2 year old hard to wake from nap

[crazymuseummum]

My two year old (just 2) naps really well, consistently an hour or not between 1 and 2pm. I get him up at 2 or soon after so that he goes to bed ok in the evening. But he is so hard to wake from that nap! I just sat by his bed for a good ten minutes, the light on, talking to him loudly, and it was like trying to raise the dead. He was definitely aware I was there, but if I'd left him to it I'm sure he would have just gone right back to sleep. I eventually have to pick him up to wake him, which he hates. He's then really grouchy for the early part of the afternoon.

Any tips please?

An hour or more, that should say.

Following and bumping as we are in exactly the same boat with our nearly 2yo! We either wake him from his nap which is a massive effort and leads to a grumpy few hours…or let him sleep for ages and goodbye bedtime! Would love any advice!

I’ve found it’s more successful if a sound woke up my dc instead of me or my DH. If you see him going from one sleep cycle to another, close his bedroom door or drop something right outside it. Or walk by his room loudly if you have wood floors. It’s as if they have a chance to “come to” on their own terms.
As soon as he’s awake, I’d offer a few comfort items. A sippy cup of milk was always a favourite of my eldest, plus his beloved snuggly toy. Hopefully this transition will keep his mind focused on the positive things he can do now that he’s awake, instead of feeling angry that he’s been woken up.
I also found that my dc were less grumpy if I kept the light off and slowly opened the curtains instead.

My dd used to love her afternoon naps but would usually nap between 1-2 hrs so maybe let him sleep for 2 hrs. When she woke up she was still sleepy so we'd just have milk and cuddles downstairs. We rarely scheduled anything for afternoon activities as without that nap nothing was right with the world! Also gives you time to crack on with other stuff/ watch tv/prep dinner etc.
Kids that nap sleep better too. She'd still be in bed for 7pm. (Sadly she was always an early riser though, until the teenage years kicked in!)

My first was best woken with a drink and a snack - that usually nipped any grumpiness in the bud and he woke up properly as he saw there was something to eat (he loves his food!). With my second I've found the best thing is to transfer him from one place to another e.g. if he's asleep in bed, carry him to the sofa. This wakes him up and then because he's somewhere different, he doesn't snuggle back down and go to sleep again!

We have the same issue here. DD has just turned two and in the last couple of weeks she has started to take longer to go to sleep for her nap/bedtime. I generally wake her if she’s not up by 2.30, which she hates. When she’s at home the afternoons are really dominated by her coming round from her nap, and then she eats her dinner at 5pm so it feels like we don’t really get much of an afternoon.

DD has been (until recently) napping 2-2.5 hours in the day still, so it’s interesting to see that other children her age are getting a lot less day sleep. I’m wondering if that’s making her more groggy now.

I also try to wake her up by bumping around outside which is probably easier for her but it doesn’t make a huge difference to be honest. Hoping for some tips on this thread!

Same here, except the length of nap doesn’t usually affect bedtime so we’re still on a 90 min to 2 hour nap most days - I think he must need it and I only go and wake up if longer than two hours. Quite often groggy and miserable when he wakes at any point and needs to sit in cot with milk, a book and / or silly games until he properly comes to.

I think it’s just a transition stage, 2yos are really variable with how much sleep they need, depending on activity and growth spurts etc, so just roll with it and make the wake-up a bit calmer, and maybe extend the nap by 15 mins or so. I like @RavenclawsRoar’s idea of transferring to the sofa too.