Help - Naps...

[Storm Bride]

DD (3 in May) doesn't like to take her nap. Most of the time, she fights it tooth and nail. We've tried letting her nap on the couch so she doesn't feel isolated. We've tried easing the transition by letting her know ahead of time. We've tried reading and singing and such. But, if she doesn't want to nap, she just gets back up.

Now - I'm not wedded to a schedule. I have no notion that she has to nap at age three or needs to nap, just because kids nap or anything like that. (DS1 never took a nap - he'd catnap all day, but never took a long nap.) But, when dd is tired, she's miserable. She goes absolutely wild - won't eat, climbs all over people, yells, hits, throws things, etc., etc. If she doesn't take a nap, she's like this straight through to bedtime. I know it's because she's tired, but I don't know how to help. It wears us all out, and is definitely adding a great deal of stress to our life in general...dh only sees her like this during the week!

Anybody have any suggestions for a happy nap situation?

[lisac77]

Did you kidnap my child and turn him into a girl? We're having the same issue!

DS (3 in June) feels that he is far too busy to nap. Unfortunately, he still really needs that nap, otherwise he exhibits the same type of behavior you get with your DD.

We drive him to sleep. If he's at home, there's no way he'll just go down and take a nap, or if he does, it takes two hours of winding him down. A strategic drive at the right time of day and he'll be out in five minutes. He will also stay asleep during the transfer from car to bed. Not all kids, will so that's a factor for some people.

I really feel your pain! We're actually rearranging our schedule so that we wake up before DH goes to work in the morning because DS was missing his nap so often and going to sleep before DH got home. Seeing him in the morning works better because it's not dependent on whether DS naps or not.

[Storm Bride]

DD has never napped well, but she used to eventually collapse from pure fatigue. Over the last few months, she seems to have found new reserves of energy and determination.

Drivine works if dh is with me. I can't seem to master getting her out of her carseat without waking her up.

[annethcz]

I don't force my kids to sleep, but I do sometimes enforce a quiet time. For the 2-3 year old set, I usually tell the child that it's quiet time. I let the child know that it's time to sleep or play quietly on his/her bed. I allow the child to bring a book or two and maybe a small toy to bed with them. I sit in the room with the child until he/she falls asleep. If the child gets off the bed, I calmly put them back on the bed.

It's my experience that if I'm consistent with this, it becomes an expected part of the child's daily routine. Of course I work with the child to find a good solution. I've found with my current 2yo, she actually falls asleep faster and is less distracted when I leave the room. She is a child who fights sleep whenever possible (she sleeps less than her older siblings, even including her naps!), so I understand what a struggle it can be. But making quiet/nap time consistent has really made a difference at our house.

[annekevdbroek]

Just popping in to say I'm in the same boat. We are going through the same thing. My son will be 3 in July. Today was his first "good" nap in 2 weeks - he slept an hour. I have a feeling he is weaning off naps and they will be gone in another month or so. I remember it being a challenging transition to one nap a day..... Hopefully he'll sleep a little longer at night once the day nap is gone, since night time sleep has gotten a bit short lately. He is often miserable without his nap, or with a too short (20-30) minutes and spends the afternoon crying (for hours), clinging, or hypersensitive.

[Storm Bride]

Ann - I like the idea of daily quiet time, but I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for dealing with the baby at the same time? If he's crawling around in her room, dd won't be calm. But, I also can't hold him if he wants to crawl.

...hmmm...maybe if I ever master popping him in the Ergo, I could put him in there while she has quiet time. That may be the way to go...

[Storm Bride]

Well - this is the magic parenting forum! Since my original post, dd has asked to take her nap every day! I'm not sure what to make of it, but it definitely makes for a happier dd later in the day, so I'm not complaining!