Sleep in children is an evolutionary process, and as children, they need to take several breaks a day, as these breaks grow smaller. They are increasingly interested in the world around them as to waste time in sleeping, therefore more or less after two or three years, many children begin to stop napping.
Daytime breaks are beneficial for the development of children, they help them to assimilate what they have learned and reduce hyperactivity and anxiety, but there are children who find they always find something more entertaining than doing napping. We will talk about children's dream at this stage and what to do when the child does not want to take a nap.
Do not force him to take a nap
If there is something that should not be done if the child does not want to take a nap is to force him. Even if we see that he is tired, if he refuses we should not force him.
What you can do in those cases is create an environment conducive to sleep. Find a quiet place without noise or too much light, play soft music and even if you don't go to bed, look for a quiet activity to do together like reading a story or doing a puzzle.
Many children, when relaxing, end up falling while they are doing another activity or when they stand still for a few seconds (like the child in the photo), because they do not want to assume that they are tired to continue playing, but the dream beats them.
If the child does not want to sleep and does not fall asleep while doing something else, it is because he does not really need to sleep at that time. It is complicated later if you sleep at another time of day, because you will surely fall asleep later also at night.
The solution to the mismatch of schedules is basically to observe the child's behavior to understand their needs. My three-year-old daughter has started school and has stopped taking a nap, but there are days that at 5 in the afternoon she falls. A half-hour mini nap, recover strength and sleep at night at the same time as always.
Sometimes we force them to take a two-hour nap when the child needs less time and in just half an hour or 40 minutes recovers energy to continue the day. There are times that they take a long nap and wake up in a very bad mood, which I don't know is preferable.
No need to take a nap every day
Not everyone feels equally tired every day. There are days that we would gladly take a nap and others we don't want to stop. The same happens to children.
When the stage begins when you don't want to nap religiously every day at the same time after eating, you may prefer to do it a few days a week.
For example, weekends may be more conducive to rest, especially if parents or other siblings take a nap, you can even take advantage of sleeping together. Or on the contrary, there are children who take a nap during the week at school or in the nursery and who find more interesting activities on the weekend.
The nap can be very beneficial for children, but everyone has their own sleep needs and we cannot turn it into a fight. when the child does not want to take a nap.
