No More Naps...arrrgghhh!

So this exact time last year the girls transitioned from 2 naps to one (I did it cold turkey starting Christmas Eve)...now they are refusing to nap at all . I figured they would be early nap droppers since even on good days they only ever slept for a little over an hour, the odd time an hour and a half but I thought I would at least make it to the summer. The last 2 weeks they have napped maybe 3 times. Even if they are split up they still don't sleep. Looks like my days of napping kids are over for good and I am NOT ready for this!!!!!

 

Ah, man, and they aren't even 2 yet. I am sorry... Let's hope this will improve their night time sleep, maybe they will go to sleep earleir and they will be too tired to wake up during the night.

Merry Christmas!

 

I fear we are heading that way, too. My guys will be two next week, and they are getting very on and off with the naps. Some days they don't nap at all, and I'm afraid they are giving up naps. I'm SO not ready for this!! We are trying a later bedtime right now because they are waking up early again, too. Ugh.

 

Are you going to still do quiet time? When my oldest dropped her's at 3 we still made her do quiet time in her bed. Some days she would actually fall asleep but for the most part she layed in there and listoned to songs and colored.

 

My ped told me also that even if they refuse to nap that they should still learn that "quiet time" where they lay down in a quiet dark atmosphere is needed for at least an hour a day. Good luck

 

I'm trying that but they don't understand the "quiet" part! I leave them in their room for an hour but they end up out of bed playing. I am usually up there several times over the hour breaking up fights! I can't split them up if they are not going to sleep as their room is the only room that's safe enough for them to be awake in unattended for more than a few minutes.

I am seriously hoping this gets them sleeping all night without anymore wake-ups. My days are starting to feel as though they are about 48 hours long, lol!

 

[quote name='E's 3' date='22 December 2011 - 04:54 PM' timestamp='1324590889' post='1843880']
I'm trying that but they don't understand the "quiet" part! I leave them in their room for an hour but they end up out of bed playing. I am usually up there several times over the hour breaking up fights! I can't split them up if they are not going to sleep as their room is the only room that's safe enough for them to be awake in unattended for more than a few minutes.

I am seriously hoping this gets them sleeping all night without anymore wake-ups. My days are starting to feel as though they are about 48 hours long, lol!
[/quote]

mine didnt understand the quiet part when we switched to toddler beds. there have still been some days like you describe here and there but for the most part things have settled down...a couple things to try...
i give them a book. i tell them to read it and stay in bed or I will cone and take it away.
if they really keep getting out of bed, fighting etc.. I do time out and then send them back to bed.
i put sleepy classical music on only during nap
i promise them sonething (outside, lollipop, park, etc...) after they get up from nap and only if they nap or stay in bed quietly
have seen a marked improvement since doing these things...

 

Don't give up naps yet. We had a few weeks of nap refusal around the second birthday and again around 27 months but now they are back to napping quite consistently. Yes, naps are a lot shorter now but they still do them and need them.

I also started quiet time in a darkened room while they were refusing naps: We have always listened to classical or quiet jazz music for naps. So we told them that they do not have to sleep but that they do have to lie down and rest and listen quietly and not disturb their twin or mom (I also lie down and put my legs up for a few minutes with them for naps, a break for me and a way to ensure that they settle down well, a remnant of our co-sleeping days) and that they may get up when the music is over, again without disturbing anyone who happens to fall asleep. I found that they will mostly drift off to sleep this way. But they do need me in the room, preferably cuddling with them, to settle down, especially DD who has always been the more reluctant sleeper. On a good day this means 5 minutes with me, on a bad one maybe 20 minutes, but it is worth the break for everyone. I guess this is a time frame in which your older son would be ok alone with a quiet activity of his own.

 

I have been trying to put them down over the last week or so. Since we have been busy with holiday related activities they have been overtire and needed to nap. DD1 has a VERY hard time shutting down and relaxing for nap so I started laying down with her...the good thing is that this has helped her fall asleep so they did nap maybe 3 times over the last 10 days or so.

Now for the bad...she wants us to lay with her ALL THE TIME now. Last night she woke up at least 4 times and would scream when we did out usual "it's time for sleeping, go back to sleep" and left the room. DH lay down with her 3 times to get her back to sleep but by 3am she would wake up every time he tried to leave. She has also started screaming at bedtime since we have not been laying down with her then. Now what to do???? I would rather they not nap at all then go back to this nonsense at night. I feel like we have been sleep training constantly since DS was born and I am so sick of it!!!!!