Alright, Mama, listen up because how to survive the days when your toddler doesn’t nap can make or break your entire week! Nothing like starting your week off in a bad mood because little miss (or mr) sunshine decided to fight naptime!
Despite every trick in the book.. you just couldn’t make it happen. No nap. You might be wondering if yo should keep trying to get them down? Do you hunker down and not leave the house for fear of a meltdown? Trust me, I totally understand those questions!! My oldest is notorious for no-nap Saturdays and my youngest dropped his second nap around 9-10 months old and has the world’s worst case of FOMO (fear of missing out). So, basically, he would easily skip the one nap he does take-if I would let him!
So, let’s just say, I’ve got a lot of experience on these days. And these days are ROUGH. I am not going to sugar coat it. These kinds of days test our patience. They test our confidence in our parenting and this situation is stressful! Which means, it often can makes us start to doubt if we are making the right decision. Well, honestly despite all of that-I am really excited to share my journey with you because I know I am not the only mom who has asked herself, “ how do I survive the days when my toddler doesn’t nap?”.
My Toddler Doesn’t Want to Nap: Do I Keep Fighting?
Well, in my honest opinion, no. There are days where the nap stars aren’t aligning, and I think it is ok to just accept that and let it happen. Now, of course if you have an ongoing issue with naps then that is an entirely different conversation and you might need to do some re-strategizing.
But for the toddler or child who skips the occasional nap and you might be asking yourself, how do I survive this day of no nap- just cut yourself some slack today. We all have off days, even babies, toddlers and young children! These are the days where grace comes into play BIG time 😊, for all of us involved!
This is not the time to decide to be right and fight to prove you can overcome your toddler. If we take a step back and think about, if a toddler is fighting their nap, then they are most likely in an overtired state at this point. Not to mention, toddlers looooove to try and figure out how to establish their independence during this stage of life. Fighting the nap battle on these off days is like adding fuel to a fire, and then some more fuel on top of that!
There are plenty of opportunities to prove that Mom + Dad are in charge; an overly tired toddler day is not one of those times.
Quiet Toddler Activities on No Nap Days
On those days where I do accept defeat and realize a nap isn’t going to happen, I always make sure we get a quiet, rest period in! My toddler is always more than happy to go along with this strategy. I figure, it is better than no nap in general and it is sure better than fighting for an hour straight as I try and force them to nap.
Here are a few options that are good indoor toddler activities:
- Have your toddler color
- Read together
- Have your toddler read quietly if you need to get some things done
- Get those extra snuggles in and rest together. After the stress of arguing over nap time, a 30 min quiet period is good for Mom and child! Plus, I do find my toddler will more often than not surrender to a nap this way
- Play with a quiet box for a defined period of time before they can get up
If you find yourself equally stressed about needing to get things done during their nap, consider how you can include them in helping you get things done! Children love to be included and that extra time together is never something we are going to regret!
Worst Case Scenario: How to Survive No Nap Toddler Days
So, you tried the quiet indoor activities as you try to survive the day when your toddler doesn’t nap and it isn’t quiet working, now what? These are totally viable options, and you should not feel any guilt for deciding to pull one of these cards out! There is a time and a place for everything, and you know best because you are the Mama!
Option 1: The TV. I don’t have any shame in using this on the days where it is needed. TV, or really any type of electronics, is never my fist go to but we will use the tv on these days when our toddler doesn’t nap. Because honestly, that meltdown period- you know the one between 4:30-6pm, I am all about turning on an extra episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse if it means I can skip that dreaded too-late-going-to-be-up-until-midnigh- nap!!
Option 2: Car ride. If need be, totally buckle everyone up and take a car ride. I’ve been known to do this and stop by the local coffee shop’s drive through on the way! Let’s be honest, days when your toddler doesn’t nap is hard for everyone and you deserve that extra latte! If you have an older child that doesn’t nap, they can read in the car or you can treat them to a hot cocoa for being so helpful to jump in the car and help the little one(s) to nap!
Toddlers Who Don’t Nap: Be Kind to Yourself, Mama!
So,I am not suggesting that you take an easy route every time your toddler puts up a fight against nap. I believe that is good for children to have healthy sleep habits. However, I am 100% suggesting that we as Moms need to recognize there are going to be these days that this off kind of day happens. On these days, how to survive the day when your toddler doesn’t nap, is day for a different strategy all together!
Do me a favor and remember, these are the days when grace, patience and forgiveness need to be overfilling.
And please, under no circumstance, despite what your friend, mom or mother-in law’s opinion is: do not let yourself feel guilty or feel like a failure on these days when your toddler doesn’t nap!
Do you ever use the car ride trick or is this totally against your nap rules? Share with me in the comments below!
Make sure and save this Pin to your board for quick reference next time that no-nap day hits!
