OK, I need help. My 2.5 year old is a disaster at nap time, has been for weeks and weeks on end, and I HAVE HAD IT. I mean I am DONE with this. I want to take away her nap it is so aggravting, but she still REALLY needs it.
Each day it takes 30-60 min to put her down for her nap. The whining, the moaning, the complaining, the NO's!, the one more book, more juice, different blanket, different animal, lights on, lights off, etc, etc.
I've tried letting her cry it out - which I HATE , and she'll cry for over an hour. I've tried special books, special stuffed animals, a mobile, lights on the ceiling she can watch, leaving the light on so she can play by herself, - nope - nothing works. She just screams her head off .
I am usually good for a few days, then one day a week I just lose it and end up screaming at her. Which I also hate. It is only teaching her to yell, but I've just lost my patience. UGH.
I can't take one more day of this! There has got to be an easier way! I am ready to go back to work full time to have someone else deal with this - it is that bad. HELP!
The same thing happened to my son at that age. He was done with naps, but still tired. I just started putting him to bed early around 6-6:30. Which also took some time, but eventually worked. Also, instead of naps he had and still has rest time. Where he has to sit down and watch a show, or read a book. He needs some time to relax, and I also need the time to myself. It is a stressful time, but don't give up. It will pass with time.
I have a 2.5 year old and she definitely still needs her nap, although she doesn't always agree : ) . You didn't describe your usual routine or what time she naps or sleeps at night so it's a little hard to compare our situations, but here's our deal. Over the last bunch of months my little one needs to take her nap EARLIER. Yes, earlier, completely the opposite of what everyone will tell you and what everyone else's kids do. If I don' t get her in sometime between 11:15 and 11:30 she is a disaster and resists naps because she is overtired. We call it her "sleep window" and it's quite narrow and shifts often. She used to nap closer to noon like everyone else but it just got to be earlier and earlier. For us, good sleep begets good sleep and her naps and nighttime sleep BOTH have to be good or we are in trouble. I agree a routine is helpful - we don't really have a big one but I do start telling her when it's getting close to nap. In fact, she's in there right now and I think I missed her sleep window as she's still talking away. I am lucky she's still in the crib so she's stuck in there whether she sleeps or not.
My last resort is a walk in the stroller. If she hasn't settled down to nap by about 1:30 or 2 on those disaster days I put her in the stroller, recline it all the way and take her walking for about an hr and a half and she'll (usually but not always) sleep then. looks like I might have to do that today.
Oh and BTW, my nanny, MIL and my mom have a MUCH easier time getting her to nap. It's when Mommy's around that she's more resistant. I do work full time away from home so weekends are when I get to deal with it!
Anyway, good luck to you, I agree you should do your best to not scream back but I know how frustrating things can get. Nobody's perfect.
Your daughter sounds like my son. I work full time and I hear from his daycare provider (at least twice a week) that he simply won't nap. Like yesterday, he didn't nap and was a terror until I put him to sleep an hour early. When at home on the weekends with him I make sure that he is GOOD and TIRED! I run him around for a while and then do our nap routine. We get washed up, lay down in bed together, read 3 books (I allow him to have a cup of milk while we read) and then its tiem for bed. My son is a light sleeper he sleeps with a sounds machine. I tell him that I love him and then leave the room. I do not go back in unless I can hear him trying to get out of his bed or being very noisy. Yes, the whining is horrible to deal with however it is just their way of trying to be in control and get what they want. I have found that keeping the same routine everyday helps. As a mommy friend of mine reminded me recently that this too is a phase that will pass. Stay strong and remember that it is perfectly accpetable to walk outside and relax away from the nap time complaining. Kids this age need naps so keep up the good work and know that it will all be worth while.
I agree with you that a 2.5 year old still needs naps. My son is almost 4 and still naps daily for at least an hour.
Our routine, from the day he was born, is that we co-sleep at night and I lie with him in bed at nap time until he falls asleep then I simply sneak out and go about my business.
I don't see the point to letting any child cry anything out so I don't practice that type of behavior with my child. I would say to simply keep to a nap time schedule as best you can...nap time at the same time kind of thing. And if needed, which it sounds like it is, simply lie with your daughter until she falls asleep. Yes it will take some time, maybe even a half hour or so until she's out completely but it's worth it for both of your well beings.
Hope this helps and good luck with everything.
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hi. my daughter is the same age. she goes down for a nap easily at school but never for me at home...at least not in a structured way...and so i gave up trying and ended up learning a few things. she will fall asleep when she's tired. i've gone upstairs to get something and come back down and she's asleep on the couch. she also falls asleep sometimes if we're going somewhere. when we get to our destination, if she's still asleep, i sit in the car and read a book or mag or whatever until she wakes up. (sometimes i even nap too.) same goes for a walk in the stroller - i just carry the stroller into the house and let her sleep in it in the kitcen. the best thing though is to really wear her out in the am before lunch. and if she doesn't nap one day, so what? later that day, when she starts acting really overtired, we put her to bed, usually a half an hour or an hour early. and she falls asleep super fast so that's a plus on those days. good luck.
Could it be that her internal clock for nap time may be changing? perhaps she needs to go down a little later (15-30 minutes later). Also, I agree that a wind down routine, like at bedtime worked for mine until he started to slowly outgrow his need for a nap. Good luck
It is possible she is starting to give up the nap. Does she sleep better at night w/o a nap? It could also be she's 2.5... You can try to not make her sleep, but tell her she has to have quiet time - and you can decide what that is. Maybe just reading books in her bed, or resting and watching a show. Something to at least give her some downtime. You can't force another person to actually sleep - although it would be so nice! Good luck and hang in there!
Do you have a wind down time before trying to put her down? I made that mistake with my first. We would be going and going and then I would just cut it off. You want to be sure you have a set nap time and a strict routine. Kids strive on routines, and when they know what is going to happen they are a little easier to handle. As far as all the run arounds she has you doing -I would NOT do it anymore. She is getting control and she needs to know that you are the parent not her. It's not going to be easy at first, but it is well worth it in the end. I have even gone and sat on the front porch until they settle down. Two reasons: (1) It lets them know that I'm not going to give in to them and that I am in control (2) It gives me chance to calm down before having to deal with everything again.
I hope this helps and best of luck to you.
