That is the Question! The past few weeks have probably been the most frustrating weeks since I’ve had both kids. Today was probably one of the worst. Let me explain. The past about 2 weeks Riley decided that she doesn’t want to nap anymore. Fine. If she doesn’t need a nap, then I’m okay with that and she can just have quiet time in her room for an hour. However, this girl needs, and I mean absolutely NEEDS, a nap. I will put her down for a nap and she will stay up forever without sleeping. As long as she’s in her room playing I don’t care, however, usually about 10 minutes after she comes out of her room she’s SO whinny and rubbing her eyes and saying she’s tired. Well, what the heck? You were just in your room for at least an hour or more, you were suppose to sleep then!
I get SO frustrated with this whole refusing to nap thing. If I didn’t think she needed a nap it would be a different story, but she needs it. I know this first of all because by 3 in the afternoon she’s about falling over she can barely walk she’s so tired, she whines NO STOP, and if we go anywhere she falls asleep in the car within seconds of the car being in motion. Plus, at night we put her down at 7:30 but she never falls asleep until at least 9 and wakes up with Lincoln around 6:30. That’s only 9.5 hours of sleep and that’s NOT enough for her. I have tried emptying her room of toys, literally her bed and her dresser in her room. I was so frustrated one day I chucked EVERYTHING into her closet and it still didn’t work. Just when I didn’t think she didn’t have anything to play with she ended up getting into her dresser and playing dress up.
Honestly, I feel like she doesn’t know how to calm herself down enough to fall asleep. It takes her an hour and a half even at night to fall asleep even if she hasn’t had a nap. If you’ve been around Riley you know that she goes a million miles an hour all day long and NEVER, literally, never stops. I really think that I think she doesn’t know how to take it down a notch, lay down, and close her eyes. It’s like she thinks she’s going to miss something by sleeping. I’ve tried to get her to take deep breaths and it works sometimes, but other than taking everything away I don’t know what to do. Any suggestions??
shelbypaulk.com 
We are having the same problems with Joey. I swear your story about Riley sounds a lot like Joey. He is so whiney if he doesn't nap, goes running around all day long, and then takes atleast an hour and a half to fall asleep. The only difference is that I've moved Jonathan into Joey's room with him, so a lot of the time he keeps him up too, which is no good.My best suggestion is to try to get Riley out of the house outside where she can really run whenever possible. This is bound to tire her out.
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ahhhh this could be a post on my blog!!! Especially the part about if she didn't need a nap it would be a different story. EXACTLY- if Maeve were ready to go through the day with no nap, fine. (yes I would be really disappointed b/c I LOVE that hour and a half!) BUT the truth is, she is a CRANK when she doesn't get her nap… and it irritates me to no end! Maybe I'm just super irritable right now b/c I'm at the end of this pregnancy, but I am having ZERO patience with this issue! She refuses to take a nap but then whines and acts miserable all afternoon. not to mention by 7 she is about passed out on the couch. What gives???????????
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is there such a thing as child yoga or a chill pill? or maybe the time change has messed up her internal clock? haha I'm so sorry. I have no mommy experience and I have no idea what I would do if I were in your shoes. I hope it's just a phase she's going through and it will be over soon. Call me soon. I need to set up a time to come see you before you're gone. I have some good days off coming up.
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Hey Shelby – Have you read my blog lately? 🙂 No, seriously, we are having the same problems with Malin and I felt like I was going insane. I finally took him to my ped and told her what was going on, and we're being referred to a sleep specialist. But, also in the meantime, she told me to give him Melatonin. You can get it over the counter. Now, the dosage gets tricky. My ped said I could give him 1mg, I talked with an adult friend who said she was taking 1mg of Melatonin and it made her feel really loopy and have crazy dreams. When I went to buy it, the pharmacist said 1mg would be too much for his weight. So, I did end up finding (at Meijer) a 300mcg dosage (.3 mg). We've been using that with him for almost 2 weeks now and it definitely helps! I give it to him about an hour before bedtime and he has no problems going to sleep at night now. You should try it and I'd definitely make an appt w/her ped if you think there might be something else going on. Hope that helps! I can totally relate.
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I have one of those non-napping children…and yes, mine really does NEED a nap, too. It's best for all of us.
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