Author Topic: Help! 31 month old taking off clothes during nap and bedtime  (Read 794 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline pareeta

  • BW Aficionado
  • ***
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 140
  • Location: New York, NY
Help! 31 month old taking off clothes during nap and bedtime
« on: April 08, 2015, 23:29:38 pm »
Hi again!

My 31 month old has been refusing naps on and off since she turned 2. I'm finally at the point of accepting that she might be dropping it, and I've been putting her to bed early around 6/6:30. A few weeks ago, she started taking off her clothes including her pull up during nap time. Even though she is clearly exhausted she won't sleep. Now she has started taking off her clothes and pull up at bedtime causing her to go to sleep around 7:30 which makes her overtired.

My question is how do I stop her from taking everything off? I tried putting on her onsie backwards, but she wouldn't haven't it. She was screaming at the top of her lungs telling me to put it on properly. She is very strong willed, and it seems like if she doesn't get her way, then the clothes start coming off because she knows I'll come in. Today for nap time, I didn't go in when she took off her clothes. And still no nap. I'm 6 months pregnant and am exhausted this time around. I can't continue to do this with her. Please help with anything that may work.  :-\

Offline Katet

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 608
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 14364
  • Sydney Australia
  • Location: Sydney
Re: Help! 31 month old taking off clothes during nap and bedtime
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2015, 01:09:45 am »
Part of the taking the clothes of is 'she does because she can"... is she Toilet trained? because I'd probably let her go the nap time (which I assume is now quiet time) without the pull up & see what happens

In terms of the bedtime, I'd give her lots of chances in the day to change her clothes (its a skill she is working on) & at night, pretty much let her be & once she is asleep go & get her dressed... she may even end up staying dry at night without a pull up, I know at that age my DS2 stayed dry because he refused to wear a pull up to bed & I refused to buy into a test of "who is the most stubborn" because really when we say our child is strong willed then generally we as the parent are too & that is where it comes from our battle of wills... if the battle ground isn't there then the problem is less.

The fact she won't sleep when she is exhausted may be because she's reached a point that the naptime/bedtime routine is no longer appropriate for her needs. I found there was a point where I had to change things around eg bath before dinner because it hyped up rather than calmed down, longer story time etc, sometimes the issues are more about a need for change in routine than anything else.
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05

Offline pareeta

  • BW Aficionado
  • ***
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 140
  • Location: New York, NY
Re: Help! 31 month old taking off clothes during nap and bedtime
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2015, 10:49:17 am »
Thanks for your reply!

She is toilet trained, and I will try the no pull up for nap time. As for bedtime, she peed last night in the crib without her pull up. I don't think she's ready for the night just yet. I don't think leaving her for bedtime without clothes will work since she peed in the crib last night without a pull up. Anything else I can do so she doesn't take off her clothes at bedtime?

As for strong willed, I usually let her do everything on her own and don't start a war of wills. It's just at bedtime recently she wants me to hold her hand until she falls asleep. I hold it for a while but I don't want to start a habit where i'm holding her hand until she's asleep. That's where she'll say "one more time", and I'll hold her hand or sing her a song one more time. But then it continues and after a while i say I'm all done and that we all need to go to sleep now. And because I didn't stay in there as long as she needed me then the clothes start to come off.

I'll change her routine around and spend more time with her before nap and bedtime in hopes she'll sleep.

Thanks!


Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 249
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 16048
  • Location: Canada
Re: Help! 31 month old taking off clothes during nap and bedtime
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2015, 19:39:22 pm »
What about buying a new sleeper that either buttons up the back, or one that would be easy to do up backwards. My oldest used to undress herself and that is what finally worked - since they were brand new she had no idea that they were on backwards (I cut the tags all the way out). As for the nap and bed resistance, it could be a combo of nap dropping and also the impending changes a new sibling will bring.
Heidi