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(Hillary Israeli) wrote:

Well, I guess it's more ME with the nap problem and a 3 year old who
really doesn't care that much, but in any case, I am seeking some advice
or input here, PLEASE

A brief background:

My son turned 3 9.9.00

His normal nighttime routine: watches short bedtime video at about 8 pm,
goes to bed around 8:20, gets short bedtime story, sleeps about 8:30-8:45
til about 6 am. Wakes up (probably shortly before) 6 am, comes running
into our room shouting "I saw a six, I saw a six, it's morning time now!"
because he's been instructed NOT to come into our room until at least 6 am
unless he needs to use the bathroom or has some other major problem

He usually starts getting tired again some time between 1:30 and 2:30 pm.
He always insists he is not tired, and he does not want to go to sleep or
nap or anything like that. He really really resists taking a nap. We used

snip

Can anyone offer any suggestions for getting him to take a nap when he
doesn't want to, or alternatively for getting him to sleep more at night
so he doesn't need to nap??

Well one thing you MIGHT try is to tell him that now he's three he has
to learn another number i.e. seven. So not to come into your room
until he sees a seven. I did not let my kids get up until 7.

I was fortunate in that my oldest took a good afternoon nap until she
was forced to give it up in first grade. So for the second one, who
would happily have given up her nap at 3, I had a good reason to give
her for lying down to sleep i.e. that her sister should be allowed to
sleep.

So I'd tell her that she had to lie down in her bed for 15 minutes
(IIRC from 3 pm to 3:15 pm but it may have been earlier). I showed
her how to watch the minute hand on the analog clock, and if she was
still awake after 15 minutes, she could get up and play quietly.

Most days, lying still and watching the clock for 15 minutes would put
her to sleep. But if it didn't, she just played quietly until her
sister woke up.

But she did not really need a nap like your ds does. She'd be OK
without it. OTOH, I found when she was a baby that if I put her to
bed later, she'd be up earlier. When I put her to bed at 7, she'd
sleep to 7. But if I put her to bed at 8, she'd be up at 6.




grandma Rosalie