Help with 2 year old naps...or lack therof!

[mom2william]

I am extremely frustrated lately with my DS naps!!!  Right before he turned 2, he started occasionally skipping naps.  It is SO frustrating!  I kept thinking it was a phase but recently, it has gotten worse.  As of today, it will make 6 days with no napping!  I know some kids go in and out of not napping but what is the deal??  He seems a bit young to drop his nap.  I still insist he stay in his crib (hasn't moved to a toddler bed yet) for a couple of hours in hopes he'll eventually drop off.  He doesn't cry just plays and doesn't sleep! 

I am wondering if I should try an earlier naptime or a later one if that would help at all.  Am I putting him down too late for his nap?  Should it be more like 12:30?  His schedule is usually:

7:00am wake up (sometimes as early as 6:30)
11:45-12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Nap (or try for one!)
3:00pm Get up
7:00-7:15pm Bedtime (if no nap, 8:00pm if he naps)

I do put some books in his crib at naptime and he has fallen asleep with those in there so I don't think they're too much of a distraction.  He also has his Sesame Street characters in there with him which he talks to/plays with.  I just wonder if there's something I'm doing wrong?  I read the sticky about when other people's LO's dropped their naps and it was later than this 

Thanks for any advice

[fleadle]

My DD will be 2 in August & if she has a long nap now, she tends to not go to bed easily at night although I do still think she needs a small nap....if I put her down for a normal nap she will sleep, but for 2.5hrs, if I try to wake her after half an hour or so she will get really upset & beg me to go put her back to bed.

I have resorted to putting her in front of her favourite tv programme in the lounge on the sofa so she will actually sit still and relax (sometimes I think this is the problem with toddlers, they just can't stop & switch off), then she drops off on the sofa, after 1/2 hour I'm just really noisy in the room until she wakes...this seems to work & she wakes a lot happier.

Not ideal as I would prefer her to nap in bed, but it is nice to watch my angel sleep,& she still has a pretty strict bedtime routine & goes to sleep with no fuss around 7pm, but no grumpy tired afternoons.!!

I know it's not the same problem but you might be able to try something similar? if more traditional suggestions fail?

[mom2william]

Thanks, Fleadle.  I may need to start rocking him a while to see if that will help him nod off.  I think, like you so wisely said, he has a hard time turning off and settling down to sleep.  Today he yawned 3 times and I know he is tired but it's not happening.  Grrrrr!!

[Layla]

Hi there  .

Has anything happened in the last few weeks that might have thrown things off?

I think he is overtired and I would suggest the following:
* Start putting him down for the nap earlier (start with 12pm escpecially on the days he wakes earlier). Take him out and about in the morning so that he gets lots of running around and physical exercise. Then as you get closer to nap time, do lucnh (say around 11ish) & have an extra long windown. So read an extra book, sing a song, lots of cuddles & then into cot by 12pm. If he is playing around, leave him until he falls asleep. If he is crying out, I would suggest you do wi/wo until he is asleep. Let him have a nap of 1.5-2hrs but no later than 2.30 pm to protect bedtime.
* Make bedtime 30mins earlier as well for a few days to let him catch up on some sleep. On the day he has napped, no later than 7pm (so that he falls asleep by 7.30pm) & on the days he has not napped 6/6.30 the latest. Do a longer windown at bedtime as well.
* You can include rocking in the windown but I would definitely not make that my last step. So maybe some books, rock a little and then into cot & sing some songs. The last thing you want is to rock him to sleep & him become dependant on that.

I would insist on a 12pm nap for a week & earlier bedtime & longer windown to help him relax enough to sleep. If the toys are a distraction, I would take them out. Does he have a lovey? Leave things in there that are comforting to him.

Here's the link to wi/wo https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63896.0

Let me know how things go
Layla

[mom2william]

Thank you, Layla.  You always have such great advice! 

I don't think anything has happened to throw him off his naps.  This has been going on for some time.  I may have been putting him down too late is all I can think of. 

I do have one question.  I was wondering if putting him to bed at 6/6:30pm at night when he hasn't napped (13 hours overnight sleep) and then he wouldn't need a nap the next day??  Or are you saying he should go to bed this early because he needs to catch up on sleep?  I will most definitely try to put him down 12-12:30 for a nap this week.  It is hard, though, because he never "seems" tired and will play.  His only lovey are these plastic Sesame Street figures.  I know, strange thing to cuddle with!    The only other things I put in the crib are 2-3 books to look at to help him wind down further.  He's fallen asleep with these things in there many times so I don't think they're too much of a distraction but he just won't lie down to sleep. 

Will let you know how it goes so here's to a nap tomorrow!!

[Layla]

THe earlier bedtime is just to help him catch up on sleep (to help erase his sleep debt, lol). On the days Isabella has a very short nap (just occured few weeks ago where she slept for 20mins in the car), I put her to sleep for the night at 6pm and she slept till 6-6.30am. I wouldn't do anything later than 6.30pm persoanlly.

The books... well maybe try not putting them to see if it helps. You do the windown with him and then hopefully he should be nice and relaxed for a nap! Some toddler do need their own windown time but its worth eliminating things to see if they are more of a distraction than not. If he's putting up a fight though, I would let it be. The last thing you want is a tantrum at naptime