Why Do Babies Fight Sleep and How to Get Toddlers to Nap

Some children sleep too little during the day, some too much, and some just sleep at the wrong time. But, by far and away, the most distressing of these is napping too little.

Why Do Babies Fight Sleep?

Your little child may struggle so much with naps that his room starts to feel to you like a football pitch on derby day. The main reasons your toddler may try to wriggle out of his nap are:

• He is overtired.
• He is distracted and overstimulated (by noise, light, the telly, roughhousing, caffeine, or medications).

Here is a quick look at each problem and how to solve it.

Overtired But Cannot Sleep

The ultimate sign of whether your toddler is napping enough is how tired she gets during the day. Is she: Falling asleep in the car or tube? Slumping over well before naptime arrives? Cranky and bleary-eyed at dinnertime?

If so, try putting her down 20 minutes earlier for the nap. Many children just do better if they are put down after 2 or 3 hours of playtime even if they do not seem sleepy.

Think of this like eating lunch before you are really hungry. Often when you sit down to eat, you realize, “Hmm…I did not know it, but I guess I am hungry!” Similarly, anticipating your toddler’s need for sleep can keep her a happy napper.

Overstimulated Toddler Will Not Sleep

“What? You want me to nap, with all this excitement?”

Sometimes, even dedicated nappers get too overstimulated to sleep. If your sweetie just played “tickle my tummy” with her dad or had a shot of caffeine from your breast milk (or a piece of chocolate), she may have a hard time noticing that she is tuckered out.