A three-year-old child refuses to sleep during the day. Sleep disturbances in children

Your child does not want to go to bed, resists sleep when you try to put him down, requires certain actions from mom and dad, asks parents to sleep with him, does not let him go, wakes up several times a night and gets up very early in the morning. Your invitation to sleep acts like an invitation to a disco for the child, he begins to jump and have fun.

Do you recognize yourself? Are you in a "sleep battle" every day and the word "sleep" makes you nervous? Should you first calm down a little, analyze the situation and find the real reason why the baby does not want to sleep? In this article, we want to highlight the main causes of this "sleep resistance" and give recommendations to help your child sleep well.

Rule out medical reasons

First of all, it is important to exclude all medical reasons that prevent the baby from sleeping peacefully. Sleep disorders caused by medical problems are common. It is important for parents to get a green light from a doctor before taking any active steps to improve sleep.

What to do:

• make an appointment with the doctors in the near future, even if you recently had a routine examination
• ask your doctor about your baby's bad sleep
• ask to exclude all pediatric and neurological problems that may affect sleep

Eliminate sleep regression

Remember that children develop in leaps and bounds. Every baby in the first 24 months of life experiences several developmental leaps that lead to sleep regressions.

Check out a sample sleep regression chart and signs of regression.

When a child experiences regression, he:

• refuses to sleep and his sleep is disturbed - this applies to both intermittent and short night sleep, and problems with daytime sleep
• excitable and prone to tantrums
• becomes very "sticky", does not want to let go of his mother even for a minute, the need for affection, hugs, physical contact increases
• eat more, his appetite increases

Check if your child is getting enough sleep

If the baby does not have enough sleep, then, no matter how surprising it sounds, then he will sleep worse. "Bad sleep" entails "bad sleep", lack of sleep accumulates and overworked, "cortisolized child" falls asleep with difficulty, often wakes up and rises early in the morning. To be sure that the baby is getting enough sleep, check how much sleep he gets according to sleep patterns at his age.

Check to see if you are experiencing any of the signs of sleep deprivation (suitable for babies over 3 months old!). If a child is sleep deprived, then he:

Falls asleep quickly in car or stroller when moving

Acts cranky, irritable, or looks tired during waking hours

Sometimes he suddenly falls asleep at night much earlier than usual

Often wakes up at night and often gets up before 6 a.m. in the morning

In the evening it is difficult to put to sleep, he jumps, runs, has fun, but does not sleep

Falls asleep and wakes up with tears, protests against daydreams

Choose your comfort mode

All kids love routine! Because mode- this is not only the predictability of actions, which gives the baby a sense of security, but also an important component of comfort and quality sleep.

Check if the current mode suits your child:

• enough sleep
• number of naps appropriate for age
• the duration of one daytime sleep is at least 40 minutes (for children older than 3 months)
• baby stand wake time(WB) in accordance with the average values ​​for this age
• the baby has an even mood during the day, he is not naughty for no apparent reason
• falling asleep on average takes 15-20 minutes

Don't Skip Your Bedtime Rituals

It is very difficult for everyone, without exception, both adults and children, to switch from active wakefulness to sleep. Imagine that you are dancing in a disco, loud music, a lot of people, lights .. And then you are asked to quickly go to bed and fall asleep. It's unlikely to happen quickly. And it's just as hard for your little one. We need mood, relaxation and rituals! Rituals help to tune in to sleep and relax. Don't ignore the rituals. Choose the ones that are especially liked not only by your baby, but also by you. Then the time before bedtime will be the most wonderful time of the day and your baby will happily accept the words that it's time for bed.

Check how your ritual script helps to relax and fall asleep:

Mom likes

Like baby

Done right before bed

Duration minimum 20 minutes

Soothes/Relaxes

Carried out in the same order

Encourages mom's attention

Check sleep conditions

Sleep Conditions is the easiest tool to help you sleep better and better. In addition, the right environment can help him fall asleep on his own.

There are many studies confirming that light (both artificial and natural) destroys the “sleep hormone” melatonin, and noise and stuffiness do not allow you to fall into deep sleep.

If your baby does not refuse to sleep, check how the sleep conditions in which he sleeps contribute to quality sleep:

• Darkness

Light destroys the “sleep hormone” melatonin, so for fast falling asleep and quality sleep (both daytime and nighttime), it is important to darken the room as much as possible. Help - curtains made of special fabric that do not let in daylight. For especially active, curious children, such curtains significantly improve daytime sleep and falling asleep in the evening, when it is still light. At night, it is advisable not to turn on the light. It is permissible, if necessary, to use a very dim nightlight to navigate in space.

• Silence

There is always some background noise in any home. But sounds that are 10-12 dB louder than “background” prevent the brain from falling asleep and can prevent the transition from REM to slow-wave deep sleep. In addition, sounds can simply wake your baby up when he is in a light sleep stage or in between sleep cycles.

One of the methods of "masking external sounds" is the application. "White noise" - monotonous continuous noise, which, as it were, "raises" the level of background sounds around. Thus, extraneous sounds against this background no longer seem so loud and sharp, or become “not heard”.

• Temperature

It is important to understand that overheating is dangerous for children and can provoke SIDS. And too low a temperature in the bedroom can cause discomfort and wake the baby, especially in the morning, when the proportion of superficial sleep is higher.

Move away from strong sleep associations

Settled sleep habits are called sleep associations. We are talking about certain conditions or actions that help the baby fall asleep. Sleep associations can be positive or negative.

"negative associations" or "bad habits", which developed in the crumbs as associations for sleep - one of the most common causes of frequent nighttime awakenings and short daytime sleep in children under 2 years old. Most often, the following objects or actions develop into a “bad habit”:

nipple sucking
- motion sickness on hands or fitball
- falling asleep only on the chest or only with a bottle in the mouth
- falling asleep only with physical contact with mom or dad, for example, stroking, holding a finger / hair
- falling asleep only in a moving wheelchair
- falling asleep only in the presence of parents

Thus, negative associations are associations for falling asleep that your baby cannot reproduce on his own. If your baby is used to falling asleep in your presence and with your help, then at night, waking up alone, he cannot calm himself to fall asleep again and will wake up at night more often, call you for help again and again.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER that you should not worry about negative sleep habits until the age of 3 months. Until this age, the main task of parents in all available ways is to help the baby calm down and fall asleep! Just try to alternate methods so that the baby is not used to one single method.

What to do if formed "bad habits" for sleep:

• gradually reduce your help with falling asleep and teach your baby ways to calm down on their own
• do not rush to offer your help “at the first peep”, do not take the child immediately out of the crib, but give him a chance to try to calm himself while being nearby
• put the baby to bed sleepy, but not yet sleeping
• gradually reduce your participation, giving the baby the opportunity to develop the skill of self-soothing, gradually he will learn to fall asleep on his own

If you did not find in our article the answer to the question why my baby does not sleep well, we highly recommend that you watch our free webinar Why does the baby not sleep? or purchase individual consultation to help you find the answer to your questions.

Video recording of the webinar

Around the age of 2, a natural leap occurs in the development of the baby and he begins to refuse daytime sleep.

I have several friends who have decided that since the child does not sleep during the day, then he does not need it.

A couple of days passed and the accumulated lack of sleep began to affect the baby: nervous, crying, irritable. That's when they immediately remembered me and began to ask what to do to return the dream.

Therefore, today we will analyze daytime sleep at 2 years old and how to cope with the rejection of it?

Why is it important to keep daytime sleep?

• Daytime sleep is useful in that it makes it possible to compensate for lack of sleep after a night (if this happened);
• The nervous system of the baby is still immature, and he receives a lot of impressions during his wakefulness. During sleep during the day, information is processed and structured, which means that “places” in memory are freed for new knowledge and impressions;
• Most children at 1.5-2 years old become even more mobile. And too long wakefulness is undesirable for a small organism. This leads to rapid fatigue and impaired coordination of movements. It is important to take a break and sleep;
• Refusal of daytime sleep at 2 years leads to overwork. As a result, the child may fall asleep worse at night. And in an overtired state, it is impossible to completely relax and rest;
• Sleep during the day has a positive effect on strengthening the immune system. The defenses of the baby's body increase.

What should be the duration of rest for children during the day and at night? The total sleep for a child aged 1.5 to 2 years should be 12-14 hours (average 13 hours). But it can be distributed differently in babies. For example, if a child slept for 11 hours at night, then during the day his sleep will be about 2 hours.

Until the age of 4, sleeping during the day is a must. Daytime sleep is by no means an obstacle to nighttime sleep, but, on the contrary, only improves its quality. After 4 years, you can smoothly move away from the tradition of sleeping during the day. Although in moments of overwork, such a rest will always be useful.

Reasons for not taking naps

So why does a child stop sleeping during the day, so in need of rest?

1. The reason is most often a new leap in the growth and development of the nervous system. It is still quite difficult for a baby to cope with overexcitation and calm down in time;
2. The banal reason is that the child “slept out” all his norm at night;
3. The child has not yet had time to get tired. Perhaps you are trying to put him to bed too early, or he got up late in the morning and has not played enough yet. You can try to shift the time of daytime rest;
4. The kid becomes more and more independent and begins to realize it. Often, with the help of such refusals, children test their parents for strength;
5. Termination of breastfeeding and the lack of the child's ability to fall asleep on his own.

This is one of the most common problems mothers come to me with for individual advice. They want to excommunicate as soon as possible in order to start getting enough sleep, but a miracle does not happen.

The child may sleep a little better at night, but in the afternoon with bedding, real hell begins.

If you are still breastfeeding and plan to end feeding, then be sure to first teach your baby to fall asleep without breastfeeding, and then wean completely.

Technologies for teaching self-sleeping are waiting for you in the online course How to teach a child to fall asleep and sleep without a breast, nocturnal awakenings and motion sickness >>>

How to help your baby fall asleep during the day?

• Of course, first of all, you need to take care of observing the daily routine. It is important to put to bed, feed the child at the same time (plus or minus half an hour). If the baby goes to kindergarten, then try to stick to the same schedule on weekends as on weekdays;
• The room where the child sleeps should be fresh. It must be regularly ventilated and monitor the temperature and humidity in the room. The air should not be very dry;
• Before going to bed, try not to play outdoor games with your baby. Do something calmer with him: read a book, tell a story, give a relaxing massage, sing a melodious song;
• Walk more with your child. Fresh air improves the quality of sleep. The most favorable option is to take a longer walk with the baby before lunch and daytime rest;
• The quieter and darker the room, the easier it is for children to fall asleep;
• If a child refuses daytime sleep at 2 years old, explanations will not help much. Of course, it is worth saying that rest is very important for him, that in a dream he grows, becomes stronger and smarter, gains strength for new games.

If you have already stopped breastfeeding, you can watch the workshop where I give practical tips and tricks to overcome the refusal to fall asleep: How to put your baby to sleep quickly ?>>>.

• Don't scold your baby if he can't sleep. Control your emotions and try to remain calm (relevant article: The child falls asleep for a long time, what to do ?>>>);
• Give your child the opportunity to choose something before bed, such as what book to read, what song to sing, or what clothes he would like to sleep in. Children love to take the initiative, are happy that they can express their preferences like adults and thus respond more positively to your requests and instructions;
• You will be assisted by the creation of a sleep ritual (a benevolent phrase, a fairy tale, a massage, dressing up, putting toys to bed, pulling curtains, a lullaby, etc.) The main rules of the ritual are constancy, a relaxing effect, maintaining close contact between mother and baby.

Almost every milestone in a child's development has its own moments of crisis. For daytime sleep, the crisis period occurs just about 2 years. But it all depends on the individual characteristics of each baby.

The main thing on the part of parents is to adhere to the position that the difficulties that have arisen are temporary, it is impossible to refuse daytime sleep at this age, but, on the contrary, everything possible must be done to save it.

Often, many mothers are helped by strengthening their authority. This has a positive effect on the behavior of the child, on his obedience, including laying down for a daytime sleep.

How and what you need to do to increase your authority, see the course Mom is the main one!>>>

Daytime sleep is very important for the baby. Rest in the afternoon contributes to normal development. But what if a child at 2 years old does not want to sleep during the day? And how does this affect his well-being? The article will discuss the reasons for refusing sleep and the ability to quickly solve this problem.

Why does a child sleep during the day

Experts say that a good afternoon nap increases efficiency and concentration, improves the emotional and mental state of the crumbs. A well-rested child is balanced, calm, entertains himself on his own and does not require the constant presence of an adult next to him. Pediatricians note the benefits of daytime sleep not only for babies, but also for older children. For the prevention of neurological and behavioral problems in children after a year, daily afternoon rest is important.

Many parents make the mistake of thinking that a child who does not sleep during the day will fall asleep easier in the evening. Most often, a different situation occurs: an overexcited baby cannot fall asleep in the evening, and at night it constantly spins and wakes up. This is indicative of fatigue.

It is important to remember that in infancy, babies sleep as much as they need. And starting from the age of 2, their psyche changes a lot. So why does a 2-year-old child not want to sleep during the day? The fact is that from this age, the crumbs have a feeling of anxiety, fear, excitement, so the quality and quantity of sleep is significantly reduced. If he is constantly in a state of lack of sleep, then his ability to learn decreases, the state of the immune system worsens.

One of the main tasks of parents is to properly organize daytime sleep for the baby. This will help him develop well both intellectually and physically.

How many hours should a baby sleep

There are no strict norms in the matter of sleep, the baby independently determines how long he wants to sleep. For some children, a long rest is considered normal, while for others, a short one.

How many hours does a 2 year old baby sleep? So, according to the research of Dr. Komarovsky, there are such norms for the average daily need of children for sleep:

• up to 3 months, the baby should sleep from 16 to 20 hours;
• up to 6 months - at least 14.5 hours;
• from 1 to 2 years - no more than 13.5 hours a day;
• at 2-4 years - at least 13 hours;
• at 4-6 years old - about 11.5 hours a day;
• at 6-12 years old, the daily norm of sleep does not exceed 9.5 hours;
• after 12 years, the child is enough to sleep 8.5 hours a day.

If a baby under 3 years old sleeps less than 12 hours a day, then most often he compensates for insufficient daytime sleep at night. Experts draw the attention of young parents that if the baby has not slept for a long time, but remains calm, inquisitive, cheerful, then there are individual norms for him.

Usually, newborns sleep from one feeding to the next. And the older they get, the less rest. First, the baby begins to wake up after dinner, and sleeps no more than 17 hours a day. Then the child goes to 2-time daytime sleep.

Each age has its own characteristics. The sleep pattern of a child at 2 years old changes, and he sleeps only 1 time, and the duration of such sleep does not exceed 3 hours. Closer to 3-4 years, he can completely abandon daytime sleep. However, some children retain the need for afternoon rest until the age of 6-7 years. And pediatricians advise preschoolers up to this age to rest during the day.

What to do if the child does not want to sleep during the day

Daily routine, food, clothes, walks greatly affect the quality of a baby's sleep. In order for the baby to go to sleep with pleasure, you need to establish the correct sleep pattern at 2 years old, and parents also need to provide:

1. Proper and balanced nutrition.
2. Constant walks and games in the fresh air.
3. Regular wet cleaning in the children's room.
4. Comfortable, clean and soft bed.

Usually, children who have their own schedule do not have whims about daytime sleep. They are used to going to eat, play, sleep at a certain time. Of course, you do not need to be too careful to observe the daily routine. If the child looks tired before the due date, then it is better to put him to bed and not wait for the right time. However, if he is still playing or watching the last cartoon before going to bed, then you should not interrupt the process and drag him to bed by force. It is better to let him finish what he started and calmly go to rest.

Parents should not put the baby back to sleep if he woke up early. Also, do not wake him up if the time allotted for daytime sleep has already ended. It is better to pay more attention to the condition and well-being of the child than to the clock.

Reasons for not taking naps

Not all two-year-olds have a need for daytime sleep. Therefore, if the child sleeps soundly at night, he has sufficient physical activity and tantrums do not occur, then he does not need an afternoon nap. Instead, at this time you can play calm games, lie down and read an interesting book.

There are times when parents notice that the lack of daytime sleep leads to poor health of the crumbs. Therefore, the answer to the question of what to do if a child at 2 years old does not want to sleep during the day will be a recommendation to study the most common causes and ways to solve them.

Cause	Cause description	Solution
Wrong daily routine	Scientists have proven that there is a certain time when a child is ready to fall asleep and get high quality sleep. At this time, the body temperature changes, the metabolism slows down and, if necessary, the body falls asleep.	The optimal time for going to bed for a two-year-old child will be between 12:30 and 13:00 in the afternoon. Provided that the baby woke up no later than 7 o'clock in the morning.
Abrupt and frequent change of activity	Children are naturally very curious and active. Therefore, the daytime is filled for them with games, laughter, tears, songs. And if at this time the mother starts to put to bed without completing the process, then, most likely, she will face an unwillingness to go to bed and cry.	It is desirable for parents to form rituals that will help the child tune in to daytime sleep. Do not use a too long procedure before a night's rest. However, some elements can be taken. Knowing the sequence of actions will help the baby emotionally prepare for the afternoon nap and avoid protests.
Wrong situation in the sleeping room	It is very difficult to fall asleep when the room is flooded with sunlight, the laughter of playing children can be heard from the open windows, and I still remember a recent walk. Children, like all adults, find it easier to fall asleep in a dark and well-ventilated room. Parents should not open the windows wide open or turn on the lights, it is better to create a dim atmosphere in the room. This will help the baby's body to produce the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for a good and sound sleep.	To create a sleepy atmosphere in the room, you can use blackout curtains or cassette blinds. If the street is too noisy and the sound penetrates even through closed windows, then you can turn on white noise in the room. The background in the room can be the noise of static between radio stations, the sound of rain or surf. Such sounds are not addictive. But classical music is not suitable for these purposes.
Negative associations with sleep	While the baby is small, parents do everything possible so that he sleeps as long as possible. And rightly so, up to 4 months it is very difficult for a child to go to sleep on his own. But it happens that this situation lasts up to 1-2 years. And the only way to put the baby to sleep is to hold him in your arms or breastfeed.	The solution to this problem will be two methods: sharp and gradual. Few mothers will agree to the “fall asleep when crying” method, although it is considered one of the fastest and most effective. In the second method, mothers will need patience and perseverance. The room should have partial shade and fresh air without unnecessary noise. To begin with, the mother should pump the baby not until she falls asleep completely, but until she is in a deep sleepy state. Then just hold on. After the baby gets used to it, you can rock and put the baby who has not yet fallen asleep in the crib.

Only the most common causes are listed here. Sometimes the baby refuses sleep due to insufficient physical activity. Therefore, you should carefully study the daily routine of the child. This will help determine what should be excluded from it and what should be added.

How to put your baby to sleep without tantrums

Do not spend a lot of effort on laying the child. A few proven ways to put a 2-year-old to sleep during the day:

• Parents need to create comfortable and calm conditions in the sleeping room. Nothing should scare the baby.
• Before going to bed, you need to read good non-terrible fairy tales, children's poems or sing a lullaby.
• Some babies are soothed by a gentle, light pat on the back or head.
• The parent can lie down next to the child, citing fatigue, and ask him not to make noise.

The kid, wanting not to wake an adult, will be able to fall asleep next to him. Such methods should work within the first half hour. If laying is delayed, then parents need to urgently change tactics and not insist on their own.

Effect of daytime sleep on nighttime

If a child does not sleep during the day, this does not mean that he will not sleep well at night. The main thing is to follow a few rules:

• Parents should not play noisy and active games with the child before a night's rest.
• It is better to avoid watching cartoons before going to bed.
• A leisurely walk in the evening, swimming, a good fairy tale will help you fall asleep soundly. Fairy tale therapy will help for a good sleep. It will help not only to realize the child of all the events of the past day, but also to fall asleep faster.

And what about kindergarten mode?

Many parents force their child to sleep just because the kindergarten has its own regime. Even if a child at 2 years old does not want to sleep during the day, then you should not scare him with a children's educational institution.

He should know that there is exciting, fun and interesting. And the educator in the first place is his friend, not the warden. Most often, children are easily included in this mode and with pleasure go to bed, eat and play with their peers.

How to captivate a child instead of daytime sleep

Instead of daytime, you can offer quiet and calm games. For example, sculpting and drawing do an excellent job of restoring the nervous system.

Also, the parent can offer the baby to lie down on the bed together and read their favorite fairy tales, poems or stories.

Conclusion

Parents need to be patient and take into account the individual needs of their baby. So, if the baby does not want to sleep during the day and looks all the same cheerful, joyful, then you should not force him to go to bed. For such a child, a night's rest is enough.

Have you ever encountered a situation where a child refuses to sleep during the day, and laying down for a daytime sleep stretches for a long time, takes a lot of strength, nerves and time? A reader came to us with this request:

Good afternoon The child is 1 year 10 months old. Generally refuses to sleep during the day or falls asleep after my nerves run out(this is after about an hour of bedtime), I get up and leave. The son begins to scream heart-rendingly, so he never screams. Of course I come back and then he falls asleep almost immediately. But this is not the way out. We now live in the country, all the time in the fresh air, running, playing, there is physical activity. We live by the rules. We follow all the rituals before going to bed. What am I doing wrong? And how to deal with it? Now we have a period of myself. We are on GW. We fall asleep with the breast, but now the breast does not help either. The same situation in the evening, until we re-read all the books and exhaust the nerves of our mother, we will not calm down. Help with advice. Thank you in advance.

Iya Tsoi, practicing psychologist:

The first thing I noticed in your letter was your insistent desire to put the child to sleep during the day. Apparently, this is because you are convinced of the need for daytime sleep for him. But all children, just like adults, are very different. Today, neither in medicine nor in psychology there are any strict standards for the regimen and time required for a child to sleep. There is only approximate, average numbers. So, the famous doctor E. Komarovsky believes that at the age of about 2 years this approximately 13 hours. And daytime sleep for a child of 2 years is optional at all. True, you are a little smaller, but all children grow at different rates!

I would recommend that you first try to cancel sleep during the day. And put the baby to bed early in the evening. Of course, the mode is very important, and it is good when it has some flexibility. Sleep rituals are great too. By the way, are any of them such as lightly stroking the baby's face with the edge of the fabric(you can take a handkerchief and, holding it overhang, hold it in the direction from the forehead to the chin)? If not, you can also try this method by including it in some calming game. For example, imagine flying birds that “touch you with their wings”, one after another.

You write that now your baby has a period of “I myself!”. Usually such behavior is referred to as a crisis of 3 years, but, of course, this is very conditional, and many of its features can appear in children much earlier. In general, drastic changes in a child’s behavior are a good reason to observe him and answer the question: “what, in fact, does he need now?” and “how are they satisfied?”. After all, human needs are not only about “eat”, “drink”, “sleep”. For example, where he can show this "self", except in the fight with his mother against daytime sleep? Does he have some kind of territory where his own rules work; their duties at home or at least self-care? In general, it would be interesting to know how you communicate with him. It is clear that you cannot write everything in a short question. But I was a little confused by your word "fight". Usually, when parents use military metaphors to talk about upbringing, I expect them to mention their fatigue (this is also in your letter). It's all right, because in any confrontation, the child usually finds himself in a stronger position. Maybe this happens because he defends his right to do what he WANTS, and adults what, according to some experts, SHOULD be done.

Of course, a child is a rather complex being, and many factors influence his behavior. At consultations, I usually find out the whole context of family life: what parents are doing, how satisfied they are with life, what kind of relationship between adults - all this is important. Often problems with his behavior is a way to communicate something to a spouse or grandparents, that is, such an indirect version of communication. In this case, the best way out is to teach adults to express their desires and claims directly (and at the same time correctly), without involving the child.

1. Experiment with the cancellation of daytime sleep. Do not torture yourself and the baby. See what happens for at least a week. If he sleeps normally during the night, then do not put him down during the day and in the future. Perhaps sometimes he will ask to sleep himself. Make several mode options for him so as not to worry when something goes wrong.

2. Do you think you should continue breastfeeding? If so, to whom and why? Is it more beneficial or harmful for mother and child? (I am aware of the WHO recommendations, but again, they are based on some of their own considerations, and your case may be far from them).

3. See what the child is doing. Does he have activities that allow him to show independence and responsibility? Does he realize himself as a creator or only as a consumer?

4. Very useful practice: start a diary with 2 columns. In one column, write how he behaves during the day, especially those actions that are incomprehensible to you, annoying, etc., and in the other column - the need that was behind it. This is a good key to understanding your child.

5. Analyze relationships between adults in your family. If there is tension in the relationship, disagreements, irreconcilable contradictions, they are almost certainly reflected in the child. In this case, you can contact a family psychologist in order to establish normal communication.

Ksenia Ilyanovich, author of the project “Motherhood is a joy”:

I am in favor of Most kids still need daytime naps.. Because it is very difficult for a baby to stay awake for 10 hours, the nervous system needs a break during the day and rest. You can check the need for daytime sleep like this: if the child still falls asleep, how much does he sleep? If it’s 2-3 hours, then you really wanted to sleep, if half an hour or an hour, then you can probably do without daytime sleep. My son is 3.5 years old, he sleeps during the day for 2 hours. In very rare exceptions, when there is no daytime sleep, by the evening the child is no longer recognized, he is very tired and easily irritated.

D A long bed may be a signal that the child has "transitioned", already too excited and now he cannot calm down and fall asleep on his own. It is believed that it is worth putting to sleep until the so-called signs of fatigue: someone rubs their eyes, someone yawns, someone begins to “lean against”. I would try to put in an hour earlier for example. Or, on the contrary, an hour later - if he does not have time to get tired and want to sleep.

Other the important thing is the mood of the mother. The good news is that it depends only on you 🙂 However, it is usually very difficult to calm down on your own, pull yourself together, get rid of the thought “fall asleep soon!” and keep calm. Difficult, but possible if desired. Good luck to you! And patience 🙂

Tell me, does your child sleep during the day or not? How is the installation going?

When a child is just born, if you create comfortable conditions for him to sleep, he, as a rule, sleeps. You get used to this state of affairs very quickly and, at times, it seems that it will always be so. And while the child is sleeping, the mother will easily and naturally do everything.

But the baby grows, develops, adapts to the outside world and more and more often comes into contact with this world. This surprises a young mother from time to time.

- Like this?! As soon as I adjusted to sleep three hours later, two, and here on you! Already two through three!

Closer to two or three years, time X comes. This is when the baby categorically does not agree to sleep ever else, except for the night.
On the one hand, this is commendable. After all, another person has grown up in your house, making independent decisions!

And everything would be fine, if not for one "BUT". Until the evening without daytime sleep, this person does not hold out. Turns towards evening into a whiny "bun" and spoils the evening for himself and those around him.

- What if the child refuses to sleep during the day?

- you ask.

The question is certainly interesting! And I don't have a universal answer.

With each child, literally every day, I vary the various techniques known to me. And, as a rule, one of them does work. If, suddenly, it didn’t work, it means one thing - I just didn’t really want my child to sleep now.

Well, since this topic has long been relevant in our lives with Masha, I decided to collect all the methods of putting to sleep we studied in one memo. After all, it often happens that at the right time, seemingly worked out skills are suddenly taken and forgotten.

And here, please - a cheat sheet! He got it, moved his finger, chose the desired item and - to action!

So, we've rounded up our most effective ways to tuck a 3-year-old into this mommy cheat sheet.

There were exactly ten ways.
You could, of course, remember more.
But I decided that 10 ways to put a child of 2-3 years old to sleep, this is quite a sufficient assortment of my mother's cheat sheet to confidently guarantee the success of the enterprise.

I went through all sorts of different methods. For any, so to speak, taste and color.
So come on, take your pick! One of the methods will surely suit you and your baby today!

Method one:

Fall asleep nearby, or pretend

Most often, this method works like this.
Mom (or dad) lies down next to the baby and with the thought that, now, he will lie down for a bit, wait until the beloved child loses his vigilance and dozes off, and immediately returns to his business with a “cheerful” attitude.
In fact, it turns out like this: exhausted by the continuous "peppy" mom (or dad) "passes out" first (th). The child, on the other hand, jumps and has fun on mom (or dad) for a long time, and then, when he realizes that mom (or dad) still doesn’t want to play, they sit side by side out of hopelessness and fall asleep.

Pros: Works. Simple, affordable (unless, of course, there is a place to lie down). If you're not in a hurry, perfect! Useful for health, vigor, preservation of youth and restoration of the nervous system of mom (or dad).

Minuses: It may turn out that things will have to wait. If you still need to do something while the child is sleeping, you should not be optimistic about your resilience in the supine state. However, if you are absolutely confident in yourself, or do not mind sleeping, then I do not find a single minus in this method.

Method two:

Shrek. The work of Marina and Masha. Now, apparently, Masha has nothing to be afraid of.

Grandfather Babai, wolf, Shrek and other mother's helpers

Who did not have to hear about Grandfather Babai before going to bed in childhood? By the way, there is also a wolf. Typically grey.
And we also have Shrek in the arsenal.
Earlier, when Masha was less quick-witted and believed everyone's word, and the honorable duty to put her sister to bed went to the elder Marina, the caring sister came up with Shrek. Shrek worked flawlessly. Marina simply said:

- Well, that's it, Masha! Now, if we don't go to sleep, Shrek will come.

And Masha obediently went to sleep with Marina.
Then Masha began to guess that, in fact, Marina was inventing this Shrek.
And then she started getting scared. At the same time, the idea that Marina still comes up with Shrek did not leave her. In a word, the method first began to fail, and then almost completely fell out of our use.
The truth remained like this (sometimes it helps). Marina hides some Toy Machines and says:

- Masha. Shrek doesn't like it when kids don't sleep. He hid your horses. And he asked me to tell you that he will return them only when you sleep!

Masha courageously falls asleep to save the horses. And when he wakes up, he runs to look for them.

Pros: It also works quite often. Especially at a young age.

Minuses: The child can be seriously and permanently scared. I think any psychologist would disagree with the use of such a method. Blackmail and intimidation are still not pedagogical methods.

Method three:

Calming games before bed

You can play, for example, that your baby is a mother. Mom has kids. And they can't sleep. You need to show your kids how it is to sleep.

- How did you show it? Look, mother! All your kids are running! Show well!

Marina and Masha play kitty. Marina is a mother-pussy, Masha is a baby-pussy. Pussies go to their cat house and go to bed there. As a rule, they have some other prelude. For example, pussies wash their paws.

You can play pretend. Mom and baby close their eyes together and imagine that they are somewhere. For example, in the meadow. And a discussion begins about what they see there, where they go, what they do.

- I see red poppies in the meadow! Do you see, Masha, my poppies?
- I see! And I have daisies!
- A goat came to me! She wants clover. Let's look for clover for the goat.
- Let's!
Do you see clover?
- No. I do not see.
“It seems to me that the clover should be o-o-o-it behind that briar bush. Let's go down the path and take a look.
- Let's! Top top.
- Top-top. Are your feet shod or barefoot?

And so on…
Pros: This game is always and from any point of view good, “developmental” and one continuous benefit.
Minuses: Often the baby refuses to play, realizing that this is not just a game, but an attempt to put him to sleep.
And yet ... Our Masha loves to play pretend. We close our eyes and start looking with her for the lost sheep in the grass. Great! But until Masha finds all the lambs, she won’t even think about sleeping!))

Method four:
How to quickly euthanize a child?

Well, of course - roll!

Please do not confuse with rocking! Rocking children, in my opinion, is fraught with rapid addiction. As a result, the child falls asleep only in conditions of pitching. And this is terribly inconvenient.
So. Just roll. This method is divided into three types of rolling:

• in a stroller
• In a bicycle seat
• In a car seat

The choice of means depends entirely on our plans, time of year and weather.

Roll in a stroller

We are still friends with the stroller. Because very often we go somewhere far away, for half a day. And Masha is with us. We take a stroller with us, it contains everything that we might need. In the middle of the day, it happens and Masha can be “rolled out”. True, the closer to three, the more often such attempts turn into skiing along the routes indicated by Masha.

- Now on the stumps!

Now for donuts!

- Now to the red apple ...

Pros: Sleeping outdoors is good for you! Mom can dream at the same time, and sometimes listen to music or chat on the phone.
Yes! You can run with a stroller. And that's a PLUS - free fitness.
I did this often when Marina had a smaller bike. Now I can only combine it with a scooter. I won't catch up with the bike :).
You can combine the daytime sleep of the younger child with some visits. For example - sections, shops, libraries ...
Once our Masha even went to the Music Hall in her sleep! True, I woke up as soon as it started. It's interesting!

Minuses:
Sometimes it doesn't work. It is not always necessary to go somewhere. Good in summer, winter - so-so.

Roll in a bike seat

Yes Yes! We have been practicing this method in the summer for the second season. First we have lunch, and then we go on a trip. Masha has her own bike seat. It is good to swing and fall asleep in it.
The main thing in this matter is to choose a route in such a way that it would be decent to drive non-stop on the way back. For the child to fall asleep.
But in moderation. To prevent the baby from falling out of the chair. It is especially inconvenient with a baby sleeping in a bicycle seat on rough terrain - the head begins to tilt and fall.
It seems that there are chairs with a strong tilt back. BUT. In my opinion, such a tilt will greatly disrupt the aerodynamics of the bike. Even with our tilt, the bike is hard to roll.
It would be best if the bike seat had a head restraint. Perhaps they have already been invented.

Pros: Despite the apparent intricacy of the method, it works. If you like to ride, walk, fresh air, and in the summer it is much more pleasant for you to ride with the children than to read the twentieth fairy tale in a stuffy room, this is a great way to “on occasion” for the summer.

Minuses: Not suitable for rain (in other words, there are raincoats), winter and much more when. And it is not good at all if you are not friendly with the bike.

Roll in the car

Well, what can I say - sat down, but let's go. You can even roll me in the car. I honestly confess.

Pros: Works.

Minuses: Need a car. And gasoline. Sleeping outdoors is not very correlated.

Method five:

Take the baby in your arms

Often Masha falls asleep with us and so. By the way, at the same time, she often endures such hardships as reading a book to Marina, or to her mother.

Pros: Can be combined with any additional business.
Minuses: Uncomfortable. And also - there is a danger of falling asleep.

Method six:

The baby can instantly fall asleep if he is ... teased!

The other day, when even the promise of ice cream didn’t pass, I remembered such a thing as a “crisis of two years.” So they told me when Marina was at the Machinist age, they call it a protest that suddenly arose in a child against everything.
We then, so that Marina put on a sweater, they said,

- Marina, don't put on a sweater!

And she did.
This is how I stated:

- Masha! I no longer allow you to climb into bed, cover yourself with a blanket, and even more so - put your head on a pillow!

Masha indignantly slammed her fist on the bed, and immediately did it all.

And it is possible like this:

- Does Masha know how to go to bed on her own?

- No! What do you! She is still small! She needs her mom to put it down! Only big girls can do that. They will come to their room, take off their shorts and T-shirt, carefully hang them on a chair, and lie down on their pillow. And they even know how to cover themselves with a blanket!
And then they close their eyes and sleep.

- Yes. Here is Marina, when she was little, she knew how! And Masha, what - she doesn’t know how ?!

- No! Masha is still small!

After this, most often the child ends up in a crib with his eyes closed and clothes neatly hung on a chair.

Pros: If it suddenly works - the most troublesome method.
Minuses: It might not work.

Method seven:

Read to your child until he falls asleep

Why do I have this method under the seventh number, and not under the first?
Yes, because he rarely helps. At a certain age, children in general often tear books out of their hands and are not allowed to read. Then they start to get interested. And this is great!
But! They listen so intently that they can't sleep.
And now, only recently, when Masha has almost grown to three years old, I discovered that if she can be persuaded to lie down and close her eyes “Books are read only to those who lie down and whose eyes are closed”, then you can read to her for a very long time in a quiet and sleepy voice (only what Masha likes) ... Then Masha eventually falls asleep !!!

Pros: During the time of laying down, the child learns many new and repeats many old children's literary works. Yes, and the horizons of the mother, too, for sure, will be replenished.

Minuses: We have a very long time. Masha can listen like that for two hours. It happens that I start to fall asleep earlier. Deliberately quiet and sleepy voice makes itself felt.

Method eight:

Putting the baby to bed during the day will help ...

Dream Fairy!

– If you put a small coin under your pillow, the Daytime Dream Fairy will come. He takes a coin and leaves a candy. But only when you fall asleep!

Pros: Works. We apply often.
Minuses: It also does not really correspond to the ideas of proper nutrition and education.

Method nine:

Sleep Reward

- Masha. For those who are sleeping with us now, a cockerel on a stick is put!
- Masha. If you don't fall asleep right away, dad will see that you can't sleep during the day and won't take you camping!
- Masha. As soon as you wake up, we will immediately go for ice cream.

Pros: The sleeping reward works flawlessly and at lightning speed!
Minuses: You need to figure out what to promise. It's not every day that a family goes on a hike. There are cockerels, but ice cream. Not a very good lunch, to be honest.

Method ten:

Fall asleep tales

Tell the child a fairy tale, according to which the child urgently needs to fall asleep.
For example, such.

- When the kids fall asleep, a fairy meets them in a dream. Fairy who distributes dreams. Fairies have different dreams, but there are few of each type. Here you are, Masha, what do you want to see a dream about?
- About sweet candy!
- The fairy has dreams with big sweet candies! The baby will get such a dream, and he will enjoy the biggest and sweetest candy all the time. Fairies only have few such dreams. And they take them apart first. Many kids love candy. Is it true?
- Is it true!
- Here. If you want to have a dream about candy, you need to fall asleep as soon as possible!

It happens that the conversation turns in an unnecessary direction for us.

- But mom! I don't want to sleep at all!
“It seems to you now that you don’t want to. And after two hours, you won't feel like that anymore.

You really want to sleep. Because little kids don't know how to stay up all day.
And now, in two hours you will fall asleep, and all the best dreams of the fairy have already been sorted out by other kids. Who listened to their mother and went to bed on time.

- And what dream will I have? Masha is worried.
- About the baby-babyak.
- Who is this?
- Don't know. And the fairy doesn't know. These are the remains of dreams. The oldest and worn out. It must have been good dreams before. And then, a lot of time passed, and they wore out. Many letters have been erased. So we got dreams about something incomprehensible. About the baby and the baby.
- I don’t want about the baby! - Masha concludes and, sighing doomedly, puts her head on the pillow.

Pros: such a good falling asleep fabulous method

Minuses: a frequent counterargument is “but I’m not going to sleep at all”

That ended our ten ways.
All of them are personally tested by us, and have been used many times. All at a certain point in time and in certain circumstances, more than once served us in good stead.
So, hopefully, now it’s a little easier for you to put your baby to sleep.
Good luck with your application and the best good dreams to your baby!