How can I get my 1 year old to take a nap?

Question

I babysit my one year old neice during the day. She will not take naps for anything. The only way her mom got her to sleep was with a bottle after she was so tired she couldn't do anything but lay there and cry. Now she is weined from the bottle and that doesn't work. She gets so tired that she just crys and screams and crys. Her mom told me I could lay her in her bed and let her cry it out. But that doesn't seem to be working. She will cry for a hour and then cry for 10 minutes and stop for 2 and so on for another 2 hours until I finally get her to eat. On the occasion when she does fall asleep it's not for more than 30 minutes and wakes up just as tired as when she went to sleep. I have a 5 month old that needs taking care of too and I can't take of both of them with her crying so much out of tiredness. If I spend an hour trying to get her to sleep and then leave her laying right next to me she will sleep. But she wakes up if I move her anywhere or if I get up. Please help!

Answer 1

Have her medically checked. there is a possibility that she might have a shoulder out of joint, or back and neck pain due to jolts or compression. If moving her wakes her up, then she might be in pain. If she is fit medically, then you'll just have to learn to listen to the crying. Let her cry for 3 minutes, then go in and comfort her. When you leave, and she starts to cry again, tell her that you'll be back, and wait 5 minutes before going in and comforting her. When you leave again, let her cry for 8 minutes, then 10, 15, 20 in succession. If you can't handle the screaming, make sure she is secure in her crib, and go take a walk around the block.

Answer 2

Make nap time a routine just like bedtime. My daughter is almost 2 and she has been napping and sleeping in her own room since she was 6 months old. It helps if you have a routine where she does the same activities everyday that lead up to a nap and that way she knows what comes next rather than catching her by surprise and then she fights it. It could be lunch, followed by story time and then put on her pjs and take her to her room. My daughter cried for about a week but I did not break my routine even if she cried. By the second week, I put her down and she went righ to sleep. Now as soon as story time is over, she tell me "sleepy time"! I know it will be hard at first but if you hang in there and keep the routine, it will work. I did this with both my kids. It will be well worth it to have some quiet time and they need the rest too. Good luck

Answer 3

One years old seems a little young to be off the bottle.

When it is a 1/2 hour before nap time (Don't tell her) and bring her up stairs and let her play in her room with QUIET toys. Then when its 5 minutes till sleepy time start reading stories like theres no tomorrow! :p Give her warm milk in whatever she uses and read until she finishes that. Then tell her that you going to leave ofr 5 minutes and then come back, if she still isn't asleep, then we will play again. Tunr off the lights and do whatever is needed in the room then leave. Come abck upstairs in 5 minutes but don't go fully into the room, juts peek in and see if she is any closer to sleeping. If not justwait a few more minutes ( I'm gussing she can't tell time) and check again, if she still isn't asleep then get her up and try again later.

Good Luck!!

Answer 4

My one 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous is a ultimate night sleeper, is going 11-12 hours at a clip, so her daylight hours naps are not as long as some. She takes one approximately 2-3 hours after she wakes for the day (sometime between 9:30 and 11) that final approximately half-hour to 2 hours, counting on our time table for my infant that day. Then, she takes one around 2 pm for a million.5 hours. If she would desire to, she might sleep for 2-2.5 hours in the previous due morning, around 10/11ish and which may be it for the day, yet my older baby's time table interferes, so we are nevertheless doing the two shorter naps consistent with day. in simple terms stick to her lead, whilst does she get sleepy on a daily basis? initiate putting her down then, continuously, and it will grow to be greater ordinary for her, she'll get predictably drained on the comparable time etc. If she's a fabulous night sleeper, she would have the capacity to not want as lots during the day and vice versa.

Answer 5

I cover the living floor with pillows and her favorite stuffed animals. I tell her it is nap time and lay on the couch (usually wtih a book/magizine) while she rolls around on the floor. we have been doing this for so long that she will fall asleep on her own. sometimes she rolls around for a half hour and I have to tell her to lay down a few times. But she ends up falling alseep on her own and sleeping on the floor, so I can just leave her there. and I know she is safe and I can do things around the house, while still keeping an eye on her.

I was not always this easy. I used to have to lay on the couch with her and practillly hold her down til she passed out. she would scream and fight me. But I think she is just now old enough ro ralize that it is okay to sleep....that the fun will still be there when she wakes up. Plus she gets her specail bunny only at nap times and bedtime. Bunny seems to be a trigger for her to fall asleep, or at least a huge help.

Good luck

Answer 6

If my son stays up an hour or more after his normal naptime, he does the same thing. He gets to a point where he gets overactive out of fatigue or something. I've read this is normal. Try putting her down earlier. It may be she's staying awake too long, then not able to sleep. That enhanced by a bedtime routine may do the trick!

Good luck!

Answer 7

Sounds like the baby blues. I know when my daughter was over due for a nap and wouldn't lay down to sleep. I would fight with her to go to sleep at night alittle bit earlier. It took about 3 nights to get a routine bath, snack, books, bed. Then during the day - snack, books, nap. It has to be at the same time, there has to be nothing interesting going on. T.V. off, soft music, lights turned down. Maybe if she lays down for a nap with your little one she might feel better about a nap.
Good luck.

Answer 8

sometimes my daughter doesn't go to sleep if she is really hungary. i usually feed her right before putting her down for a nap. that way her belly is full and she is ready for a nap. she is 18 months and my son is 7 months. They both lay down at the same time. Maybe you should try laying her down before she gets super tired. My daughter wakes up about 8 and she is ready for a nap about 11.

Answer 9

ok, so she has napped for 30 mins. thats great, how long did you expect her to sleep? all day? It sounds like she misses her mom,or maby theres a medical reason shes crying, you have your own baby to take care of, maby taking care of your neice may be to much and thats not good for either,to me a one yr. old should be happy, of course not all the time but in general..also is there adaily routine? A sceduale ex.breakfast time,playtime, naptime excedra

Answer 10

You have to turn off all noise. Rock her or read to her or even sing to her. It is possible to have them nap at the same time. It just takes discipline on your part and don't give up. Jennifer