Nap Trouble

Stick with it. 22 mo. is too early to stop napping. I would bet in a few weeks he will go back to napping. Just stick to a routine. Maybe some milk, or a book, or something that gives him a heads up that it is nap time and winds him down. Then leave him for 30 min or until he is upset or whatever makes you comfortable. Keep at it and he will resume naps. He is likely working on language or physical development that leaves him too excited to sleep. Or maybe he just learned he maybe doesn't have to sleep just because you say so.

My youngest one did the same thing. So I began to lay down with her. It seemed to me she just needed a little time to recover for the rest of her day. And it gave me a little time to gather my strength for the other half as well.

Nolan goes in and out of napping and it started probably about the same time. He just turned two. I would continue with the "down time" you give him. He definitely needs it. I do agree that naps will probably return. You may need to make them later in the day. We let Nolan guide us on naps but try to help him along with turning off TV and lights, soft music and some milk. I also agree with tiring them out as well prior to the nap time you want such as a walk or just fresh air. Nolan gets out even if it's chilly.

Nolan is having trouble with the recent time change and it has affected his bed time.

Good luck!

My now six-year-old quit napping before age two. Some babies are just done with naps earlier than others. If you feel he still needs a nap then I would try putting him down earlier. Maybe move up lunch and then put him down for a nap at 12:30. Overly tired babies have a harder time napping...sleep begets sleep so maybe that will help.

THis happened to me with my daughter at the very same age, and I was 8 months pregnant and really needed her to nap! I was full of despair at the thought that her napping days were over, but just to give you some hope, the phase passed and she started napping again, thank goodness! In fact, she took naps right up until she started kindergarten! (Although sometimes later on I would allow her to play quietly in her room instead of napping, and we still use an hour of "quiet time" to this day if they need it, or if we parents need it.) I didn't come up with any tricks that worked as far as getting her back into the nap routine, but somehow it just happened. I don't think the no-nap phase lasted longer than 6 weeks, but it was a very trying 6 weeks! Hang in there!

My 2 year old is doing the same thing. I've started waiting to put her down until 2:00 even though that means I have to wake her up at 3:30. If I let her sleep later than that she won't go to sleep at night at a reasonable time. It was easier to wait until she was tired at 2:00 to put her down for her nap than to struggle with her for an hour. Good luck!

J.,
I am the mother of 2 boys. Often changes in behavior can be attributed to growth spurts. Try taking your son outside for some fresh air, before nap time or if he doesn't actually sleep at nap time go out just as you see him getting cranky around dinner time it will benefit you both. It is perfectly normal for his behavior and habits to change and remember as he changes you will have to adjust accordingly. Being a mom is a challenge and always remember "This to shall pass".

My son just turned 2 and is going through the same thing. He would play and call for me in his crib for an hour or until I went to get him. I have started to let him play after lunch for an hour or so and then he seems to tire himself out. He hasn't been giving me any trouble since I have moved his nap time from 12:30 to 2:00ish. Hope this helps.

What time is he going to bed at night?
My children quit naps around age 2, but I had to put them to bed around 7:30-8:00 PM. Which means dinner had to be at 5:30 or so.
If you still want him to nap, keep putting him in bed around 1:00 and leave him for an hour. If nothing else, he is resting and as long as he is not crying, it may help you find some relief from watching him.
(My grandson is 19 mos and he takes a 1-3 hour nap, but is still fussy and irritable right around dinner time.)

Hi! I am a mother of 3...two boys 5 and 11, and one girl, 7. I hate to tell yo this because I know how relaxing naps are, but I think he's trying to tell you that naps are through! My oldest napped until he was 5 yrs. old. My youngest stopped around 2. The thing is, you have to put them to bed a little earlier to make up his sleep. It will take a week to get used to the change, but it will get better! Good luck! Amy

Hi J.,

Have you tried laying him down at 2 instead? He may not be tired anough.
Also, how much activity is he getting?

WHen my daughter gets stir crazy I take her for a walk for 20 minutes and she gets so tired, she naps for 4 hours ;) She's 19 months, almost 20.

The second thing I've tried is laying her down a bit later so she's more tired, if I lay her down too soon she won't nap and she just plays.

J.,
You are right about one thing....being a SAHM is hard, but rewarding at the same time. I am 31 and have a 2.5 y/o and a 5 m/o.

Is he caught up with the time chance? I always hate this time of year because they are in a good routine and then everything gets mixed up because of it. With my oldest I have a solid routine so he knows exactly what to expect when it is time for nap/bedtime. About 1/2 hr before he should be asleep we get a few books, his blanket and then sit down (no tv/radio...) and relax. This gives him a chance to relax and realize he is tired. Have you tired something like that? Also I just recently adjusted his nap time back a 1/2 hr (so 2:00 instead of 1:30) and now he sleeps 2 hrs solid, instead of an hour. So hopefully something like this might help as I know how precious nap time is!! Good luck,
A.

J.,

My son was the same way. He stopped taking naps after about 18 months. He still doesn't take naps. My youngest loved naps and still loves naps. What I did with my oldest is i still said he needed to go to his for quiet time for an hour. Set a timer and when it goes off he can come out for play time. He can play quiet games or toys in his room or lay on the bed and look at books. I know I might get ridiculed for this one but we also had a small TV in his room, popped in a Thomas the Train video and he was quiet for an hour and sometime he feel asleep. Good luck! It is very hard having your routine change when a child no longer takes naps.

In my experience, there is no "normal" for napping toddlers. I say stick with your routine. Let him be in his bed for an hour or so, if you change the routine he'll never understand what's going on. I bet pretty soon when he realizes you're not changing things he'll get bored and start napping again. The older they get the more stubborn they can be, but it sounds like he still needs his nap so stick with it - it should get better.

HI!
I ahve been recommending this book ALOT today!:
"Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy CHild" - Weissblueth (sp?)
Check it out at the library. I had to buy it because I have needed it as a reference tool so many times with my three children!
Hope this helps!
J.

J., I am a firm believer in naps.
I would keep putting him down when you do (for an hour) and hope for the best.
He needs to know that this is quiet time.
Do not respond to his whining til the hour is up.
I always made it a practice to read to my children before nap time.
My daughter reads to hers and then puts on a CD of soft music for them to go to sleep to.
Don't give up.
You already know what kind of behavior results from that lack of rest time.

When my daughter was three she decided that maybe napping wasn't for her, but at the time it was my one link to sanity so, I will be honest, I cheated. I told her she was just going to rest and "watch a movie." She was addicted to Monsters, Inc. I told her she could watch it if she laid down. Before it was half-way over she was almost always asleep and even if she wasn't that gave me an hour and a half to get other things done. With my son it isn't as easy and sometimes he doesn't nap like he should. When he hits that cranky stage we give him a bath - even if he doesn't need it. It makes a world of difference. He gets to play and relax in the water. We get to enjoy spending happy time with him and when he is out that usually gives in another hour to hour and a half of play time before he finally crashes out on us.

well, I have a daughter who is a little over two years old and actually I go through the same thing now... some days I put her down and she wont' nap and others she will! I leave her in the crib for a while too, but no matter what she does not sleep. I am still trying to figure out why mine is not sleeping anymore, but from what I have heard from other moms, that generally a lot of them stop taking naps by 3 years old... but I have found if I put her down early (around 1:00 or so) that she isn't tired enough to fall asleep! Maybe your boy wakes up later in the morning so you need to put him down a little bit later or maybe you need to wind him down a bit before putting him down for a nap (read books in his room or sing a song. But honestly I am still trying to figure it out, all I know is that if my daughter does not take a nap then she usually wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, it is the weirdest thing! Just stay in the same routine and hopefully he will get back to naps. Good Luck! H.

My daughter is the same way. She's three now, but she's never really been a good napper. She would nap like crazy as an infant and she does ok at daycare, but she refuses to nap at home. I've heard that some kids grow out of napping sooner than others. We have tried to put our daughter upstairs in her room for "alone" time. Perhaps you could try to leave him in his room for a certain period of time -- like you've done -- and just make it a routine. Have you tried putting him to bed earlier if he doesn't nap? I know it's tiring, but hang in there!

My aunt suggested this to me once. Get a CD of kid songs (the longer the better). Tell him he has to stay in his room until it is over. She said my cousin fell asleep 9 times out of 10 when she was that age. If not, at least there was a quiet hour or so each day.

That is totally normal! I was not prepared for the nap patterns to change. One thing I learned is that you cannot force naps. This is just an adjustment phase, but he will probably not go back to napping as much as a newborn. It's just stages, for them and us!
The naps should return, try to let it happen. I agree this mom stuff is harder than anyone could have ever convinced me prior to becoming one!!!

I have no advice for you but wanted to let you know you are not alone. Our daughter is a great sleeper. Slept through the night at 9 weeks. Since the time change (spring forward), she has been off in our napping and bedtime schedule. I don't know if the time change has anything to really do with it, but it might be a factor.

My older one did this too, at about 4yrs. We skipped naps althogether and somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00, but before he became fussy, I laid him down stating that he had to stay in his bed, laying still and quiet, until his lullabye CD went off. I never told him he had to sleep. This gave him control of the situation and the guarenteed amount of time he would be in his bed, (even if he continiously called out for me). Most times he fell asleep and I woke him up when the CD was finished. This gave me just over 30 min. to organize dinner, regain my sainity, and kept the evenings running smooth.
On the "busier days" I would back it up to 3:00 and program the CD player to repeat so that after the typical time, it would still be playing thus he'd give up and go to sleep.