[kdescalzi]

Hi mamas,

My girlfriend just had her second baby and her 2.5 ds has had some difficulty adjusting to this. It took about 1 month for him to get back to sleeping ok at night but he has been refusing to nap more often than not. When and if she can get him down, he will sleep for about 2 hours....he definately still needs the rest. He is impossibly fussy and overtired on the days he doesn't nap so she is dealing with a newborn and a very tired toddler. It is always so hard to tell when he is tired so she doesn't know if she is putting him down for his nap too late...which as at about 12/12:30 with a wake-up time of 6:30ish. She tries so hard to lay with him and give him a soothing wind down but with a newborn sometimes she has to leave him in there....he never cries but just comes out of his room to whine and fuss. At these times she usually has her baby nursing. Her son flips out if she tries to hang out with him while he gets drowsy with the newborn...he does not want the baby in his room...which we totally understand. WWYD?? She knows he needs his rest during the day but nothing she is doing is working?? Could he be giving up is naps?? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[babsbob]

That is pretty challenging. My DS just went through a phase where he wouldn't nap but that was because he was doing the "I can get out of my room any time I want" power trip.

I think it might be harder for boys to deal with having a new baby in the house. My midwife recommended making a special box full of fun things for the older one to play with when mommy is nursing. So she could put some new books or one of those color wonder marker and book sets or some little game in a box to get down when she is nursing and then put it away after. Then for nap time have a new little stuffed bear and book or something that he can take to bed with him for nap time. Try to put him down when the baby is sleeping so she has time to help him wind down. Maybe try to put him down later in the afternoon when he might be a little sleepier.
It might be just a phase. If he just refuses to nap maybe they could all cuddle on the couch and watch a DVD or something for "quiet time".

 

[caiesmommy]

My ds went through a no nap phase when the baby came. And I FINALLY couldn't handle it anymore. Dinner was horrible every night, he wouldn't go down at night, was having night terrors...and a million other issues, jsut b/c of no nap.

I finally said no more. I put him in his bed, read him a story(MAYBE two) gave him some cuddles. Of course he'd come out, and I'd put him back in...this went on for about a week. I explained, its fine if you don't want to sleep but this is quiet time and you need your rest, so you can sleep or play quietly in your room. So for a few days he'd play quietly and then he started falling asleep on the floor where he was playing, then one day he was playing realized yes I need a nap then crawled into bed.

I don't have a set time...ds gets up around 7-8 and I put him down around 2. I'll say ok I think it'stime for everyone to take a nap. And of course sometimes he'll say no, and instead of having him freak out(which just gets him wired) I say ok, lets play for 5 more minutes(which is normally about 2) then I say OK...hop up into bed lets read a story. Sometimes there is screaming,I pick him up, put himinto bed and say ok, really you need to calm down, so i can read you a story. Then I kiss him close the door and have peace!