Sleeping FAQ: 18-24 Months – Lunchtime Nap

My 18mth daughter settles well when with her grandparents for this nap but screams and cries when she is at home.

My 18mth daughter has all of a sudden started to resist being put down for her lunchtime nap. She is ready for this nap as she seems quite tired at lunchtime. I have bought lunchtime forward to 11.45pm so that she goes down at 12.30pm. Grandparents have no problem with this nap, it is just at home she screams and cries and is difficult to settle.

As your daughter’s grandparent’s care for her during the week, her routine with them is familiar to her. If you care for her at weekends the novelty of Mummy being with her may be contributing to her sudden resistance to being put down for a nap. Ask her grandparents to tell you exactly what they do each day. They may have a little routine with a special song or phrase which signals to her that it is nap time. If there seems to be nothing different between the ways in which they and you put your daughter down for a nap, you may like to start a little routine.

Make the time just before her nap quiet and low key. Find a story she enjoys and read this to her just before putting her into her cot. Sing her the same song each time you settle her and remind her that you will see her as soon as she wakes. If she does cry when it is nap time, and you feel that she is tired and ready for a sleep, put her down and leave the room for 5-10 minutes. If she continues to cry then return briefly, reassure her that you are there and then leave again. It may take a few weeks for your daughter to settle down again for her nap when being cared for by you. Providing you are consistent in the way you manage this time of day your daughter will realise that when you are caring for her she will be put down for her nap in the same way as her grandparents do.