2.5 yrs old driving me crazy at nap time!!!!!

[Jann]

Well, things were going great until suddenly things changed.
 

He had a crib tent because he was climbing out when he was 16 months old.  Just recently i decided to take down the crib tent and lower the side on his crib because he kept complaining that he wanted out of his crib during nap time. I figured maybe he felt trapped.  I did that and for about 1 week he stayed in.  I thought the problem was solved.  Until today,  he decided after complaining  for 45 min that he wasn;t tired and he wanted out, that he would get out on his own.   So he did.  My plan was to put him back in his crib but i didn't do that because i don't really know what to do?  How does it work. do i keep bring him back until nap time is over or until he gives in even though it is passed his wake up.  He later on fell asleep on the couch and was a bear to put to bed.  How do i handle this.  He obviously needs to nap. 

I also got him a bed since he was doing well in the crib with the side down.  Should I put the sides up?  Abandon the bed idea?

Hepl

[brenda2]

i'd make the switch to the bed.  he's 2.5 yrs, it's time to be in a bed.

you could make nap time a little bit later so he's more tired and more likely to take the nap.

when my dd1 resists nap time (she never gets up out of her bed but calls me in) i just keep going in and telling her to go to sleep until she does.

[JudyLee]

Hugs!
Definitely time for a bed - if he feels like his got some control over the sleep arrangements it can make life a tad easier.
We use a gate at the door, so that DD can roam around the room and wind down by herself. We did get a bedside to stop the inital rolls out of the bed while she got used to the freedom.
They will learn soon enough that you mean bed time, and it gets boring being in the dark all by yourself, so they give up and eventually go to sleep. I love it when you go in and they have just fallen face forward on the mattress, legs on the floor as if they were standing one minute and passed out the next!
Good luck!

[Jann]

thanks, I am sticking to the bed, def time. 

He was up at 5:15 this morning.  I think he is coming down with a cold.

So i should keep going in and tell him its nap time and not give him a chance to get out?

What do i do when he does get out?

[deb]

I totally love your avatar Jann!

OK, back to the question at hand: around this age we got to a place with Josie where if she did nap she'd be up late and/or early the next day b/c she'd had her sleep quota, and if she didn't nap she'd be OT by bedtime. I finally pulled the plug on the nap b/c we had an OT kid anyway and I didn't want to lose my evening time to boot. Do you think he might be ready to be dropping his nap, or at least approaching that point? I know it sound early, but Josie stopped most naps by 2-1/2 and Nat dropped hers entirely by 18 months, so I have a really skewed reference in my family!

For a while, though, we had a setup where instead of a mandated nap for Josie, we had Quiet Time. She could play quietly in her room, read, do puzzles, nap if she waned/needed - and she did snooze maybe 2-3 afternoons a week for a while regardless. I'd put on an hour-long CD of quiet music , make sure she had a clean diaper, and she'd have some time to recharge and so would I. She liked the freedom to play in her room, and we both enjoyed the down time (we're both introverts and recharge by being away from people for a while.). This setup was in place when I had DD#2, so Josie at least had that part of her routine down, and if I was able to get Nat napping when J had Quiet Time, I got a real break.

Anyway, it might be worth trying just to see what happens. Oh, and when beds are still new they do like to play at getting in and out and over and under for a while till the novelty wears off - and they'll often still go thru phases like that - totally normal, and it does pass! Nat's almost 5 and is going thru a "hiding under the bed" phase these days.

[Jann]

thanks for the advice.  He may be ready to drop him nap.  He won't nap 1 day and nap 3 to make up for it, does that sound right.  I will do the nap routine today cause he will def need it. Didn't nap yesterday and ew this morning.  I will try quiet time but keeping him in his room will be difficult.

I would love to know how to do wi/wo during nap time?

thanks

[deb]

None of the usual stuff worked on either of mine; I didn't have the patience, and it was too stimulating for the kids. I just verbally told Josie, "OK, you don't HAVE to take a nap today, but Mommy still needs a break. Here's a sippy, here are some books and puzzles, here's a clean diaper, here's a Music Together CD for you to listen to. See ya in an hour!" It worked b/c that setup suited us and I hit on a good one first time, but it did NOT work on Natalie - heck, NOTHING "works" on that child! (She's the one who gave up naps on her own at 18 months. )

During the 2-1 transition, there are days when they nap and days when they don't, and when they're sick, all bets are off. On days when they woke cranky, I did my best to encourage a nap. We also ended up adjusting bedtimes according to whether there had been a nap that day and/or how cranky/OT they were by suppertime.

[Jann]

Sounds like I'm in transition.  I will take that approach today for his nap, encourage quiet time and hope for the best.

thanks again

[Jann]

It's me again.  My lo has been in his new bbb since sunday and he has napped twice and yesterday he refused to nap.  I brought him back into his room and told him he doesn't have to sleep but he needs to stay in his room.  It worked, he was on his bed rolling around playing which he normally does and would have fallen asleep except he had a big pooh and wanted me to change him, which i did of course.  I am surprised he pooped in his diaper and didn;t ask to use the potty.  Anyway, should i make a basket of toys and set in his room so he can have toys for nap time?

Jann

[momtonb&ab]

we don't put toys in the room as it doesn't encourage restfulness - just quiet play.  for us if they are still they are more likely to fall asleep if they need to where as if they have toys they will continue to play and not slow long enough to fall asleep if needed kwim?  (not sure that was clear, but in my head it makes sense   )

our approach (we are in the transition too since a while - napping 4-5 days out of 7) is that they have to go and lay in their beds and be quiet during 'nap' time which we have started calling rest time.  just like at night they have to stay in their bed and becuase they have a roommate they aren't allowed to talk or make noise.  when we transitioned to beds we also spent some time going back in if they got out of bed and without any ceremony bringing them back to bed and reminding them they have to stay in their beds.

[Jann]

yes that makes sense.  he has books in his room and i do let him take a truck or 2 if he likes.  I did bring him back to his room without drama and put him in his bed until he stayed and i was hoping he would fall asleep.  I will call it rest time.  His bbb is new and he will have to adjust, i think once the novelty wares off he may be easier to put down for his nap.  We don't have any issues at night thank goodness!!

[deb]

Josie was an early reader so books in her room have been there, well, forever. We had some quiet toys like puzzles and a few stuffed animals which she was sleeping with anyway. I didn't have a problem with her playing in there, as long as it was quiet play.

[Jann]

quiet time seems like the way to go.  Although the days he doesn't nap are the days he is not with me.  Could that have anything to do with it?

[Jann]

So I tramatized my lo.  I tried bringing him back to his room for 45 min to no avail.  It was horrible.  I gave up and let him fall asleep on the couch.  I know he needs the nap but refuses to go in his room and stay there.  So today i will let him decide what he wants and if he needs down time, i will put on a movie and let him relax.  Does that sound to crazy. He slept a 12 hr night though!

any advice?

[deb]

Y'now, I think it's a matter of picking your battles, and if this solution is OK with you, then why not? That's MHO.