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Sleep

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Original poster

Where does your toddler nap in the daytime?

40 replies

Evita · 21/04/2004 10:05

Just wondering, in light of my recent problems with dd's sleep, how many toddlers sleep in their cots for afternoon naps and how many are in the pram / car etc. And the ones that do sleep in their cot / bed at home - how the hell do you get them to do it?! Dd used to go in her cot like a dream but has been rebelling against it pretty violently for the last few weeks and I haven't worked out a reasonable alternative. And I'm knackered with wheeling her round in the pram for 2 hours. (Pram won't fit through our door open and we have too many steps to carry it up to the door anyway).

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GillW · 21/04/2004 12:01

Ds would only ever only sleep during the day in his pushchair, not in his cot/bed. Don't need to wheel him around the whole time though. Sometimes needed to push him/rock him for a few minutes, but once sleeping there had become routine, just straping him in and leaving him facing the wall so there weren't any distractions were usually enough.

WSM · 21/04/2004 12:10

My 20 month old DD sleeps in her cot happy as larry in the day.

She has always been a good sleeper and in fact is pretty much the total opposite to your DD in that she will only nap in her buggy if she is exhausted, and not without a screaming tantrum first ! Plus the fact that DD sleeps for around 1.5 - 2.5 hours in the cot but will only get a max of 25 mins in the buggy. DD's nursery is kept dark in the day so it's just like when she goes down at night. We have a blackout blind and lined curtains. Is your DD's room dark during the day ?

elliott · 21/04/2004 12:16

In his cot (ds1 is 28 months). He sleeps badly anywhere else. On the whole he doesn't protest - usually very willing in fact - but I am very firm about it - he goes whether or not he is protesting, and he stays there whether or not he is sleeping. This way he knows it is non-negotiable. I've learnt through bitter experience that we can't be flexible about this - he's one of those children who easily gets overtired and hyper, and it doesn't take much to get him out of the habit of going for his sleep.

cords · 21/04/2004 12:20

DD sleeps either in cot or in buggy for naps if we are out. As a golden rule though, lunch nap is in cot as like WSM, she only has longer naps in the cot. However, we do break the rule when we want to in the weekend.

DD has a) a lullaby machine and b) I encouraged her to have a comfort toy from early on and now when she sees it she sort of sends herself to sleepy land .

I wish that I could have some suggestions but since my DD is only 7 months I am sure that I will have new problems to come like yours ! I am bracing myself for the change when it happens as I reckon that they do things in stages ...

Good luck though !

aloha · 21/04/2004 12:20

In his cot, very happily on the whole - 1pm until 3pm - ish - more often longer than shorter. I usually wake him. I also take him up if he protests, but we do a little story and a poem, give him a book to 'read' in bed, arrange his toys, promise him something to look forward to in the pm (park, story, visit to grandma) and it's over and out and downstairs even if he wails. It never lasts more than a few minutes and then he's off for hours. He really, really needs his sleep. He's 2.7.

aloha · 21/04/2004 12:20

Oh, and his dummy. How could I forget that!

gloworm · 21/04/2004 12:25

for daytime nap ds falls asleep on sofa with small blanket around him (he has always associated blanket with sleep). when i was pregnant i let him sleep there for couple of houre. now i lift him into bed after he is fast asleep. if he wakes up he goes back on sofa.
fortunatly nights are ok and he goes to bed no problem.

AussieSim · 21/04/2004 12:36

My DS sleeps in his cot (15mo) - He has been great about it for a long time now, but I can't specifically remember when it started. I do remember when he was real little doing the pram and car thing though. DS has his lunch from 12 to 12:30 and I let him play for 10 or 15mins then I take him to his room, change his bum, close the blinds and curtains, put him in his growbag and it is all over red rover for about 1.5hrs. Does your DD have a dummy or suck her thumb?

pollyanna · 21/04/2004 12:38

My dd (14 months)will only sleep in her cot - it is very inconvenient as she won't go to sleep in her buggy or the car even if she is really exhausted. She will go for a couple of hours in her cot though.

elliott · 21/04/2004 12:49

forgot to say that we have a pretty consistent routine at nap time - straight after lunch its upstairs with milk, into grobag, cuddle and sing, then into the cot with blanket and many cuddly friends

kiwisbird · 21/04/2004 13:03

cot here, she hates sleeping anywhere else, will nap for a few minutes in the car or prm but not sleep properly.
Bit annoying really! I'm always ahving to leave places when she is due a nap!

Original poster

Evita · 21/04/2004 13:18

Yes, dd has a favourite toy, a good routine and has been sleeping in her cot in the day since she was about 8 months old. She's 18 months now and this is a very recent rebellion. If we persist she will go to sleep eventually but it sometimes takes up to an hour and is no real joy for any of us. The room is dark with blackout curtains so it's all similar to evening though of course it's always a bit lighter in the daytime. I really am at a loss to know why this has started or what to do.

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Original poster

Evita · 21/04/2004 13:19

I agree with all of you too that she only really sleeps well when she's in her cot. A pram nap is maybe an hour or so but in her cot it's usually at least 2 so she and I have a much more pleasant afternoon.

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oliveoil · 21/04/2004 13:25

Cot, from about 12-2pm. Depends on what my plans are for the day however, if we want to go out and about she naps in the car or in the pushchair. Doesn't sleep for long in the car/pushchair though so she can be a pain later.

My dd rebells as well sometimes you know, usually when over excited by inlaws (grrrrr) so I give her a test crying period and if she doesn't calm down, I get her out of the cot and just put up with her being a pain later.

I try not to get worked up over her sleeping and can't listen to her cry for more than 10 mins, am big softy. Have read your thread on cc and think you are doing far far better than I would be.

aloha · 21/04/2004 13:44

Does she need to go down a little later now Evita?

Original poster

Evita · 21/04/2004 14:39

Hi aloha, well, she is going a bit later every day. It's a weird business really, all started when we switched from her 2 naps a day down to 1. At first it went swimmingly then it seemed she was over-tired so we made lunch earlier and put her down earlier but that didn't work. Basically I think the timing's right as she's out like a light at this time if I take her out in the pram. I think it's a separation thing which I want to react to in the right way. I mean I want her to be happy again about going to sleep in her cot in the day but I don't want her to get very upset. She seems to be sort of 'testing', that's why she stands saying my name over and over, I think to see if I'll come back. After a while of me returning every 5-10 minutes she eventually rolls over and goes to sleep. She doesn't cry much, just when I initially leave her for about a minute, then it's just 'mamma ... mamma ...' It's heart breaking.

oliveoil, I didn't get that far with the pure cc method you'll see if you read to the end of my other thread. I made some different changes which seem to work for night time but not as well for the day.

I'm sorry I'm being such a bore about this, it's going on and on isn't it? But I'm in a dilemma in which I don't know what to do for the best. I want her to get a good sleep (cot) but I also want her to not be upset about it.

Anyone have any idea why they suddenly change like this? I keep worrying I'm missing something.

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elliott · 21/04/2004 19:51

I do sympathise, Evita, but sometimes its just not possible to have it all ways....thwarting toddlers' protests cannot always (ever?) be done without causing them (temporary) upset. You know she needs her sleep, if it were something else you needed to enforce to keep her healthy and happy you'd do it even if it upset her, wouldn't you?
I think if you carry on being very consistent in your approach, and do not take her out in the buggy, then you will come through this phase and she will sleep happily again. I hope so anyway

Nutcracker · 21/04/2004 19:58

My DD1 slept in her cot/bed. My DD2 had major sleeping probs and had her daytime naps in her pushchair.
Ds sleeps in his cot but has the curtains open as i didn't want him to think it was night time.

It can be annoying if they won't sleep in their cot but with Dd2 i was just glad that i could get her to have a nap where ever it was.

LadyMuck · 21/04/2004 19:58

I don't have the magic answer, but just to say that ds1 (always a good napper/sleeper) went through these phases twice - I really thought that he was going to drop his nap altogether. The phases each lasted 4-6 weeks, and eventually "normality" was restored to my great relief. It may be the change from 2 naps down to 1 that has brought this on - if you stay consistent it should come back into line IME.

We also use cot during the day for naps. DS2 (11m) can drift off in the buggy if we're out in the morning but doesn't sleep as long as usual in that event.

popsycal · 21/04/2004 19:58

his buggy or car seat

Original poster

Evita · 21/04/2004 20:24

popsy, we don't have a car otherwise I wouldn't mind taking dd for a spin, at least I could sit down for a while! And I can do the buggy sleep if we're going out somewhere, but I just can't do it every single day.

I think you're all right about consistency though as I think dd's going through an anxious phase and consistency is probably the best approach. She seems to continually need to check that I'll come if she calls and eventually when I've come to her after about 6 calls and visits from me she seems reassured and goes off to sleep.

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collision · 21/04/2004 20:31

Just keep persevering and make sure she knows that when she is down for a nap then she is down for a nap.

My ds (2) sleeps in his cot for 2 hours from 1pm til 3pm and I use the same routine as night. Milk, story, song, bear, bed. Try the cc again for the daytime and keep her room dark.

Original poster

Evita · 22/04/2004 13:30

Same again today, an hour to go to sleep though standing up yawning and falling asleep with her head resting on her hands on the cot bar. Weird isn't it?

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lydialemon · 22/04/2004 14:15

DSs would have naps where ever we happened to be. I never enforced naps, usually I could tell when they were getting tired and we'd have a cuddle, read a book, do something quiet until they dropped off. If we were home they'd either sleep on the sofa or I'd put them on my bed. We used the cot just for night sleeps. DD (6mths) seems to be following the same routine as her brothers, a nap in the morning, then one in the afternoon - down for the night about 8. She's snoring on the sofa as we speak!

Original poster

Evita · 22/04/2004 20:07

Lydia, I quite admire your approach! Sometimes I think all this structuring and timing is more hassle than it's worth. With dd though it's actually quite difficult to get her to sleep and stop doing whatever it is she's doing and if she doesn't have a nap she's so exhausted and v. hard work later in the day. Before having her I really planned to be more relaxed about it all.

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