Love Sleep Grow | Child Sleep Consulting in Jupiter, FL

Troubleshooting Naps: What Would the Sleep Coach Do?

in Naps on

I know you’re probably thinking that my children are perfect sleepers.  The reality is they were not born great sleepers.  In fact, I work every day on making their (and my) sleep the number 1 priority.  I do this because I know it affects all aspects of our lives: our health, energy, happiness, growth.

So, when something goes awry in their pretty mundane sleep routines, I turn my role of sleep consultant on them!  I thought some of my readers might be interested in seeing what goes through my mind when I’m dissecting sleep issues:

Troubleshooting Naps:

My 2-year-old daughter refused her nap yesterday.  She’s a serial amazing napper, so let’s brainstorm what may have led to this nap strike.  Any one of these could by the culprit, or they could have each played a part…

  1. Illness:

    She has a cold.  Her nose is snotty, her eyes are puffy, and she’s a little irritable.  Most children sleep longer when they’re sick, but many children are just too uncomfortable to soothe.

  2. Schedule Change:

    She slept longer in the morning. I let her sleep until 7:30 because I knew she was sick and needed healing time.  Her normal wake time ranges from 6:30-7 am very consistently.  So, that extra 30 minutes in the morning MAY have been just enough to give her a little extra charge.  I’ve seen many cases where a toddler refuses their nap simply because they are sleeping an extra 30 minutes or so past the normal wake time.

  3. Over-stimulation:

    I introduced a new object in her bed. This one may sound far-reaching, but hear me out.  Again, I follow a pretty strict routine for my children’s sleep.  My 2-year old’s nap routine looks like this:

    1. Go up to her room and put on her sleep sack (yes, she’s still in a sleep sack and I love it)
    2. Sit in our comfy chair and read 2 books.
    3. Tell her I love her and “night night”
    4. Lay her in bed awake with her loveys and a stuffed Olaf.

*This is where I think my sweet 2-year-old became overstimulated.  She has developed a HUGE obsession with Minnie Mouse.  I thought it would be nice to have Minnie Mouse sleep with her in her bed.  After all, she’s well over the age where objects in the crib would pose her a suffocation risk.

I left her in her crib for a full hour (the hour rule).  During this time, she never cried, as she’s come to know her crib as a happy, peaceful place.  However, I did hear her squealing about Minnie’s shoes and happily giggling.  They were wonderful noises but definitely not sleeping noises.

While I was disappointed my serial napper didn’t nap yesterday, I wasn’t discouraged.  I put her to bed a little earlier and made sure she woke up at a decent time this morning.  Her cold is improving and I know she needs extra sleep to fully recover.  I told her we were going to keep Minnie Mouse downstairs and lo and behold, we returned to napping today.

There are many reasons a toddler or preschooler may refuse their nap.  My job as a sleep consultant is to examine all angles of their sleep so that they can return to quality, consolidated sleep…and that their parents don’t lose their mind in the meantime.

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