How do I get my two-year-olds to fall asleep more quickly at naptime?

Question

I have 25 month old twins who share a room (separate cribs). They used to go down for naps without a problem- one was going to sleep minutes after being put in the crib, and the other would talk to himself for about fifteen minutes and then go to sleep. Lately, they have been staying up for at least an hour after I put them down! I put them down between 2 and 2:30pm, and they jump on the mattresses, talk to each other, yell and scream happily to each other, and throw everything out of their cribs until finally crashing and going to sleep. I know they still need naps because after they do fall asleep they can sleep for up to three hours! Has anyone else gone through this? Is it just a phase? Any advice?

Answer 1

Maybe you need to separate them from each other, so they have no one to keep them up. If this is not an option, then use a baby monitor, and when you hear them canoodling(haha) then calmly go to their room, place them back in a sleeping position and remind them "Quiet time is not playtime. You don't have to sleep, but you need to be quiet, so other people can rest too." Don't worry, even though you tell them they don't need to go to sleep, they will when they're both quiet.

Answer 2

Everything with a child is "just a phase".

Try reading them a story book before putting them in their crib, or singing them a lullaby or rocking them until they get drowsy (but not asleep). Make sure to draw the shades down so that it is darker. You might want to get room darkening shades.

Answer 3

The best solution is to put them to sleep 15 - 20 mins apart. They're keeping each other from falling asleep.  

Answer 4

Nyquil.

Answer 5

Oh yeah happened to us..he did that everyday when he still had his crib. As soon as he turned two we got him a toddler bed, and he won't fall asleep in it at all. What I do now is put him down for a nap at the same time everyday, ensuring that he's tired because he's used to going down at the same time. I lay with him in my bed until he falls asleep and then put him in his bed. It works like a charm.

Answer 6

I agree with the other people who have answered, do active activities with the children such as taking them for a walk or maybe even an obstacle course then turn the lights down and read them a story. Also starting out with out anything but the special stuff as a reward. But PLEASE don't do as the one person said and give them nyquil. I am a preschool teacher and I know that that is against the law for childcare workers and should be for parents too if not already.. I'm not sure if your state has a similar law and includes parents but weather or not it does it could still accidently happen that it overdosed the children. It is called the Baby Douglas law.

Answer 7

LOL, sorry - the part about throwing everything out of the crib reminds me of my daughter.  I believe part of it is the stage although each child differs.  I know with my daughter if I miss her regular naptime it is very hard to put her down & where I told myself I would never resort to taking her for a car ride or holding her...I do hold her for a bit if I know she is tired & rubbing her eyes just enough to calm her down a bit.

As far as the twin issue it can be very hard as one will keep the other up.  I have a friend who has two children very close in age so she tends to put one down first (the one that is harder to put down) and then the other shortly after...

Answer 8

first off your children are to old for cribs it's time for tot beds (climbing out is a dangerous possibility at this age even if they cant reach over the rails they could stack up stuffies and fold up blankies to give boosts (trust me on this one)

how long do they sleep at night?? not just what time to they get up

children that age need a total of about 14 hrs

as long as they are eventually they are crashing just leave it alone

Answer 9

It sounds like your twins are having a great time!

I think they're getting older and realizing that having a sibiling is a lot of fun. If they're not crying and not upset, and in spite of throwing everything out of their cribs they are SAFE, then I wouldnt worry about it. When they get older they'll understand they need to go to sleep.

Also you may wanna tire them down a bit more before naptime, take them out for a walk around your neighbourhood, or to the park, maybe that would wear them out a bit more.

If they're otherwise fine, I would just monitor that they're OK and let them be.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

i totally disagree with the first person who wrote you, my daughter is 2 and 1/2 and i make her take a nap so children dont get to choose!!! but anyway maybe try putting them in seperate rooms for nap time, so they dont have the option to talk and play with one another. i always found that feeding them right before nap helps too! i dont know if you want to do this but i put the tv on and brooke watches it alittle while the lights are off and she is laying down and it relaxes her to get her to fall asleep, if all else falls wake them up alittle earlier then normal so they have more time to play in the morning and are more tired when it comes to nap time! i hope this helps

Answer 11

You did not mention what time they wake up in the morning. 2:30 is very late to put them down, you may have missed the sleepy window. A good window is 6 hrs after they wake up. In order to get a good nap, you must wake them in the morning before they might be ready to wake up themselves. Always try to do active things before naptime in order to get them tired. But not to close as that has them hyped up. And yes they still need naps. If they are throwing everything out of their cribs, don't give them anything in the first place. They do not NEED a pillow or blanket to sleep with, just keep there room at a comfortable temp. and use cuddle things as rewards for settling down. I promise you are not alone!! I go through the same things everyday, its only with one though. He sleeps with a special puppy and blanket, so, when he acts up playing and talking and all that, puppy has to go away until he is ready to sleep. The one time I did take it away I did not even make it to the door before he said he was ready to settle down. Turn the lights off or very low. I always put soft piano or calming music on. Do NOT get them out, they will know they won the battle.  Go in and talk to them(not repeatedly), tell them they are not getting out until they sleep so they need to lie down.

Nice to see some other people have a few or the same problems I do!!

Could you please take a look at my question? Thank-you!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 12

It's time for them to choose when they are tired and need a nap now.  Any small child will eventually pass out after jumping up and down after an hour and then becoming bored with it.  

Answer 13

We have the same problem. My son is 24months old. He started doing this at nap time, so the only thing that I could think of doing is cutting out naps, unless I feel that he is exhausted. Yeah, don't try that. HAHA. DIDN'T work. Now, when I put him to sleep for the night he he does what he was doing at nap time, jumping and screaming. One night he actually stayed up and jumped ALL NIGHT. I couldn't believe it. He also does the throwing everything out of the crib thing too. The worst part is that I have newborn twins to deal with too. I get NO SLEEP. If you find out how to deal with this, PLEASE pass it along. I would GREATLY appreciate it. lol!

Answer 14

You are not doing it all wrong, your children are growing and changing, which means what used to work like a charm suddenly doesn't anymore.  I find my children get hyper when they are past the tired point and are just fighting to stay awake any way they can.  Have you considered moving nap time up a bit?  The other advantage to this is that then bedtime will be earlier, so more mommy and daddy alone time (yea!).  I don't know what your normal daily routine is, but for my two children after breakfast we play, preferable outside if possible, until lunch.  After lunch we go upstairs and read stories and then have quiet time.  If it's one thirty when my 22 month old goes down, that's a late nap for him.  And he usually sleeps for 2-3 hours, so then we have a snack, more playtime, dinner, bath and bed by eight pm.  That's what works for me.  If they are active children you may find moving nap time up an hour will really help things.