Stubborn 22 Month Old Who Won't Take Naps

My son is 10 months old and lately I have been putting into a fisher price rocker/recliner to sleep. He has to be strapped in so he won't fall out, and since he can't move around like he would in the crib, he gets bored and falls asleep. He cries the whole time I am strapping him in, and sometimes for a while after, off and on, but I am firm and keep the door shut. He gets a lot more naps than he used to.

My daughter did the same thing at the same age. I finally resigned myself to the fact that nap time was over. When she got tired and cranky in the afternoon we would have a quite and relaxing activity like reading books. This helped her get some rest without sleeping.

Alot of kids around this age give up naps, my 19 month old may take one once or twice a week, if she is sleeping good through the night and is in bed between 7 & 8 then I would say not to stress out over it, as much as we like for them to take one they don't always want/need to have one! Sorry I can't be more help but with my 7 i have learned that they are all different and give them up at different points!

your daughter sounds a lot like my son when he was that age. I finally realized I was not going to get him to nap so I started to call it "quiet time" instead of nap time and he had to go to his room and do something relaxing-this seemed to help as it provided that mellow time for him and me. He would usually pull all the books off his book case and look at those or I had all his art stuff set up so he could draw and color. And at night I put him to bed earlier. This calm part of the day at a regular time seemed to help with the overtired crankiness later in the day. Hope that helps! K.

My almost 3-year-old sometimes naps after lunch, sometimes doesn't. Either way, however, by 2p she is in her room for her "quiet time" -- which ends at 3:30p. It's not too early to start talking about quiet times with your daughter rather than the "nap time" she resists so much. Simply put a gate on her doorway, leave her with books and a couple of toys and be sure to make a nice soft pallet in the floor; don't be surprised when she just curls up on the floor and drifts off on her own. Taking the power struggle out of the forced "nap" routine often makes it more likely the child will choose to fall asleep on his/her own. As time goes on, you'll cherish that quiet time so much -- even now that my daughter only falls asleep about half the time, I still know I'll have that hour and a half to myself while she has her special time for herself. Also, consider that your daughter might need more physical activity in the late morning. We try to run and play outside just before lunchtime -- sort of winds down her energy level. Good luck!

The fact she is cranky means she still needs some quiet time or nap time during the day. Tell her she doesn't have to sleep but have quiet time. Lay her down, put on some music and leave her be. If she cries, let her, if she is truly tired she will fall asleep. I always went with if after 10 minutes to 15 minutes they weren't asleep they weren't going to be and then get them up. If that is the case then too put her to bed an hour earlier. Don't put her down with a drink as you will set yourself up with a HUGE habit hard to break and not good for their teeth at all. Just keep telling her it is rest time not nap time and let her see if she can sleep by herself, otherwise move her bedtime to earlier so she is getting the sleep she needs. At her age she should be having about 13 hours total.

It sounds like you have a good system with the quiet time with books and a drink. I would encourage that. We have found that our son will sleep occasionally when he really needs it if we don't make an issue of whether or not he sleeps. You definitely want her in the habit of at least quiet time in the afternoon before the baby comes. Trust me, you'll sleep, even if she doesn't, if you know she's safe and quiet. Congratulations on the soon arrival!

She might be ready to stop naps altogether even though she is still sleepy. When my daughter gave up her morning nap it was really frustrating because some days she would be so sleepy that she would take a short nap and other days she would just scream in her crib. After a while she was used to not having that nap and she didn't act tired or cranky until her afternoon nap. Your daughter might be going through that transition thats why some days she falls asleep. My doc said that it's ok for babies at this age to give up their nap but it's fine to still have them take quiet time. So you and her can get a break. So give her books or whatever and just have her stay in her crib. Once she get used to this she might sleep some days and others she might just play for an hour. Good luck.

hi there, my daughters have just turned 5 and 3 and I still try to give them naps. right after lunch since after you eat you tend to get sleepy I will start nap time. first I put the 3 year old on the couch and put her down, she still actually sleeps, If I was to put them down for nap together there will be wwf fight night! Now the 5 year old is a bit tricky. I tell her how important sleep is and that even mommies need to take naps, I still try to sleep when they sleep! but now with her being 5 I tell her this time is her time. so we go upstairs and I will have her make her bed just in case she wants to "rest", I don't call it sleep, then I have all the very quiet toys in her room, blocks, crayons etc. so she can be by herself but I still have a baby gate up so I can hear her when she comes and goes potty. Sometimes she will get into bed herself and sleep, she will even fall asleep on the floor playing but she is still is in her room and doing what she wants while I get my time to do whatever... I have been doing this for about 2 years and it works because we both get what we want and tears don't come often. good luck. pat.

I know exactly what you mean. My little two and a half year old boy stopped taking naps when he was about two years old, and he had always been a great napper (three hours every afternoon). I also have a one year old so I didn't have time to force him to take a nap. But at about 5:00 he would be so tired and cranky, but I wouldn't let him fall asleep. Too late for a nap, but too early for bed. I figured out that if I could just get him to sit quietly for about an hour each day while my younger son was sleeping then he seemed to be able to make it through the day better. He wouldn't fall asleep and I wouldn't try and make him fall asleep. I would either put on a favorite movie, and when he got bored with that, I would shut the movie off and read books with him, and then maybe color with him after that. I just made sure he was doing only things that would keep him relatively quiet and still for about an hour and then he could get up and play normally. This seemed to help quite a bit. I think just sitting quietly helps him get enough rest to get him through the day. And one nice thing about two year olds not taking naps is that bedtime is earlier and they are ready to go to bed so it's not much of a fight.

Hope this helps and good luck in August.

now this probably isn't an everyday kind of solution, but i had a friend with a similar problem and some days she would put the kids in the car drive until the fell asleep and then park somewhere, like a park and take out either a book or her portable dvd player and watch a movie. it gave her a break and a chance for a little me time on days she really needed it. she didn't do it everyday, but sometimes when you really need a break this may work. at almost two years, it's sad to say, but you may be nearing the end of naptime with your daughter. good luck!

"I sometimes just put her in her crib with a drink, books and toys so I can get a break without hearing her screaming."

I think you have it down with this.Even if she wouldn't take an actual nap, she knows that there is a time of day for "down time". Eventually this will become a habit that she knows is going to happen. It's a good wind down for her, some rest for her mind and body, and of course, even a small break is good for mommy to recharge.

Have you tried story time, laying in bed with her and reading a story or two to her? That worked with my oldest.
Even if she doesn't fall asleep, which hopefully she would, it's definitely not a waste of time.

Hi, It sounds like a comfort thing. Since you took her binkie away, she doesn't have that special something that comforts her. Does she have a blanket she likes a lot? You might want to try that. Sorry, I'm bad a giving advice. I hope what little a gave will help. Best of Luck.....J.

I agree with Jennifer O... she may just not need a nap. I had the same experience with my first child and in hindsight I wish I would have just been more patient and not try and force her to take a nap when she wasn't tired.
I do think if you make sure and do something active with her in the morning, then after lunch she could definitely have "quiet time" and most likely fall asleep, but if she doesn't then try not to be frustrated or upset by it.
You are doing great!

Hello R.,

It sounds like she was soothed by her binkie and now there is nothing else, except the occasional car ride, that she will relax with to fall asleep. Although, it sounds like she needs a nap still, it doesn't sound worth your energy or worth damaging your relationship with her to push it. Why not skip her nap and move bedtime to 5:30 or whenever she will easily fall asleep.

My youngest daughter started skipping her naps (at 35 mos.)and it has been a big adjustment for me. Not only do I not have my afternoon break, I have to move the whole dinner and bedtime routine up significantly. Now, though, love having the whole evening to read and relax after she is asleep and am grateful for the change.

In support of your relationship with yourself, your daughter and your expected baby, I recommend reading, "Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves: Transforming parent-child relationships from reaction and struggle to freedom, power and joy," by Naomi Aldort.

Happy parenting journey! ~T.

I think your idea of putting her in her crib with her toys and stuff is a good way to give her a break, and you too. She may not need the sleep like she used to. If she can play quietly for an hour or so, that's good. Good luck!!!

Hi R.
Many of my friends told me that it was fine for my son to not nap at this age when he was going through this. I just thought it was important for him to get the sleep. He was a child that when he was sleepy, he got more wound up and it took longer to relax and fall asleep. What worked well for us was to have nap time right after lunch. I would read to him and then he was to sleep. I admit that some days he fought me on it, but that was the routine, and most days, he slept, especially when he realized that this was the routine and that it was not play time until after nap time.

Since you daughter is still in a crib, you might want to read to her in a chair for cuddle time and then quietly put her in the crib to nap, so she is safe. I know it is hard to listen to your little one cry, but I believe from experience, that it was ok for my son to do this sometimes. At two,we start to realize we can express our will and I felt like sleep was something that I was willing to battle over for my son's sake. There are many studies now that show that children do not get enough sleep and it is detrimental to thier development cognitively as well as physically (linked to obeisity). My son is now twelve and we don't have battles over sleep. He still has a bedtime and is able to wind himself down to go to sleep if he needs to. He realizes how important proper amounts of sleep are to him. I believe it began when he was two and mommy made sure he got a nap.

That's just my opinion on the subject. I hope it is helpful.

Now that it's getting warmer, let her play outside for part of the morning - something active or with another child.

Sometimes I let my son watch a cartoon for an hour and he either falls asleep or is less cranky after the hour is up.

good luck w/ your daughter.

Most children that age still nap ... but some little ones start outgrowning naps by then, like all four of my kids. Many days they will nap, but if it's too much of a fight, you might choose to pick your battles and ignore that one. I like your idea of watching a video...maybe add a pillow and sleeping bag. In the cranky afternoon, have a yummy snack and some alone activities like scooping beans, playdough, playing with bubbles in the sink, or a shallow bath with toys. The key for me was quiet entertainment and not worrying about it. After a couple of days without a nap, she might have a couple with a nap. I like how you have a break and leave her with activities, consider a baby gate in her doorway so her confined space is larger. I hope you can find a way to bypass the screaming. August is a long way away!