Why won't DS2 sleep???

[ClarabelleCowFan]

This is getting insane. For the past week DS2 pretty much refuses to SLEEP! Doesn't matter if it is naptime (he usually takes 1 nap a day for about 2 hours) or at nite but he just will not settle down.

We have a quiet down night time routine - pick up toys, bath time, brush teeth, read 3 stories, then bed time. He wants to get up and jump around on the bed and won't settle down. He does the same thing at nap time! He has been jumping in his crib for 2 hours now and hasn't settled down for nap. ARGH!

He just turned 2 in May. He rubs his eyes and acts tired but he just will not sleep. He doesn't get any type of caffeine or sugar (other than natural sugars in Juicy Juice). He seems to be in good spirits and good health. He doesn't cry to get out of his crib and I take all the toys out so there are no distractions. He seems happy just to bounce around in his crib and not nap.

I hate to just leave him in the crib this long but the boy NEEDS a nap!

He has his sippy cup of water and I have already had to go in and change him once because he had a stinky diaper. At this rate if he goes to sleep now it will be almost dinner time before he gets up from his nap and then that will make night time that much harder.

Any advice, suggestions, sympathy??

 

[kevschickee]

My girls hated their cribs. So they both went into a twin at 18 months. Maybe he hates his to and if he had a "big boy" bed it would be different?

 

[DISNEYNV]

I know this is VERY frustrating for you, but it's completely normal for a two year old to refuse naps or sleep!!! There is just WAY too much fun to be had!

I would just keep doing what you are doing and stick to his routine. If he doesn't nap at least he is having quiet time in his room. They also refuse sleep as a control issue with you. Over tired or reaching new milestones can also cause restlessness. If it goes on too long I would seek advice from his Ped, but just hang in there. He is most likely testing his two year old boundaries. I also like the big boy bed suggestion. It might make his bed/nap times feel more "grown "up

Good luck mom!

 

[amamax2]

First,

One reason may be at two, life is just too darn interesting to sleep! But, he MAY be getting ready to give up his nap, as shocking and disconerting as that may seem. My youngest gave them up about that age.

Many parents during the transistion from naps to no naps institute a "quiet time" rule (and even beyond). The child needs to be in their crib/bed/room for a set amount of time doing a quiet activity. No bouncing in the crib! But that means you need to provide something to keep him occupied.

For us, I put a few board books in the crib with him. He could look at them all he wanted, and it kept him quiet and occupied, so he was still getting some "rest." He only got these books in the crib. Sometimes I would put on some sleepy-time music, very low, so that he had to be quiet to hear it.

Do not go check on him or try to settle him down. Tell him he does not need to sleep, but that he does need to have quiet time. Do not go back in until the quiet time period is up. For us, it was usually an hour. My son would play happily in his crib for that hour, sometimes he fell asleep. I know, especially if this is your first child, you are thinking, but isn't that cruel to leave him in the crib for that long? I don't know that I would have done this with my first, lol, but he was a good sleeper and took naps till after the age of 4. But I would tell myself that as long as he is content, it is fine. I know I like some quiet time to myself each day!!!

At night, I'd also put in the books and put on the music (after the rest of our bedtime routine). Of course, I didn't tell him now that he didn't have to go to sleep, lol! I would tell him night night , etc. He often played with the board books for a good half hour before he went to sleep, but again, he was happy, not fussing.

He is now almost 11, and still needs a good half hour of wind-down time before he can go to sleep - we call it dumping his energy!

Good luck!

 

[Betzee]

I agree with PP, at 2 years old, this is one of the few things he can control, and there is just so much to see and do, so who wants to sleep through it??

One thing I tried was putting DD down with her favorite animal, and telling her that Polkadot (the dog) had to take his nap, so she needed to be quiet so he could sleep. No jumping or yelling allowed, as it would disturb Polkadot. That worked, and even if she didn't go to sleep, she did sit/lay there quietly, so Polkadot wasn't bothered.

One thing I would mention, if he doesn't get to napping during naptime, don't let him fall asleep after 2 hours and sleep til dinner. As you mention, this just means that he won't sleep that night and you'll be that much more frustrated. Get him up at normal wake up time, and if he hasn't slept, oh well, then he should go right to sleep at bedtime that night.

 

[MoniqueU]

All my kids stopped napping at that age, They may of fallen asleep in the upstairs living room watching a show or if we were in the car but thats about it. My kids also went to bed at 9. Not all kids are total sleepers. Our nieghbors kids were still taking naps at age 5!! I didn't want to be up at the crack of dawn with my kids so when they cued me that they didn't need a nap anymore and wanted to play I cut the nap and put them down later. My kids went to bed pretty easy and slept til about 7. I always read on here about kids with totally early bedtimes and all the trouble the parents have getting them to sleep and the parents always think they NEED that much sleep.Not all kids do.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

I totally agree with amamax2. Just enforce the quiet time each day, and wait to see what happens. Even if your child is ready to give up a nap, YOU need a break each day, and nap/quiet time is it. Just adjust bedtime based on his cues (he will very likely be cranky and ready for bed earlier). If he is acting perpetually out of sorts, you will need to be sure that he has the opportunity to get plenty of sleep, even if his 2 yo mind fights it.

It may turn out that your child will never nap again. It may be that this is a phase and he starts napping again in a week / month. Just be sure that if he won't nap at naptime, that he is not allowed to fall asleep later in the day. That just sets him and you up for a miserable, no sleeping night. Plan active things for late in the day - no tv, quiet time or trips in the car if he's a carseat sleeper (that last can be a killer).

As for the suggestion to move him out of the crib, that is totally your call, but I never moved a kid out of the crib until they were actively climbing out. Our oldest stayed in the crib until after his 3rd b-day, b/c he liked it and was comfortable and safe there. We bought his baby bro a different crib, so we didn't have to displace our older child. Interestingly enough, #2 went into a twin at 15 mos - 2 mos after his older brother got a twin.

 

[puffkin]

Brady went through this stage around that age. We found that giving him some books to look at worked. Some days he would look at books the whole time or just lay in his room and talk/sing quietly. Other days he would look at the books for awhile and then fall asleep. Probably lasted a few months...now he is back to taking naps like a champ....although he doesn't need one every day.

I agree too with a PP that it is a control issue a lot of times. Once I stopped giving him a reaction and just left him be, the fun of it wore off and he figured he might as well sleep.

Good luck!