My son will be 2 in Dec. He is starting to fight his afternoon nap. Now, he has been a great sleeper from the start ( 7 hours consistently at 6 weeks). He is the kid that will tell you it's nap time. But of course now so much is going on. He is potty training (in fact, he just woke me up to potty him!). He is talking up a storm, and he is getting to be too busy to sleep. He also wants a big boy bed.
His sister gave up her nap before two as well. She never slept, however, so it wasn't a big surprise. But my son, loves his sleep. 3 hour naps, and 11 hours every night.
What can I do to prolong the nap? I need to move him to a big boy bed since he is potty training and needs access to the bathroom. I know this will cause problems, but he is climbing out of the crib and going to his sister's big girl bed, telling me he wants to sleep there.
I really need suggestions. I moved his nap a little later when he started to skip naps a month ago, and that seem to work, but now he is yawning when we are driving home for lunch at 11 and is wide awake at nap time (1-1:30).
I can't screw this up. We are trying to get pregnant again and I will need a nap! How do you people get her kids to keep on napping till they are 4!?!?!?
I think you need to put him down earlier. He sounds the type of kid that NEEDS his sleep (lots!) and if you miss that window of tiredness (he's yawning at 11) he may get overtired - making it harder for him to settle down for a nap at 1. Try a really early lunch and get him down right after. It sounds like he needs this switch - give it a try.
my 3.5 yr old still naps every day because it is not an option in our house...even if she doesnt sleep she has "quiet time" in bed for at least 90 min. we make sure we are home for nap time, never expect her to nap in the car or someone else's house and make it part of her day. About 6 months ago we pushed the start time back 30 min and it helped, so maybe you can try that again.
My son napped until he was almost five, three hour naps we had to ween him off of for kindergarten. We had several periods where he fought it. Around two was one of those times. We were just really consistent and kept him in his crib. There would be days maybe a week or more at a time that he'd fight it. Then he'd go back to napping happily. Black out shades helped. The move to the big boy bed set us back too because he could get up on his own. Then later it was "quiet time" for an hour. Nine times out of ten he crashed. Now my daughter is completely opposite. Can't get that child to nap even when she is completely exhausted. As soon as she learned to crawl out of her crib, nap time ended. It takes hours to get her to sleep when you try. It's very frustrating.
At day care the children play outside for an hour, do activities, then start getting ready for lunch (about 11:15) . lunch at about 11:30, then clean and wash up, lay down the mats, story and rest or sleep beginning about 12:10.. Sleep or rest till 2:00, wash up, snack, play inside.. do a project, play outside for at least an hour.
If he's tired at 11, why not put him down then? If you're concerned about lunch, you could give him a sandwich and some fruit in the car. I wonder if part of the problem is that he really is tired around 11, but then he gets his second wind. My husband and I talk about the "window of opportunity." Sometimes we watch our 2 1/2 year old in the evening get really tired and then suddenly pop up and be really awake. That's when we know that we allowed big brother's needs or other chores to distract us and we "missed the window."
Looks like it's time to switch to a late morning nap, instead of an early afternoon nap.
what time is he going to bed at night...maybe he needs to go to bed earlier?? i remember reading in Weissbluth's book about bedtime affecting naps and the earlier you put them to bed the longer they sleep. i know this was regarding babies but it may still work at your son's age.
my daughter is almost 3 1/2 and naps every day for about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs...i'm hoping to keep this going until 4!!!
good luck!!
It's just a phase. Keep to a routine and put him down for a nap everyday. Sometimes, I would even lay with my kids when they started doing that to get them back on track.
sounds like you need another kid :P sorry couldn't help it...lol.
ok so one thing i would try is just shortening his naps. 3 hours is probably a little long. keep putting him down, but after an hour or so open his door, turn on the tv, start letting him wake up, and then after an hour or a half or so go get him up...it may not be that he is outgrowing his nap (mine is 5 and i am still a huge advocate for naps and/or quiet time - like you, it's for ME as much as him!) but maybe expecting him to sleep for 3 hours is pushing it. good luck!
Put him to nap when HE needs to nap.
Then... it will be by his cues and when HE WILL nap and need a nap.
To me, he is fighting his afternoon nap.... because by then, you have missed the tiredness window and then, by the afternoon, he has gotten his 2nd wind. Hence, even if tired, he cannot sleep and is actually too hyper/overtired/wound up, to then, nap.
This is common... in over-tired kids or when a tired kid had not gone, to nap. They actually get more, 'active' because by then, they are over-tired.
My son is JUST like your son. Sleeps and naps well since he was a baby. 2-3 hours naps. My son is 5, and still will nap.
BUT... I put him to nap, when HE needs to and I know his cues very well.
Now at his age, he naps afterschool. Not everyday, because I don't have time now and he is in Kindergarten and gets homework everyday.
Again, your son's nap time, now... is too late. He needs to nap earlier.
Because by 1-1:30.... he is on his 2nd wind. And you have missed the window of opportunity, for him to nap and he has also missed, HIS time of needing to nap.
When a nap or bed time is manipulated too much, it often does not, work.
I totally hear you, mainly my son's nap is not only for him, it is my time too. Well, I remember when my son was two, he started doing the same, but he is three, and a half he still naps .
My success key is consistency.. do not give up... Every day no better what, take him for nap, soon he will realize, he has to sleep, or be quite for a while. Once it will be in his routine, it will be his habit.. You will be good to go.
Good luck
