I know there are lots of threads about napping issues; I'm just too lazy to wade through more than a page of them looking for one relevant to my issues.
I have a 2yo who can only sleep if she's alone in the room, because she has to scream in rage at the cruelty of it being nap time. (She doesn't like to eat, so she begs for nap during lunch, but as soon as nap happens--howling.) The louder she yells, the sooner she goes to sleep.
BUT. I cannot give her a room to herself. I use a bedroom with cribs but only the play room is appropriate for napping mats (3 people living in a 2-bedroom house=no vacant space for the day care to bleed into). All of my toddlers but one have transitioned to napping mats and need to be together, and my other 2yo is increasing the number of days he's here.
So she has to share the room, which means she doesn't scream--she plays. No matter what I try, she plays. So she never sleeps and she picks on the other kids. I've tried putting her down first, but now that she knows other kids will be coming in, she's totally wired. She gets up. She rolls around. She peels her clothing off. She puts her socks onto her hands. And she
literally holds her eyes open with her fingers to avoid going to sleep.
If I stay in the room, she won't sleep at all, but she'll fake it until I leave, then get up and climb onto the other kids.
If I leave the room, she's up immediately.
She does eventually fall asleep, and then sleeps 2-3 hours. She needs the nap. She just suddenly
likes being around the other kids, as opposed to the other 7 hours of the day.
Putting her back every time she gets up for infinity isn't working. Staying out of the room isn't working. Staying in the room isn't working. Putting her down first and waiting for her to fall asleep before moving the other kids in isn't working.
Suggestions?