Nap Now Or Nap Later, YOUR Choice

[jojosmommy]

I have posted before about my ds who needs to nap but fights it. Everyday. He rolls around, sneaks toys etc. Then in the eve he is a wreck. Overtired nonsense. He is in activities 3 nights a week so his bedtime has been pushed way back compared to before. Even more need for nap.

He knows if he is loud he will wake others and cause chaos so he tries to scream and kick the wall when I make him stay in bed. Both my husbandand I have had enough of nap nonesense so we decided to implement the nap now or nap later rule. He can nap at naptime or he can nap when nap is over when his SA friends are here eating snack and playing outside . Yesterday he decided not to nap at naptime and I repeatedly needed to put him backin bed. I made him stay in bed for 1 hour after his SA friends were here. Today is round two. No nap now, nap later. Your choice.

Just looking for support that this plan might work. We are desperate and will not do the "let him watch tv" options. That contradicts our values so we wont do that.

Any other really good nap techniques? Anyone done this and it worked?

[Zoe]

I'm not sure if you can even do this, but if you can...try sitting close by where he is supposed to be napping. I've done this before with my own son who would get up and mess around. Since Mommy is right there ready to catch him, he would lay still long enough to let his body slow down and he'd fall asleep.

[cheerfuldom]

How old is he? When are you napping him? Where? How are his nights going?

[MNMum]

I'm not sure if you can even do this, but if you can...try sitting close by where he is supposed to be napping. I've done this before with my own son who would get up and mess around. Since Mommy is right there ready to catch him, he would lay still long enough to let his body slow down and he'd fall asleep.

This. Actually it was my 9 yo daughter who managed to get her little brother to take naps with the daycare kids when I started to do daycare. I was in awe of her, "How do you do that?" I asked. She told me her trick. "I just hug him real tight so he can't move." It really only required about 3 minutes of him laying still and he was out.

[Nickel]

I actually like the nap now or nap.later idea and i am very interested to see if it works. I give my daughter choices all the time. Like do you want to play nicely or.do.you want to put the toy away. So the nap choice would go.along those same lines. I like that he has some control and when he makes the wrong choice he will miss out. Would love too see how it works

[Meyou]

I'm not sure if you can even do this, but if you can...try sitting close by where he is supposed to be napping. I've done this before with my own son who would get up and mess around. Since Mommy is right there ready to catch him, he would lay still long enough to let his body slow down and he'd fall asleep.

This isn't a bad idea. I had a couple that were fighting nap last summer and waking the house so my dd sat in the room on the floor with her ereader and a book light and just waited them out. It never took more than 15-20 minutes for them to pass out from boredom and she earned easy babysitting money. happyface

[jojosmommy]

Day 1 he fought me the entire time, Sa came home and he missed out on 1 hr of the time they were here.

Day 2, he didnt sneak out once the entire nap time. He didnt not nap. Stayed in bed 10 min while Sa kids were here. I wanted to hammer home the nap part without too much punishing since he did so good staying in bed quiet.

Day 3 (today) went in bed, fell asleep in 2 min. Been sleeping 2 hours so far!happyface

I am sticking with this strategy.

And I did try sitting in with him occassionally but he intentionally wiggles around and doesnt allow himself to go to sleep. Or he pretends to sleep until you leave and then gets up and plays toys.

I really wanted to push the choice thing with him. He knows the expectation. He wasnt meeting it, now he owns it. Its his choice.

[nanglgrl]

happyfacehappyfacehappyface

[Zoe]

Way to go! happyfacehappyfacehappyface

[jojosmommy]

Update

This technique is still working. Now when he goes in bed he says "nap now or nap later..... I know. I CHOOSE NOW!"

Best part is there is NO discussion. He gets it.

Lets hope this is a long term solution. I really want him to learn self regulation and inner control.

[Zoe]

Good for you! You know your child best and you found something that worked!

[LK5kids]

The great thing with technique is you gave him a choice and his choice affects the outcome and even though you are the enforcer it's on him not you.

[Mommy2One]

Great idea! Glad it worked! Any idea how to implement something similar for our 3yo daughter? She absolutely fights going to bed. She has a routine, warnings that bedtime is approaching, quiet time playing cards or reading books with us, etc. I've clearly, countless times outline our expectations for bedtime. I have told her that she can get up for an "emergency" (needs to go potty, is really scared, feels sick or hurts herself somehow) and when we really get stern she just uses one of those excuses to get up again. We've tried moving her bedtime back, so that even with getting up a few times she'll still be asleep at a decent hour but she'll just fight longer and still not go to sleep until about 9:00 (which results in her being very tired on the mornings she has to get up at 6:25 for daycare). I'm trying a behaviour chart right now, with 3 spots for the first reward, 5 for the second and 7 for the third in hopes of training her to go to sleep and then weaning off them but it doesn't seem super motivating (it took her 5 nights to earn the first 3 stickers) and she gets upset in the morning when I tell her she hasn't earned her reward for the night before. She does great with choices and we've even tried giving her the option of sleeping in the guestroom or in her bedroom and it doesn't help. I'd love a natural consequence chosen by her like the one you came up with.