daughter doesnt want to nap

they were champion sleepers/nappers - but things have been changing recently. i think because of teeth and a two week bout with rotavirus. so now i am sitting here listening to my DD scream hysterically when they should be napping. sometimes she cries and then is asleep within 10 minutes but we are going on an hour here. i went up there to check her diaper and offer a drink but she is absolutely hysterical. how long do you let your kids cry for during naps?

 

my max is 20-30 minutes, very rarely does that happen, but I can kind of tell if they are going to go down or not and I usually end up getting them, bringing them downstairs, playing, and then trying the nap again in 30 minutes or so.

 

i don't let them cry at all.... sorry! i put them down when they are tired. if they are not tired i might suffer a bit because i get no break, but eventually they do nap. for now, this has worked. at this point, i couldn't take screaming. but, i know it works for some.

good luck! it all sucks when it comes to teaching them to sleep well. but hopefully it will get better!
jl

 

My kids don't usually cry when put down for naps. Kind of like before bed time, I sort of started a routine. I give them a snack (puffs, fruit, etc) & a small sippie of juice & that kind of signals it's wind down time. Of course, it took some practice, just like any thing else, but max crying time for a nap shouldn't be more than 30 minutes. During the night is a different story for me as I don't set a limit.

 

How many naps do they have every day? Might be because their nap is too late/early.

 

Maybe she still doesn't feel well. Is she given Ibuprophen for teething tablets/gel? Maybe she just needs some soothing...what about soothing her and trying to put her down a little later. I hope this is a short phase.

 

I hope this is a short phase, I agree with Pamela, to try to give her Motrin or Tylenol and then trying to get her to go back to sleep. I usually will let them cry for 20-30 minutes providing I know that they are fed, changed and are in no other signs of distress.

 

thanks for the advice. this is a new thing since she and her sister were sick. she has started these pissed off temper tantrums when ever we put her down. naptime, bedtime anytime. i think it is because when she was sick we went running in every time she cried because it usually meant she had puked or pooped all over the place. but since then she has been FREAKING OUT at the littlest thing. i think it must be a phase but i dont want to ignore her but at the same time if i go get her and soothe her it seems like she gets even more pissed when i go to leave her room. argh!

 

My boys are always more sensitive and clingy for a few weeks after they've been sick. I usually try to give them as much TLC as they need, knowing that it's just a phase. Do your girls nap once or twice a day? Could she be trying to tell you that she needs an adjustment in her schedule - i.e. to go from two naps to one nap, or to go down sooner or later?

Good luck! I think the longest I've ever let mine cry is about 20 minutes at naptime.