Nap Scheduling Help

[childcaremom]

Well, I followed advice and was very matter of fact today. Laid dcg down at the same time as ds and she of course started crying and telling me she didn't want to nap. I told her that it was nap time and we would all be laying down until nap time was over whether we slept or not. I sweetly followed my normal routine and told her goodnight with her still crying. Within 5 minutes she fell asleep and she slept for close to 2 hours:confused: How that worked I don't know.:: She did wake up crying/having a fit, but I didn't get her out of bed until she quit crying. I explained we only get up when we're laying down nicely at the end of nap time. Hopefully it won't take too long for it all to click.

Good news!

[Blackcat31]

Well, I followed advice and was very matter of fact today. Laid dcg down at the same time as ds and she of course started crying and telling me she didn't want to nap. I told her that it was nap time and we would all be laying down until nap time was over whether we slept or not. I sweetly followed my normal routine and told her goodnight with her still crying. Within 5 minutes she fell asleep and she slept for close to 2 hours:confused: How that worked I don't know.:: She did wake up crying/having a fit, but I didn't get her out of bed until she quit crying. I explained we only get up when we're laying down nicely at the end of nap time. Hopefully it won't take too long for it all to click.

Nice!!

Just keep doing that and they DO adapt.
Sometimes I think they want the comfort and security of clear and simple boundaries.

I don't know if this will help, but it might be worth a try. I had a child who co-slept at home and then didn't nap long, so I would wait until they fell asleep and then put a big stuffed animal in their pack n play (or on their cot) beside them (but down below their face) and cover both the child and the stuffed animal with a blanket. When the child woke up, it was as if they sensed another warm "body" with them and would usually just fall right back asleep. Obviously I would never use this method for an infant. This was for an almost two year old toddler.

This is a great suggestion!
My kiddos all get regular sized pillows. Many of them turn them sideways and sleep "with" them verses on them like a pillow..