Toddler Sleep Issues - Santa Monica,CA

I think maybe she doesn't sleep for nap on the weekends because she is excited to see mom and dad and doesn't want to miss anything by taking a nap...

I would ask your nannies what their typical daily routine is with her (what times they do what things)...maybe they have a certain naptime routine with her. If you try to duplicate what they do with her during the week over the weekends, maybe she will take a nap.

Hope you find an answer soon. I know it can be frustrating.

It's the age. Our 2nd son did that around the same age. Our first son quit naps altogether around 3.5 years old. Our daughter is 18 months and the naps are getting shorter and sometimes later...like around 3pm, which then, we have to wake her up shortly thereafter, otherwise she's up til 10pm.

I am having the same issue with my 28 month old son, minus the nannies. He just seems to toss and turn while laying in his toddler bed, almost seems like he doesn't need a nap but I know he does. What works for me is to make sure he gets plenty of exercise, I take him to the park often. I don't know what changed but if he doesn't run around and play a lot ,then he just won't nap.

Sounds like my just-turned two-year-old! Over the last couple of months she decided to start sleeping in a bed, cut two molars (two more to come), and got a cold. Getting her to nap on the weekends has been a big battle, despite the fact that she is clearly tired and she naps all week in preschool. They definitely hate to miss out on weekend fun by napping!

Can't say I've solved it completely, but some things that have helped are: black out shades, making sure that nap starts early enough, and being extremely firm about making her stay in bed.

I wait outside her door and halt any attempts to get out of bed or her room. If she makes more than a couple of attempts, then I tell her if she gets up one more time then I will have to close her door all the way (which she hates). She usually test me on this, I have to close the door, she cries, etc. But that's the last time to get up and sleep usually follows quickly.

I hate the crying and being "mean", but I've found with her personality (which 180-degrees different from her older sister), this is the only thing that works for her. Each kid is different -- good luck finding your solution!

Hi K.,

She might just be done with naps. My son stopped naps around 2 years old. You might have to adjust her bedtime or the time she gets up and that might help getting her to nap but if she doesn't want to nap anymore there is not too much you can do. Just give her quiet time during the day so she doesn't get too over tired.

I would also keep her in the crib as long as you can. Once they have a bed, they don't like to stay in it and that will drive you crazy. We had the bed and the crib in my son's room for a few months and gradually got him into the bed but for the first few weeks he did not want to stay in the bed and wound up back in the crib or in my bed.

Good luck with everything!