"Karen" <beansandrice@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:xeZV9.4935$F_3.450@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> My 2 year old will not nap for DH and me. He naps for his daycare
provider
> for2-3 hours a day, but when home, he screams....I mean SCREAMS forever
but
> will NOT nap. HELP!!!!!!!!!
>
>
I have an opinion here which is going to likely diverge from others
here...
A lot of people mistake unwillingness to take a nap with not needing one.
My
son will occaissionally sit in his crib and chat to himself for the whole
of
his nap time. Then, about 3 hours before bedtime, he is a mess. Making it
through dinner is a drag and a half. It usually takes 2 days to get back
on
track. A lot more 2 uyear olds need naps than don't IMO. Some thoughts.
Make it regular and routine if it is not already. Having it occur at the
same time every day will make it expected. What is expected is less likely
to generate an argument. Have it be a subset or mimic his nighttime
routine.
If you do bath, brush, water and stories before bed for instance, do water
and stories before nap. This gives him a chance to slow down from playing.
When all is said and done, if he needs the nap he needs the nap. One day
of
missing it is no crisis, but overall loss of sleep can be a big stresser
for
the whole family. Little kids are a lot less joyful when tired.
(Understatement of the century!) So make it a priority. That is if he is
screaming, tough. Assuming that he is screaming because he is having a
temper tantrum that you want him to sleep and he does not want to. If he
is
in some kind of distress, fear or whatever, that is a different story.
Unlikely though. Anyway, he maybe / probably will not fall asleep the
first
nap time. But over time, he will come to understand that you mean it. If
you
are going to go this route, you should be matter of fact, not anxiety
ridden. If you believe that you are causing your child untold harm by
allowing him to cry, then this is not the approach for you. Kids know this
stuff.
My thoughts.
S
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