Tips to Get Your Toddler to Nap
Putting a child down for a daytime nap can be very challenging. Here are a few ideas parents and caregivers can try to make the job easier.
Nap Time Remedies
Infant Massage
The benefits of infant massage include stimulation, relaxation, stress and pain relief, bonding, and cognitive development. It also promotes sleep by increasing a child’s melatonin levels.
Naptime Prep
Set the environment for naptime. Turn the lights down. Begin a wind-down period about one hour beforehand. Speak in a soft voice. Quietly sing to your child or read them a book. Keep naptime consistent and stick with a pre-nap routine. Avoid naps before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. They can mess up the sleep cycle.
Take a Drive
Babies and toddlers easily drift off to sleep in a moving vehicle. If they tend to wake up after you get home, sit with them in the car for a few minutes.
Nap Rewards
If your child is a few years older, persuasion can work. Let them do a fun activity, in exchange for a nap afterward.
Snack Time
Give your toddler a snack before they go down for a nap. A full tummy will keep them asleep longer.
White Noise
A fan or a sound machine that creates white noise can be very soothing. For instance, the sounds of ocean waves or the wind can drown out disruptive noise like outside traffic.
Energy Burn
A toddler with too much energy is not going to nap. Take them to the playground or let them run in the yard to tire them out.
