How to Get Kids to Take Naps?

I got my daughter a lava lamp, she likes to watch the changing shapes and it lulls her into a nap rather quickly and if she wakes up it keeps her laying there until she falls back asleep or puts her in a better mood to get up.

Hi B.,

My 4 year old still takes naps in the afternoons. We have a routine. He comes back from preschool, he eats, he plays, then he is so tired that I just tell him that is nap time and I take him to his room, and put him in bed. He usually sleeps from 2 to 3 hours.

I know that soon he will be to old to take naps, but that is my time to relax. :-)

Hi B..

I never had a problem with my son, yet with my daughter...UGH!!

This is what I finally came up with to help my daughter get some naptime and sleep at night, it may help you out:

Naps for daytime: After feeding her lunch, we'd clean up and watch a TV program. Most of the time it would be a show we'd both be interested in, like the cooking channel ") I'd tell her to get her blankie or stuffed animal and we'd watch the show together. We would either snuggle on the couch, on the floor, in their room (when I had TV in it) or my room. Just the calmness of taking a rest did something for her. She seen me rush around so much in making sure the house was perfect or tend to what I needed, I think it caused her to want to do the same, which was not miss out on anything! After about 10 minutes the most, she was out. I'd put her on the couch or leave her in her room or my room. And I benefited because I got 10 minutes or more to "rest".

Night time: Routine was pj's, brush teeth, story time, and into bed. When she had this going, along with the nap routine, something just clicked. Sometimes I left her TV on for her when it was in her room.

I think once I calmed myself down, she clamed down? So, as I relaxed my schedule and took more time out for her, she became less a anxious when it came to sleep time. Now there are days she puts herself for nap! LOL. It's really cute too.

I hope that may help you out!

Good Luck.

Try reading the book Sleepless in America by Mary Sheedy I can't remember how to spell her last name! She has great advice that is helping us quite a bit with our 2 1/2 year old who is tough about sleeping.

My daughter also fights naps - even at the babysitter's. I am not ashamed to say that I "trick" my daughter into naps. At her natural "tired" time in the afternoon I tell her that it is "rest" time. She doesn't have to sleep, but she knows that she has to be still. I put her on the coach with the lights out and turn on one of her favorite movies. (I find that this works better with movies that she is most familiar with and I never introduce a new one at this time). I then leave the room. Since she is not in her room, she doesn't feel the, for lack of a better word, "stress" put on her to sleep. Since nobody is in the room with her, there is no one for her to interact with. So she lays down to watch tv and ends up asleep.

Regretfully, she is now four most of the time she no longer falls asleep - but she is always in a much better frame of mind after her "rest." Now She even tells me it is "Time for me to rest, Mamma."

Hi B.. My son (4) wakes early and still needs a nap, otherwise he is a terror. He still goes through those days when he won't nap. He knows, that when he is supposed to be in his room and in his bed until the clock says 2 or 3. He is always in his bed. Sometimes, he doesn't sleep, but he's resting and "reading" a book. Books are the only things that we allow him to have in bed, other than stuffed animals. If he has to stay in his room, in bed until 2 or 3, a lot of times, he will fall asleep right at the end of that time frame.

Good luck!

i would get the book "Healthy sleep habits, happy baby" by Dr. Marc Weisblut. It is fabulous.

I always have my daughter just stay in her room. She has to just play in her bed with the animals that are in there. I tell her that I will come and get her when it is time to get up. At first she would call to me but I just ignore her. I leave her for at least 30 min. 9 times out of 10 she is sound asleep within 15 to 20 min.

Do you have a bedtime routine? That's how I get my 23 month old to sleep. I start an hour before bedtime. I start with him helping me cleaning up his toys, then I give him a bath, get his diaper and jammies on, brush his teeth then lay him down and read a goodnight book. I keep a nightlight on for him. He was a fighter when it came to going to bed. Then I was informed about a routine and I tried it. It took some time to get adjusted to, but it works now! He actually looks toward to bedtime! Hope this advice works. Good luck. Oh and for naps my son has a routine also. Experiment. Try to find out what works with you and your child. Do activities before or after lunch that will lead to her falling to sleep. End it with reading a book. You know, something calming.

Hi B.,
At 3, my daughter also refused to nap. So I instituted a quiet time in the afternoon when she would spend time alone in her room playing with dolls or "reading" her books. A few days she would fall asleep during quiet time, but more often than not she spent the time learning to entertain herself. I also moved her bedtime from 8pm to 7:30pm. She still got up at 6am, but she was much happier and well-rested.
Best of luck!
M.

Hi B.,

I am reading your responses with interest, as my 2 1/2 y.o. boy doesn't go down for a nap at home w/o assistance (driving, etc.).

But he's a dream napper at our babysitter's! I just asked her about it and she does what everyone else is telling you: same routine everyday includes playtime/walk/park, home for lunch, story, lay down w/blanket and adult walks out! She also says that she is always anticipating for them. She tells the boys (2) that "Now we are going to the park, then we will have lunch and read and take a nap" and she repeats this at everyone transition. So they anticipate the routine and are ready to comply.

I need to be patient in implementing this myself and look forward to hearing how things go for you.

Barbara