I’ve had so many clients recently who come to me with 3/4 year olds who are not napping. “Is it time to drop the nap?” is the question I’ve heard almost daily over the past month or so. I believe there are a few reasons why this age range struggles, and if we put it in perspective it’s not that big of a challenge!

1. This time of year everything changes…summer is over, preschool ramps up, there’s a different kind of stress, a more rigorous routine yet a less rigorous physical expenditure…our kids feel this change and their little bodies just don’t need the sleep the way it did during the physically draining summer months. Try your best to get them outside and active to the point of exhaustion  collapse tiredness daily!

2. 3/4 year-olds still need a nap. Regardless of what many people say, this age range needs to rest in the middle of day or it will catch up to them! Many children go through phases starting at 2 years old where they will nap consistently well, then hit a snag and start resisting sleep for days or weeks at a time. Parents resort to assuming this means their child doesn’t need the nap, when in actuality it was just a phase. When parents remain consistent and wait for the phase to pass, the child begins napping again.

3. This age range FEELS our stress, our anxiety and our urgency for them to nap. Some kids don’t nap primarily out of their desire to win the power struggle, to watch Mommy squirm! Some just get so caught up in “trying” to sleep and wanting to please, that they can’t rest enough to actually settle into sleep. Either way, punishing, bribing, threatening and pleading aren’t going to get them sleeping! Instead, TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF! Instead of demanding that they close their eyes and sleep, say things like, “It doesn’t matter to me if you sleep or not, but your body needs to be still and rest for awhile. You don’t have to sleep, but I want you to lay on your pillow until rest time is over.” State the expectation for rest, for health, etc. instead of focusing on the sleeping. 9 times out of 10, 3/4 year olds will start falling asleep by accident once the pressure has been removed!

4. Now is a good time to allow your child some independence at naptime and to introduce “quiet time” (you’ll thank me later). Tell him that he is expected to rest on his pillow until you decide he’s rested enough, and then he can finish out the rest time by playing quietly in his room. This allows him an hour to possibly fall asleep, and an hour to play independently so that you can have your much needed Mommy-time. It also ensures that his nap doesn’t begin too late and interfere with bedtime. This “quiet time” will eventually stick and, like me, you’ll have 2 hours of quiet every afternoon! With kids ranging from newborn to 10 yrs of age, it’s a life saver!!!

Try these tips and let me know if your little one’s nap returns! It may take up to a week to see a change, but stick with it and don’t give up on it just yet!