not napping...

[Lissa]

What do you do if your child doesn't nap when he's supposed to? Oliver has been playing in his crib for about an hour now. He never took his nap.

 

[musicmom]

Sometimes they grow out of naps or maybe you need to play more with him so he gets a bit tired. I still swear by the box fan, it lulls them to sleep

 

[Lissa]

I know he's tired because he rubs his eyes and he gets crabby. He just doesn't want to nap.

 

[musicmom]

I just always turned on the fan and gave them their blankeys and they crashed. Maybe try nap time a bit later?

 

[jtee]

Lissa, have you ever tried the car ride trick. Kind of like Musicmom's fan suggestion, except that the car movement\vibration puts them to sleep. Downside is that kids become accustom to it and have a harder time going to sleep on their own.

 

[HappyMomma]

Ohhh how they fight sleep when they are tired.

 

[Lissa]

Well, he's up now and he hasn't been whiney. Maybe mm is right. Maybe he's growing out of these naps. Booooooo!

 

[ajo]

I always find that if my son is fighting a nap I have missed the window and I need to move it earlier the next day.

Also having a routine has helped us immensely!

 

[Lissa]

Do you think I should set naps at a certain time each day?

 

[hawtmama]

I don't know how different it is at Olivers age, but with Gavin, his naptimes are always the same time every day...if he misses one or even lays down later than normal, he gets super cranky and even harder to put to sleep. He fights it so hard, even though he is rubbing his eyes and obviously totally exhausted.

 

[Lissa]

They usually are about the same time, but not exactly. He wakes up at 7:00 and goes back to sleep at 8:00. Then he sleeps from 8:00-9 or 10:00. He goes back down at 1:00 and then sometimes takes another at 4:00 (the one he skipped).

 

[evilbrent]

What do you do if your child doesn't nap when he's supposed to? Oliver has been playing in his crib for about an hour now. He never took his nap.

HOORAY!!!!!!

He's growing up!!!!

 

[ajo]

All kids are different but most really do well with a predictable routine, and I really think that the more I stick with it day to day the more is is able to go off routine for special occasions.

So I just do the same things in the same order- lunch, outside , bath, nurse in bed, nap...

Things do have to be exactly the same but when kids can predict they get themselves ready . I think I started this with my son around 9-10 months.

 

[Lissa]

HOORAY!!!!!!

He's growing up!!!!

All good things must come to an end. lol

 

[meow_173]

What do you do if your child doesn't nap when he's supposed to? Oliver has been playing in his crib for about an hour now. He never took his nap.

Just keep him up until lunch time, feed him lunch and then 10- 15 min after lunch its nap time!

 

[Kaytee]

I was thinking, don't let him go back to sleep in the morning. When he wakes up at 7, keep him up then try to get him to take a nap after lunch.

 

[Lissa]

He will be sooooooooo crabby though. Not to mention, I like going back to bed with him. lol

 

[meow_173]

lol you just gotta do it. I mean clearly he's not napping in the AM, so just keep him up.

 

[Lissa]

He is napping in the morning, just not in the afternoon.

 

[meow_173]

thats why you keep him up in the am, and let him sleep in the pm