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Need help with getting my just- 2 year old grandson to have a sleep after lunch

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Nikiya Fri 02-Oct-20 15:21:09

Hi there. Am new on Gransnet and very pleased to have found it and hoping that people will help. I look after my little grandson two full days a week. My daughter in law has raised him very well to have quite a long nap after lunch. When I started looking after him some months ago, at first he would sleep in the travel cot I have in my house (although not for long). About 6 weeks ago he suddenly refused to lie down to sleep and cried bitterly, protesting, so I began to take him out in his pushchair in which he would sleep for a while. After a couple of weeks he stopped sleeping in that. Next I started to take him out in my car so that he would sleep in his car seat. This he did until yesterday when he protested loudly about the car seat arrangement and didn't sleep at all, despite a long car trip! I know that I have made a rod for my own back - being a very soft sort of person! - but am now wracking my brains as to how to get him to have his nap when he comes again next week. ( I daren't tell my daughter in law because she is very keen on him sleeping) I used to solve the problem when my son was a baby because I had a large Silver Cross pram and would walk miles with him but alas, such prams are no more and clearly, I am no better at getting babies to sleep conventionally than before! Any advice would be really welcome!

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Chewbacca Fri 02-Oct-20 22:21:02

I put GS in his buggy, tuck him up with Wabbit and his blanket, and keep walking until I can see he's slumped to one side! Soon as I can see he's asleep, I turn around, go back home and lift him gently onto the sofa to continue his nap. Some days I can walk quite a long way before he goes off but I've found that bumpy roads are more sleep inducing than smooth ones!

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Witzend Fri 02-Oct-20 22:31:43

welbeck, to give granny a bit of probably much needed peace!

I used to look after a little Gdd but would have found it so much more tiring without the nap. I don’t mind admitting that I was fairly tough - just put her in her cot, would sing for a few minutes but then say, ‘Time for sleepy-byes now’ and leave her. She’d usually cry or grizzle for a while, but would then go off for well over an hour. She was used to a parent always sitting or lying with her until she went to sleep, but I wasn’t prepared to do that. She still needed the sleep, and I needed the quiet time, but I was an older granny, late 60s when she was born, and I do think that makes a difference.

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lemsip Fri 02-Oct-20 22:47:04

if you have a park near you take him and get him out of the pushchair and kick a ball and run about! They need to run off there 'steam' and come home and nap! why would a child need a sleep if they have not had a run about to tire them!

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NfkDumpling Sat 03-Oct-20 08:08:42

It sounds as if he's starting to grow out of naps so have you tried making a warm/hot drink for both of you and cuddling up together on the sofa for a 'quiet time'? Either in front of CBB's or reading stories. I used to have my book to hand for when/eventually if he dropped off. It gave me an excuse to sit and do nothing too for an hour! Some children don't need a full nap by that age, just a quiet time.

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