Getting your 2 year old to nap!
Up until now I thought I had it all figured out. I thought people who had nap issues with their toddler had other issues they weren’t dealing with. I now have a 2 year old who won’t nap on my hands. And I will admit I was wrong. I don’t blame Evan for not napping, life is WAY too exciting with Big Bro and Big Sis around, WHY would he ever commit to a nap with all the excitement going on? Now granted I could get militant with him but Evan is not a baby to cry it out, he just gets more, and more, and more worked up. I also ate crow on my CIO philosophy with him because now, I know, there are children who are not meant to CIO and he is one of them.
So anyways, he is only just 2 and he does nap on occasion, but it’s more of a drop dead from exhaustion thing than a routine.
Here you go… I took this yesterday… do you think he needs a nap? I put him in the high chair for a late afternoon snack. This is mid bite! I had to swipe his mouth and get out the food so he wouldn’t choke in his sleep. Notice we are still using the Dex Dura Bib, I love those things!
So what do you do? It’s hard for me, when the older two are off at school he either falls asleep on the way home or goes right to bed. But when they are home he will not have any part of a nap. I’ve had several moms of 3+ tell me this happens. On one hand he’s been the one to wake up and fit the older kids schedule, we’re not going to skip swim lessons or preschool b/c he’s asleep. Only the first born gets to dictate things like that! LOL! And also like I said when the older two are home, they are so fun!
Currently we are muddling through. The meltdown “I can’t stand myself” tantrums are decreasing, so I think he/we are somehow getting a grip on the sleep issue. The great part is at least he goes down at 9 pm and not a peep I will hear from him until 9 am, and usually it’s b/c Amy has woken him up. We are doing PM preschool this year, but next year we’re AM kindergarten and preschool, have to be there by 8:30, AK we don’t even wake up by 8:30 right now!
