It’s funny that no matter how much I want my toddler to nap, or to wear clothes, or to get into his car seat to leave the house… he really only does these things when he feels good and ready. There is no rushing him.
Luckily, most days my son is eager to leave the house as soon as I start listing off his friends’ names. It’s like he can imagine the fun that will ensue, as soon as he is reunited with them. On days he isn’t motivated to leave the house, even after significant encouragement from me, we play at home until we’re both exhausted. Lately, my son has not been interested in napping much. So, I tested a variety of strategies and came up with the following steps to encourage a nap. These have worked for us, and I hope they will work for you, too. If a step doesn’t work for you, by all means skip it and move on.
Step 1: Chase your toddler around the house until he/she is visibly tired. If you don’t have energy to run, grab a soccer ball and kick it back and forth. Make sure that you kick the ball such that it lands a few feet away from your child so that he/she has to run to retrieve it.
Step 2: Offer your toddler his/her favorite snack and some water.
Step 3: Nurse your toddler until he/she unlatches on their own [If your toddler falls asleep at this step, that’s awesome! If not, continue with the following steps…]
Step 4: Scoop your toddler into your arms while singing a song about going on a fun car ride.
Step 5: Carry your toddler into the garage and let him/her open the garage door without your assistance.
Step 6: While still carrying your thirty-pounder, safely grab your cell phone from your pocket and start playing the Despacito music video. The original Spanish-only version of the video is preferred, but anything will do in a pinch. Don’t fret if you only have the version with Justin Bieber available, or you only have an MP3 on hand, or in your haste you start playing Niall Horan’s latest video. Just hand your toddler the phone and gently place him/her into the car seat while he/she is distracted with the phone.
Step 7: Turn on your engine and exit the garage, while singing along to Despacito.
Step 8: Pause in the driveway to quickly retrieve the phone from your toddler while replacing it with an applesauce pouch (or whatever snack you have available).
Step 9: Anticipate that your toddler wants the phone back, so start blasting Despacito through your car’s stereo.
Step 10: Drive around the neighborhood playing Despacito on repeat until your toddler falls asleep.
What have you found that helps encourage your toddler to nap? It’s great to hear tips from others.