What to Do When Your Child Refuses to Nap

At 5 Little Monkeys, our mission is to make parenting a little easier by helping children everywhere get restful, high-quality sleep. We've worked for years to design just about the best mattress for kids on the market, engineering it from the ground up to support growing bodies and give kids what they need for a good night's sleep. But in addition to our parent-approved children's mattress, we strive to be a comprehensive resource for sleep health and hygiene – and if you struggle to get your child down for naptime, we can help.

How to Get Your Kid to Take a Nap

It's a dilemma known to parents everywhere: naptime is here, but your kid is anything but sleepy and has no interest in taking a snooze. Naptime will usually become a battleground at some point in any child's life, so if you're running into this issue, here are a few simple tips to help your little one get the sleep they need and you maintain your sanity:

• Focus On Routine: Kids thrive on routine and ritual, and just like regular bedtime, naptime is only as strong as the routine that precedes it. Make sure you're keeping your napping schedule and pre-nap routine consistent, and don't be afraid to incorporate a couple activities to help your child wind down before a nap.
• Reconsider Your Nap Schedule: Sometimes, a child's resistance to naptime is because they genuinely don't need it. Toddlers who take more than one nap per day will likely need to transition to a single nap around 15 to 18 months of age, so if your child is fighting naptime around that age, it may be time to consolidate.
• Compromise: If your child is really stubborn about sleeping, sometimes the best option is to compromise with some quiet time. Try having your little one simply close their eyes and lie down instead of mandating sleep, or even leave them in bed with a book or non-stimulating toy for some quiet solo play. Even if they don't sleep, resting for a while can help them recharge.

Try Our Kids Twin Mattress

These tips can help keep naptime a relaxing ritual instead of a warzone, and if you have any more questions, we're always here to help. Finally, it's important to consider the quality of your child's mattress if sleep is an issue – and if you think it might be time to upgrade to a new one, we make it easy. Take our 100-Night Rest Test and try our world-class children's mattress with a risk-free money-back guarantee. Trust us: once your little one experiences the differences of healthy, restful sleep, you'll never want to go back.