Toddler won't take naps in his crib? Any ideas?

Question

My 2-year-old loves bedtime! We put him in his crib at 8:30 pm sharp (his room is completely dark using a blanket). We put his music on, tuck him in, read to him, say a prayer, and kiss him goodnight. And then he falls to sleep in about 15 minutes and sleeps until 6:30-7:30 am. Perfect! But for naptime (room still completely dark), he screams and screams and won't stop. I even do the same routine that I use for nighttime. I've let him "cry it out" for 30 minutes once. It just gets worse and worse. The only way he'll take a nap is in a moving car or me rocking him. And then if I'm at home, the only way he'll stay asleep is if I lay him on the couch. He could be completely out at one point and then wake up and cry if I try to lay him in his crib. Any ideas as to why he does that? And any tips?

Answer 1

at two years old you really should have him in a big boy bed.  And when he starts whining he is tired.  My son was about two when he just stopped napping.  I wasnt' going to worry about it.  Since he wasn't tired what is the point of making sit in his bed when we can be working on tireing him out for bedtime.  

Answer 2

tire him out before putting to bed. i ithink if he'll be pooped out, hed fall asleep easier. dont put him in his crib! put him anywhere he wants to have his nap. just make sure he'll be safe. or buy a rocking crib! :)

Answer 3

My oldest son use to be like that.  I would lay him on the floor with his blanket, a stuffed animal and pillow and rub his back.  Sometimes it took an hour, but he would fall asleep and sleep for a good 2-3 hours.  Don't put him in his crib.  There's obviously a reason as to why he doesn't want to be there at that time of day.  If rocking him works, why not just stick to that?  I know we all live busy lifes these days, but you just have to do what works.  My son loved being rocked also.  I took it as a time to bond with him and grow closer to him.  Be glad he doesn't throw a fit when you put him to bed!  

Answer 4

well just a suggestion, but shouldnt your kid be out of the crib by now? maybe in a toddler bed?

on the naptime thing... just try to wear him out before naptime. try not being active while he is taking the nap. if he hears you up, he might think that he is just being punished.

Answer 5

2 yrs old....ok.

He is not tired....and you are going by the book

unless you have worn him out by playing etc.he is not tired and go by him.  He will tell you with crankiness etc that he is tired.   There is not rules as to what time to put a child to sleep...at 2 my childen didnt sleep, and if they went till 8.30 we were lucky for them to sleep that long as yours.

dont go by the book...go by your child.

you are lucky to have him sleep that long through the night....the longer he is awake through the day, the longer he sleeps at night... by two, i dont think a sleep through the day is needed.  unless very active activities.  so i have found through having my own.  

dont worry, as long as you sleep good at night that is all that matters... for the sleep through the day, unless they fall asleep naturally at this age, is not important.

have fun with them, the more hours the better...dont let them cry like this or you may have problems at night.

Answer 6

it's a common problem. mine used to take his nap in his push-chair. even when he had out-grown it and his legs were dangling out - he only slept in his pushchair during the day. i think that they know they need a nap, but they don't want to go to sleep for a long time. probably he's associating the crib with night time.  my son also loved his crib, and we put him in a bed when he was 3.

also, when i take a nap i always do it on the sofa - i hate to get in my bed during the day, it doesn't feel right! so, maybe he likes it that way!

Answer 7

The room is different at night for a toddler, it's comforting when they get tired. But during the day it can feel isolating.  

Answer 8

He's fighting a nap..many kids start to give them up at this age.  Both my kids stopped by 2.