How do i get a three year old to go to nap?

Question

How do i get a three year old to go to nap?

Answer 1

turn the light off and turn on slow music and wait then he/she is sleeping

Answer 2

First establish a routine just like you would at bed time.  It may be a book or a music Cd.  Have them lay down for 20 minutes to a half hour.  I always told them they can just lay with their eyes closed they don't have to sleep.  If they need a nap they will fall asleep in that amount of time.  I usually set a timer for 20 minutes and told them they could get up when it went off.  (make sure it is a quiet beep like the microwave timer so it doesn't wake them if they are sleeping.) Sometimes they would fall asleep and other times it was just the quiet time they needed.  I found that some three year olds just didn't need a nap every day.

Answer 3

What really helps is some warm milk before bed. If he/she cant go to bed, then let them read a book for a while. Sometimes if you talk to them in something really complicated, for a while they'll just doze off.

Answer 4

there are this real good liquids that you can inject him and in seconds he will fall asleep....

or..just give him laughing gas

Answer 5

ok.i know this from experience....

first, let them have a little snack...

second, while they are laying down, read them a story,

finally, show a little kid video to put them to sleep..

remember: dont force them to sleep

Answer 6

If I knew - I'd tell you.

The best thing I ever did for myself and my child was to stop trying to force the nap issue.

Come to find out, she didn't need it, (although I still did :) )and our lives went much smoother w/o the drama of me trying to make her nap.

Just do quiet time in her room (looking at books, or my daughter likes to lie in bed and listen to stories on tape), or even a calm video, at the same time each day.  In our house it started sometime between 2-2:30 and lasted about 20-30 min if she is awake in her room, longer if she was watching a video, or as long as she was asleep if she dozed off. (Sometimes, after we stopped battling over it, she would go lay day in her bed and sleep if she was in her room or fall asleep watching the video.  She napped about every 3rd day.)  

I also found she went to bed earlier on non-nap days...Yea!!

Sometimes a little less control results in actually more control.

Good Luck

Answer 7

I have a 3 year old daugter and i make a thing that she has a arvo nap with her 10 months old brother..

Answer 8

My son has a required "quiet time" around the same time each day. He can sit in his bed and read or do anything that is silent - I don't tell him that he has to sleep.

I set a timer for 30 or 40 minutes and place it where he can see it. I then give him a list of fun activities he can choose from if he has a good quiet time.

He usually falls asleep before the timer reaches the end. I'll take the timer away so it doesn't wake him. When he does wake up, I greet him with a big hug and praise for "such a good quiet time!" and immediately offer him the activity of his choice.

If he doesn't have a "good" time going down, I tell him that if he is tired enough to cry and tantrum, then he needs to take a nap. I go to remove the timer, and he usually quiets down pretty quickly - when he thinks that he is losing the chance to have a good quiet time and the fun activities promised afterwards.

There have been times that he hasn't fallen asleep, but that is usually because he hasn't needed it that day.

I've worked as a nanny for families that have had this requirement of all their children - regardless of age. A "quiet time" is a good tradition to start at a young age. And it helps, when the children are older, for them to already understand that they must be quiet during the time that the younger children are sleeping. And, with all the children quiet at the same time, it's not a bad time of day for the parent either!

Answer 9

Not all three year old's nap anymore, each child is different.

If you see that the child needs a break, simply take quiet time.

You can lay down with them, rub their backs, or sit on the couch and read them a story.

Sometimes that's all it takes; it sure beats a power struggle, and it is much more enjoyable for all parties involved.

Answer 10

My youngest stopped taking a nap at 2 1/2, my older two took naps until 5 1/2. Even if you think they need one you might not be able able to convince them of that.

Answer 11

a consistent routine helps tremendously. also - set the mood. close the blinds, turn off the lights/TV and snuggle them in your bed or on the couch (I have found they nap better in a different room than where they sleep at night) and tell him/her a story, sing a couple of songs... hopefully they will drift off. I have also found that If I go in and out of the room they stay in bed better. Instead of saying "OK, I'm getting up now, you stay here" just get up , then come right back, pretend to put away laundry, go out, come back ... etc. works for my kids and my sisters kids anyway.

Not all 3 year olds will need a nap but most do. A 3 year old needs 11-13 hours of sleep. most wont sleep this much at night.

best of luck.

Answer 12

Make it sound interesting instead of sounding as a punishment.  Walk into the room with them, and sit on the bed with them (if you can) or stand by them and tell them a story without a book.  You can sing to them.  This song works all the time.

a is for apple bright shiny red

b is for bear he has a big brown head

c is for cat who meows at the door

d is for dog who barks at the cat

e is for elephant he has a big brown nose

f is for frog he's green from ear to ear

g is for gorilla he swings through the trees

h is for hello how do you do

i is for ice cream two scoops for me and you

j is for jack o lantern a pumpkin with a face

k is for kangaroo he hops all over the place

l is for lion he's courageous and strong

m is for mouse he's meek and mild

n is for noise the lion makes at night

o is for octopus he likes to give big hugs

p is for penguin he's always dressed up

q is for queen she wears a golden crown

r is for rabbit he hops from town to town

s is for snake he slithers on the ground

t is for turtle he has a hard shell

u is for umbrella it keeps you dry in the rain

v is for violin you play it night and day

w is for whale he swims in the ocean

x is for xray a picture of your bones

y is for yo you is super cool toy

z is for zebra he's black and white striped

sing this song to your own melody once or twice.  By the end of the second song the three year old will be out.

Answer 13

Nap time was always a big chore when I had my son in my class. I finally got to the point where I realized that not all kids needed a nap. I had treasure boxes that kids who didn't nap played with quietly on their cot. I passed them out an hour into nap time when the nappers had gone to sleep.

Answer 14

Put etheir lullabyes or nature music!

Answer 15

lay down with them

Answer 16

Sometimes 3-year-olds have outgrown the nap phase, but as a preschool teacher, we have a set schedule so the children know naptime is coming.  After lunch we wind down with a quiet activity (the children all take a book from the library and sit with it on their own mats, or else we will read a book to them...either way, they're sitting and resting).  After about 10-15 minutes of this, we turn off the lights and the children lay down.  Some of them will go on their own, but if they need help, we rub their backs...this usually puts even the most awake child to sleep (sometimes it may take 30 minutes of rubbing)