activities she is doing right before naptime (hi-energy vs. lo-energy).
After which kind does she go to sleep better? When all else fails, you could try bundling. Remember when you first had her and you bundle the baby very well to keep her warm and all snuggly. Use a blanket big enough and do this. It has many times proven to be very effective, make sure she can't wiggle loose. Read a story that is long, boring and where you can add in words about being sleepy or going to sleep without making the story sound strange. You may also try rubbing/patting her back and relaxation music/instrumental lullabies. Once she goes to sleep take the blanket loose, gently so she does not awaken. Do not leave the blanket bundled, do only until she falls asleep, then loosen it.
Good luck.

My daughter (3yr old)stopped taking naps at about the same age. I tried to get her to take naps and it just ended up stressing me out more. Choose your battles. If she is going to go to preschool when she's three she will need to be weaned off naps anyway. Sometimes if she puts in a movie or cartoon to watch (Dora or Diego)etc.... she will fall asleep on the couch on her own. I don't think there is anything you can do to get her to take the naps so maybe when you need a break she can find something to do like play with play-doh or the Crayola Color Wonder Books with markers are great because there is no mess involved with them. Also they have Paint with water- water color books that already have the paint in the picture so there is no "paint" involved just water and a brush. These will keep my daughter occupied for a long time. If she starts getting whiney toward the early evening try giving her a bath, that always seems to give my daughter a 2nd wind. Sorry I don't have any help with how to get her to take a nap but every child is different. One of my son's would still take a nap if he could. Best Wishes---J. C

Hi E.!

Yikes! I am sorry you are struggling! I can imagine that you could really use that break time for yourself and sounds as though she very much still needs her rest too! My niece will also not take a nap for my sister. She is four now but hasn't napped for her in quite awhile. However, I keep her each day while my sister works and she ALWAYS naps for me. I put her on my bed in my bedroom and check in on her. I always put away anything that may be tempting too but I let her chose ONE stuffed animal and ONE picture book to look at. I also tell her that if she does not nap then she doesn't get her special after nap snack. She usually has a Popsicle, fruit kabobs, special fruit snacks, or a piece of candy, etc. I wonder if you found a quiet, yet boring spot for her to rest if maybe she might sleep better? In their rooms sometimes there is just too much tempting stuff to get into. I would try letting her know that if she isn't going to sleep that she MUST lie down and be still and quiet. As most likely she will fall to sleep if there isn't things distracting her. Try playing some favorite lullaby type music too. I think whatever you come up with the key is consistency. If you take things away for not napping one day and then something different the next day she knows that she can keep doing it because you will keep trying different stuff and she will keep winning and if she doesn't like a particular consequence then you will just come up with something different each time anyways. Kids are sharp! They know how to play us! :) I would insist on quiet time and allow her to lie quietly and not playing or talking and if she chooses to NOT do that then have a set consequence for it. For instance: "Faith this is quiet time, you will lie down and rest and if you do not then you will not be allowed to" (fill in the blank here) BUT make it something that she will be sad to miss out on and it be the SAME for that "offense" each time she doesn't rest. I hope you find something that works. I know that it is frustrating. Hang in there. You will get your rest some day! :)