I love my kids so much!! But oh how I treasure nap time. Nap time could be something you look forward to or dread, depending on what stage in life you are in at the moment.
Naps are so important for children and even adults, (when pregnant, nursing or for those with new borns especially). But It could be hard to get your toddler to sleep sometimes. I actually gave up with my oldest but now I realize that I shouldn't have. I just didn't know how to go about it.
First, I wanted to share on how I managed the transition with my twins, from two naps to one. (Or three to two..) When they reached the age, when they took forever falling asleep and by doing so throw off the rest of the day, I first tried to wear them out before nap. By that I mean I would intentionally go out early in the morning or do an exhausting activity for their age, like make them run around the house lol or take a long walk things like that. It worked great for a few weeks and would even put them back on track for another month or two. But when that would wear off and it was time to transition from two naps to one, the next thing I did was have relaxed days at home and let them play a little past nap time, and when they would get cranky I would put them in their cribs with books or toys. They would usually play in there for about an hour and after that I would take them out and feed them etc.. Finally before they would get too overwhelmed I put them down for nap. The twins usually sleep well but at the end of the day they sometimes would still be too tired to wait for bed time so I would put them in their cribs with books or toys again. Sometimes they would cry at first but would eventually calm down and read or play quietly. During this season they spent most hours of their life in the crib. I don't know if I had to do it just because there was two of them and we couldn't bare the whining of two every single day or if all kids actually need quiet time alone like this. Either way it's what I did with the twins and it saved our lives. Every time one or both would start to get too needy or just cry for no reason I would give them quiet time and they were as good as after a nap every time. Also when we would have people over and they would get overwhelmed quickly so I would give them time in their cribs and it always worked! (I wish I would have known this when my first two were this age.)
There was a time before they were two that they stared to climb out of their cribs and it lasted for a few days-weeks. But during this time I stood out the door watching the monitor every time I put them to bed and as soon as they would try to climb out I came in and got them in trouble for it, and soon enough they stopped. I am not at all eager to give them the freedom that they don't know how to use. They are over two now and still in cribs and don't plan to get out and I couldn't be happier! One less battle for us to fight.
This is how I did napping transitions with my twins, I hope it might help you and your baby(ies) with yours. Good luck! I know it could be hard but from what I've noticed it usually comes and goes in cycles just bare through those few hard days and they soon will be over!
P.S. Personally I am very strict about schedules and bedtimes with my kids so I wrote it based on that.
If you have tips or stories, please share them!