Wish I Had More Patience Where Naps are Concerned
 

I have a new 1 year old, like barely 1, and he is fighting me with the morning nap. He has been fussing for a half hour with me in and out rubbing his back until he seems asleep and then leave and within a min he is crying again. I just have a love/hate relationship with nap time! :(

Have you tried letting him cry it out for a bit? He might just be accustomed to being picked up right away when he fusses. What's his nap routine at home?

I, too, get frustrated when a child won't nap-partly because I need the time- and because their crying or disruption keeps everyone up and disrupts our happy little routine. You could try letting them cry it out for a bit. A one year old has to get tired enough to need a nap- they're just fighting it. If they are new to you, it may just be the little one is having trouble falling asleep in a new place with new, strange people. As he becomes more bonded and trusting, and adapts to the routine, his natural exhaustion will help him fall asleep. In the meantime- I have had success with white noise like a fan- or classical music, or even the dryer sooting a child to sleep. ( hence a crib in my laundry room lol)

He is 1 years old he only needs one 2 to 3 hour nap a day. With my daycare babies I cut morning nap out at 6 months and at 12 months I cut evening nap and they only take 1 afternoon nap usually sleeping 2 and half hours.

At a yr. Mine are down to 1 afternoon nap. At 1st they are a bit grumpy later in the morning but we work threw it. If they take a morning nap then I always have the problem of them not napping in the afternoon.

I start weaning them off the morning nap around 9-12months, though some still need it. I have a 15 month old right now who takes a morning nap a couple mornings a week and still naps 2-3 hours in the afternoon. But then I also have a 10 month old who could care less about a morning nap and when she does nap, its 45 minutes max.

It sounds to me like your particular one year old could do without. Maybe just adjust his afternoon nap to be a bit earlier and gradually make it a few minutes later each day until he is in sync with the rest of your group for the afternoon.

Personally, I love it when everyone is on the afternoon nap schedule!

PHEW! I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets stressed out over nap! I've had some really great kids that nap really well but some days I feel like they just set out to fight you on it.

Sounds to me like he needs to wait a bit longer before he takes his nap. You're putting him down to early. Need to wait till he's good and tired. Put on some white noise in the room like a fan facing away from him, or a radio talk show station.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that stresses about nap times. Not only do I like having a little bit of my time to clean and what not but I like "happy" kids in the afternoon too. Seems like my babies I've had but their morning nap by 18mo. depends on when they get up in the morning. I had one baby who was up and 6 am every morning, so she needed both until about 18 mo. but I was lucky with her, she was a good sleeper. I agree with the others, maybe have him stay up a little longer and let him "cry" a bit to see if that helps. I'm dealing with that right now with a 8 mo. old

Originally Posted by DCMom:
I start weaning them off the morning nap around 9-12months, though some still need it. I have a 15 month old right now who takes a morning nap a couple mornings a week and still naps 2-3 hours in the afternoon. But then I also have a 10 month old who could care less about a morning nap and when she does nap, its 45 minutes max.

It sounds to me like your particular one year old could do without. Maybe just adjust his afternoon nap to be a bit earlier and gradually make it a few minutes later each day until he is in sync with the rest of your group for the afternoon.

Personally, I love it when everyone is on the afternoon nap schedule!

I try and cut out am nap, at around 1 1/2 yrs. old. Last week I had a Mom ask me if I could keep her 13 month old up thru afternoon nap, and she would pick her up around 2:00-3:00- she goes out of state to where her parents live every weekend- and she wants her to sleep in the car on the way there. I told her if she got here by 1:00, I could keep her up, otherwise she would be laid down with all the other children at 1:00- I explained to her, she would keep up my child, plus all the other children here as well.

Originally Posted by tenderhearts:
I'm glad I'm not the only one that stresses about nap times. Not only do I like having a little bit of my time to clean and what not but I like "happy" kids in the afternoon too. Seems like my babies I've had but their morning nap by 18mo. depends on when they get up in the morning. I had one baby who was up and 6 am every morning, so she needed both until about 18 mo. but I was lucky with her, she was a good sleeper. I agree with the others, maybe have him stay up a little longer and let him "cry" a bit to see if that helps. I'm dealing with that right now with a 8 mo. old

You are correct on this one- I had an infant 12 months old, who got up at 5:30 am every am- by about 9:00-9:30 she was screaming, following me around, etc. she was no way going to be staying up til 1:00!!!

Originally Posted by Iowa daycare:
You are correct on this one- I had an infant 12 months old, who got up at 5:30 am every am- by about 9:00-9:30 she was screaming, following me around, etc. she was no way going to be staying up til 1:00!!!

Same here. If I don't put him down or attempt to put him down for a morning nap, he is falling asleep eating and a total grump before. I keep kids napping or at least resting for two nap times up to the age of 2 or until they show me they don't need them. I had NO luck with the second nap either, so it was quite a day. No break, and a crying, crabby, tired baby all day long. Fun. Ugh.

Originally Posted by sahm2three:
I have a new 1 year old, like barely 1, and he is fighting me with the morning nap. He has been fussing for a half hour with me in and out rubbing his back until he seems asleep and then leave and within a min he is crying again. I just have a love/hate relationship with nap time! :(

I have two 1 yr old little boys, both of them take a morning and afternoon nap. I don't let them sleep as long in the morning as they do in the afternoon but they do sleep. They also both cry for a few minutes when I lay them down, if I kept going back into the room to rub backs or whatever they would never go to sleep. I take they them upstairs, give them a kiss, say nite nite love you and leave the room. Maybe try not going back in, maybe if he doesn't anticipate you going back in he will give it up.