12 Tricks to Get Your Toddler to Take a Nap

Is nap time an ongoing battle which you find yourself losing most of time?

Do you wish your toddler had a “sleep button” to make things easier?

If your willful little tot seems to have the upper hand in the war against napping, here are means you can employ to tip the scales in your favor.

12 Tricks to Get Your Toddler to Take a Nap

According to a study, toddlers between the ages of 1.5 – 2 need to nap because it helps their emotional development. All the more reason for you try the following tactics!

Before we start, do note that according to Ask Dr. Sears, you can’t coerce your child to nap but you can create a conducive environment to induce drowsiness. Ready?

1. Read books before nap time. Preferably those with characters that are winding down to sleep.

Also, a mom from this forum says she reads to her child using a soothing voice to help those fluttering eyes close faster.

2. Let your child choose a toy to nap with her. Aren’t things more meaningful when you have someone to share them with? Let her get a doll or two if it will help with her afternoon snooze.

3. Use different terminologies. Some toddlers may be averse to the word “nap” or “sleep.” Use a less threatening phrase like “quiet time.”

4. Napping areas. Who says the bed is the only place for a snooze? Get creative. Set up other areas such as the couch, underneath the kitchen table or a tent.

5. Surroundings. Make sure your nap area invites sleep instead of driving it away. Dim lighting and a quiet environment are highly recommended.

6. Relax. A clever mom posted this on Parenting Stack Exchange: she tells her son not to nap yet but to relax instead. Have your child do this either while sitting or lying down and sooner than later, drowsiness will take over.

Another parent from the same source suggested that a good way to soothe a child is to massage her with lotion.

7. Monkey see, monkey do. Use an older sibling for this tactic because chances are, if you toddler sees her big brother snooze, she will do the same

Don’t have an older child? Run to the neighbor and borrow one. If they’re out of children to lend, consider taking a nap with your child to catch up on much-needed sleep.

8. Milk. Milk has long been known for its health benefits as well as its power to induce sleep. Use it.

9. Tire your child out. There’s nothing that puts a child to sleep faster than plain old exhaustion.

10. Warm bath. This may not work for everybody but try it once to see if your toddler is more relaxed after a nice warm bath.

11. Lullaby. Whether it’s your voice, a soothing music-box or a recording of a monotonous sound, use it if it means your child will snooze faster.

12. Incentives. If she naps, tell her you can watch her favorite movie after. Use sparingly.

 Reminders for Mom

•  All children are different so not everything on the list will work. The idea is to find something that suits your child and then stick to it.
• If there is one thing that experts and parents agree on it’s that winding down and creating a routine is essential for your child to develop the napping habit.
• Just because you have a routine, it doesn’t mean your toddler will automatically snooze at 13:00 every day. Be flexible. It’s okay if she sleeps a bit late on some days.

What about you, clever Mama? What tricks have you employed to get your toddler to take a nap?

Photos from Creative Commons:
Napping toddler - abbybatchelder
Napping under the table - bfhoyt
Toddler bath - Chad and Kellye