3 Tips to Help with ‘Nap Strikes’

Nap strikes are the WORST! But fortunately, you’re not alone. Almost every baby goes through a ‘nap strike’ phase. The good news is that naps still happen!! Just because they start a little nap strike, doesn’t mean that you are forever done with napping.

Here are 3 tips to help with nap strikes.

1. Make sure the awake time in between rest periods is appropriate.
   What does this mean? Your child has something called a ‘sleep drive.’ A sleep drive can easily be described as a ‘need’ to sleep. If your child isn’t tired enough when going to bed, they are going to: A) have a very short nap, B) protest the nap, or C) completely skip the nap. By ensuring their awake time is appropriate, we are setting them up for great sleep success. Sometimes just adding on 15 minutes to their current awake time can make the biggest difference.

2. Is your child getting too much daytime sleep?
   Is your baby napping for 2-3 hours in the morning and now they’re suddenly not taking their afternoon nap? It might be time to wake your child up from their nap to keep the rest of their day on schedule. Too many naps, or too many hours of daytime sleep can also interfere with night-time sleep and how quickly your child is falling asleep at bedtime. Newborns require a ton of daytime sleep (6-8 hours), whereas a toddler that is 2 years old requires 1.5-2 hours of daytime sleep. The key is finding some balance!

3. Stay consistent.
   Nap strikes are very common in the 18-24 month range. There is a huge developmental growth phase that occurs during this time. Your toddler is figuring out their opinions, they are realizing that they are their own little human, and often times, a huge language surge happens. They are practicing a lot of little things and you know when the best time to practice these are? Nap time! So even if your child is protesting their nap, keep putting them down for it. Generally a child between the 1.5-2 year old range requires 5 hours of awake time on either end of their nap. If your toddler is protesting their nap for over 2 weeks, it might be time to make a significant change.

If you’re still struggling HARD with naps - reach out! Naps do take time and they are tricky, but not too tricky. They can always improve with time and consistency.