From toddler to preschooler
How long do they nap during the day?
IrisGuest ·
Hi hi
Here’s a little toddler rascal of 2 years who skips her nap now and then. This is our first time, so we’re a bit inexperienced. When do they usually stop napping, and what do you do if they don’t want to sleep? I try everything. Today she came back from the toddler playgroup extremely tired and had eaten a good meal, so she went to bed sleepy. I thought, easy peasy, but once downstairs, Mrs. was telling long stories to her stuffed animals. I went up three times to tell her to sleep, but she was back down chatting away with her toys. I thought, okay, we’ll sleep together, but that turned into playing and rolling around, etc. So I told her to get back in her crib, and then came the big tears. I went downstairs and heard her yawning but mostly crying hard and calling for me. I felt like I should wait 10 minutes, thinking maybe she’d fall asleep, but then I couldn’t take it anymore and went to get her. She’s exhausted now, but we’ll get through the afternoon. What do you do in such situations? Do you pick up your child, let them chat and play in bed (my gut feeling says I should have just let her be), or let them cry? (The latter doesn’t work for me; I feel very guilty about doing that.) Slowly, the nap will disappear anyway. By the way, she has no trouble falling asleep at night if she napped in the afternoon, so she’s still using it now and then.
Here’s a little toddler rascal of 2 years who skips her nap now and then. This is our first time, so we’re a bit inexperienced. When do they usually stop napping, and what do you do if they don’t want to sleep? I try everything. Today she came back from the toddler playgroup extremely tired and had eaten a good meal, so she went to bed sleepy. I thought, easy peasy, but once downstairs, Mrs. was telling long stories to her stuffed animals. I went up three times to tell her to sleep, but she was back down chatting away with her toys. I thought, okay, we’ll sleep together, but that turned into playing and rolling around, etc. So I told her to get back in her crib, and then came the big tears. I went downstairs and heard her yawning but mostly crying hard and calling for me. I felt like I should wait 10 minutes, thinking maybe she’d fall asleep, but then I couldn’t take it anymore and went to get her. She’s exhausted now, but we’ll get through the afternoon. What do you do in such situations? Do you pick up your child, let them chat and play in bed (my gut feeling says I should have just let her be), or let them cry? (The latter doesn’t work for me; I feel very guilty about doing that.) Slowly, the nap will disappear anyway. By the way, she has no trouble falling asleep at night if she napped in the afternoon, so she’s still using it now and then.
Replies
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Falca #2
I’d let her chat happily with her cuddly toys next time. Her room is quiet and low-stimulus when she’s alone, so she’ll rest and recharge, and when she’s really tired, she’ll fall asleep on her own. -
Pupke #3
What Falca says is indeed true.
Our daughter (2.5 years old) did this for a while too, and even though she wasn’t sleeping, she still bounced back from it. She knows she’s allowed to play, as long as she stays quiet so her little brother and sister don’t wake up. Lately, she’s been sleeping normally again, so who knows—maybe your daughter will start sleeping again too (: -
Suuske #4
What the other ladies say: let her chat it out. That way she can process the morning/day.
Our daughter, who's just over 2.5, sometimes skips it, but she always goes upstairs for a bit. She now has a toddler bed, so she can decide for herself whether to sleep or play a little longer, and that's fine. -
Iris started this #5
Super glad that the responses align with my idea. I'll let her stay in her crib from now on, and if she cries, I'll just go over there anyway ;-)
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