Need help getting toddlers to nap?

Question

I'm a new nanny for two little girls. They are 21 months and 3 years old. They both throw major temper tantrums when I try to lay them down for nap time (around 2:30). I can tell they are exhausted, but they just won't go to sleep. Should I just shut the door and let them cry for a while, or stay in the room with them? Any advice will be very much appreciated.

Answer 1

Also try winding them down before nap time, like maybe reading to them or some other quiet activity and maybe while you're doing that, you can keep reinforcing that, you know, after we do this activity -- whatever -- we're going to take a nap so that we have smiling faces for mommy and daddy when they get home, blah, blah, blah.  You get the drift.  Also, it might help to promise something special AFTER they wake up from their nap and if they don't cooperate, well, then they don't get the reward.

Answer 2

All of my kids were done napping by 2 years.  Sounds to me as if these girls are done as well.  If you're going to force them to nap I suggest giving them a short mid morning nap rather than an afternoon nap, this way they will be easier to get to bed at night.

Answer 3

Sing to them as a nap treat and have them laying down when you do. Oh, and keep them in seperate rooms for napping time

Answer 4

I have a 2 and 3 year old.   We finally had to just shut the door and let them cry.  My daughter continued to come out of her room, we put her back in over and over.   We also let them know that we will just be cleaning or what ever it is.   At first it seem like forever but each day it got less and less.  Now we lay them down, give kisses, they go right to sleep.  Main thing is be consistent with whatever you decide to do.  Good Luck!!

Answer 5

Bring them to where they sleep and sit with them. Tell them to just lay on their beds and just stay silent. Make it a game. Whoever can stay quiet the longest gets a sticker. Ten stickers makes a handful of M & M's. After a while they might fall asleep. If they don't tell them what they just did. They calmed down and got ready for a nap. They'll notice that it wasn't so hard and bad to go to sleep, and it might be easier. Otherwise, ask why them won't fall asleep, then fix the problem. If they say, "I don't wanna go to sleep!", tell them that if they do, they can have a sticker after. Same deal with the silent game.

Answer 6

When my little guy was about 25 months we started having trouble with naps so I just told him he didn't have to sleep, but it was quiet time and he could look at one or two books or play with a stuffed animal but he had to stay on his bed and be quiet.  9 times out of 10 I would go in his room an hour later and he was sound asleep.  This way he still had to have some rest time but it was "his decision" on whether or not he slept.  

Answer 7

Ask them to lay down and watch a movie. My daughter is almost 4 and she gave up naps at 2 but she does spend quiet time in the afternoon.