a 2 year old, a big girl bed, and a nap

[Grivas]

My 2 y.o. dd sleeps well in her new big girl bed (knock wood), but naps are a challenge lately. She won't stay in the bed She definitely needs the nap (about 2 hours at 2pm), and takes it for the babysitter the one day a week that she's here. Also, if she takes a nap, she sleeps much better at night and is generally a happier child in the late afternoon and at dinner. I honestly don't think she's done with her afternoon nap.

I do not like our current solution to this situation, which had turned into a long, drawn out battle that takes all afternoon. I guess I'm afraid that if she's allowed to keep hopping out of bed when she's supposed to in it for a nap, this will spill over into bedtime, as well. Has anyone else faced this challenge, and, if so, how did you solve it? I'm hoping somebody has solved it!

[lifeguard]

Ds sleeps really well in his big bed at night but for naps when he does fall asleep he sleeps only for a short time & it's light. I just don't bother anymore. I bring him into my bed for naps. Once he's asleep I either nap as well or slide out & do something else. I don't know why there is a difference but this is working for us.

[darkblue0729]

I just want to offer hugs, mama. When we got our eldest DD (just turned three two weeks ago) her big girl bed this spring, it was 'goodbye reliable naps'...it has been tough because she has a little sister who now struggles to take naps as well. We have had some success with scheduling some fun activity in the afternoon after her nap time, and have told her that we can do 'x' if she naps; we have also accepted that some days she will only take quiet time with her little Waldorf dolly in bed with her, she's not sleeping, but she's relaxing so we don't fight it...and honestly, some days she WILL NOT nap, and so the deal is, when she turns into a total bear in the evening, which she inevitably does when she doesn't nap, we move up bedtime and gently remind her that she is going to bed earlier that night because she didn't nap. The freedom of a big girl bed definitely brings its own set of issues!! Good luck!!

[Grivas]

Thanks very much! That sounds a lot like my little one. We, too, are expecting a new baby in the fall. DD has always been a "troubled" sleeper, and I'm really hoping the next one will sleep like a champ Anyway, it's nice to know that I'm not alone in this struggle!