My 17 month old has slowly been reluctant about nap time. When he was lil he was all about taking as many naps as possible. He just started not even wanting to take the only nap that gives me piece of mind. Is there n e thing wrong with him not wanting to take a nap
Well I wanna first thank everyone that gave positive insight for me. Today we actually got up at a reasonable hour ate breakfast, got dressed for the day, went to storytime at our local library for an hour. Listened to stories then the last thirty minutes played with toys. Came home, because we dont have a toddler bed up for him in our one bedroom, i put him in his crib. Took his shoes off. Also gave him a mid afternoon snack. Eventually he put himself down so i also took a bit of a nap. He got up when daddy came home for the day. They let me sleep. From there it was golden. He went to bed after a bath after dinner and. Curled up in my arms. He'll b asleep the rest of the night
At 17 months, he still needs the rest. Try up at 7:00, breakfast, play outside, lunch at 11:00-11:30, then O. after lunch nap.
Tired and full--that's key.
Good luck.
I agree he needs a nap - kids this age really do need to rest and sleep. But you have to make it enjoyable and not something that is important to you to give you peace of mind or time to do "important stuff" that he's not part of.
Make the emphasis on quiet time in bed and how comfortable and enjoyable that is. Make sure sleep isn't the assignment in his mind - it's too much pressure.
Normally I don't like the idea of parents lying down with kids - then kids expect it all the time and can't calm themselves down. But if you were to lie down a few times, either with him or (better) in your own bed, he'll see that it's a) routine and b) something everyone enjoys, not just "babies". Definitely stick to a routine and don't wait until he's overtired and cranky. After lunch, definitely go to quiet time in his room, read a book, block out outside sounds (I used a white noise machine or air filter) and darken the room (even if you need room darkening shades or other fabric). Make the routine a little different from bed time - not the same books, not the same music box or nightlight, but definitely have a routine.
Please give it 1-2 weeks before you jump up to use the nap time to work or vacuum or pay bills - try to relax as much as you can because he will pick up on your tension or impatience.
I would think he would still need naps - upping activity gets them tired, I know all the kids would sleep at daycare, and sometimes not at home.
Is he tired? I don't know how much sleep he's getting at night .. is he cranky, eating ok? Usually if a child is not getting enough sleep by late afternoon you can really tell ... they're not the easiest to be around :)
I had stages where they wanted to give up naps, and then it was brutal later on in the day. I had quiet time where I would even lay down for a few minutes with them, or I'd sit in their room with my own book, and they just had to be quiet for a few minutes. If they were tired, they drifted off.
One of my kids always napped on our sunroom couch. Liked to be surrounded by noise. I just always had a pillow and a blanket in there. In the middle of chaos, he'd go and crawl up into his nest and I'd just go and close the door half way once he was asleep.
Good luck :)
Hi! I don't think there is anything wrong with him not wanting to sleep during nap time but if that portion of the day is still very important for you to take a break I suggest you change the language to "rest time". Have your child bring a few books and quiet toys into bed with them. Set the the rules very clear that he/she is not allowed to get off the bed or make any noise for an specific time frame. Play some lullaby music and bed sure the shades are drawn and lights dim. This will be important for when they begin preschool and kindergarten where "nap/rest time" is still a mandatory part of the day.
You may find that knowing that they don't have to sleep, may actually put them to sleep :-)
Perhaps his internal nap clock is changing.....around 15/16 months mine transitioned to 1nap lasting about 2 hours---generally going down about 11am after his 10am-ish snack and sleep to around 1 or 130 and have lunch then...that lasted for about 4 or 5 months and then he would take his long nap after lunch....
Around three he would only nap the afternoons he went to preschool(he went 3 mornings a week)....and sometimes he'd snooze in the car and then he was done around age 4.
Good luck
Our son never wanted to take a nap - he was always worrying that he'd miss out on something.
But he NEEDED the naps for the longest time.
1st grade was the first time they didn't do nap time at school and he was one grumpy kid by the time he got home in the afternoon.
He still napped on weekends and his temperament was much better when he did.
These days if he's feeling tired he'll sometime lay down for a few minutes after school (he's in 10th grade now) and that sometimes turns into a nap before dinner.
At 17 months, I'd say it's too early to do without naps.
He's still growing rapidly and that means he needs the sleep whether he likes it or not.
He really needs naps. That is when a lot of his physical growing takes place. This includes his brain,
Make sure he gets a lot of physical activity in the morning, outside running jumping climbing, hopping.. Every day at least an hour, better if it can be longer.. again in the afternoon. And "running errands" does not count as exercise.
Have a nice quiet calming, filling lunch. This means, no TV, no phone calls.. etc.. Try not to rile him up.
Then wipe him down with a warm cloth using strong massaging type strokes. include his arms hands, face, and neck. I used to wipe down our daughters legs too, It is to dry here it can be dusty.
Make sure his room is as dark as possible. Close the blinds or curtains, Turn on the ceiling fan to cool off the room.
Read a story to him, but do not engage him. Or put on some soft music, this will keep the outside noises from distracting him. He can quietly stay in his bed with a picture book or playing in his bed with a toy.. Usually, they conk out. After a while, he will get back into the routine.
This is a stage, he is more alert and thinks he is missing out on some sort of fun.. Even though you are probably just doing housework..
At 18 months, my daughter stopped taking naps. It was very rare for her to take one at all. For my 3 yr old, he stopped taking naps around 24 months. Now at 3 1/2 he does take one a few days a week but not everyday. My oldest napped until they were in Kindergarten. There was a point that they would not nap but it only lasted a few months.
I would just make sure he has some quiet time, maybe give him a few books to "read" or quiet toys. He may take a nap or maybe not. This may just be a growing/changing phase he is going through.
A child needs to take naps until they're 4 and it would be nice if they'd keep taking them until they were 5. They still lay down in kindergarten until after Christmas Break. It's just hard on them to not have a nap.
My kids gave up napping early. They both stopped napping altogether when they were two and a bit. By about 18 months they were losing interest in napping and I often had to resort to taking them for a car ride. I also found that if I took them for an afternoon swim I could get them to nap easily. When they gave up naps we did a quiet time instead, usually watching a movie on the couch. Not all kids want or need to nap until they are four. Where I am from there is no napping in kindergarten, and naptime stops for 3 year olds in preschool.
