Luke is having napping troubles and I can't figure out how to get the kid to nap effectively. For the few weeks before the trip I thought he was trying to transition to one nap a day, and I was getting him and Lydia to go down at the same time. Hooray!!! It was great, but those days are gone. He wakes up at about 6:30 am every day, and is cranky and wanting a nap by 9:30am. If I put him down at that time, he sleeps for about two hours and then refuses to take an afternoon nap. (By refuse I mean moaning and crying endlessly, which wakes up his sister and grates on my nerves.) So, he is irritable and goes into destruction mode by 5 pm. I refuse to put him down then because he will wake up at 5 am if I do. So, we have a very unhappy few hours until he goes to bed around 6:30-7pm.
Yesterday I thought that I'd try to get him to stay awake in the morning by running errands, since that usually keeps him interested in his surroundings. I got to JoAnn's at 10 am and after ten minutes he put his little hands on the cart handle, laid his head on them, and went to sleep. This from the kid who screams bloody murder every Sunday when we try to hold him and get him to nap at church! So, I'm just at a loss of what to do. If I let him nap in the morning, then I basically have one hour to leave the house between his and Lydia's naps and I'm stuck at home the rest of the day. Does anyone have any great ideas of how get him wait until afternoon to take his daily nap? I can't take being a prisoner in my own home much longer!!!
(P.S. Thanks for reading my rambling mommy frustrations.)
Sorry, no advice. But I send my sympathies.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, a napping child at Joanns sounds nice =)
i have found that the more kids sleep the more they sleep. how old is he again?? usually they need 2 naps until 1 1/2 or so and then 1 nap until age 3. also think about throwing some toys in his crib so if he wakes up early he can play for awhile before you get him up. sorry. i wish i could help more- i am a sleep nazi for my girls.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... such a tough call. I am a stickler on naptimes and wake times and I don't get my kids up until they have been in their room for the full two hours at nap time (napping or not) and I don't get them up until 7:30am at the earliest, sleeping or not. I also have a few books and toys in each of their room to keep them entertained on the off chance they wake up early. It might take a week or so of being really strict (and seemingly mean), but I would just choose the schedule that you're ok with and stick to it... even if he screams bloody murder the first day or so. He'll eventually learn what the schedule is and that he has to be in his room for the full duration. I transitioned Andi down to one nap right around one. Easier said than done, I know. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a snooze button for the morning??
ReplyDeleteThat sucks! It sounds like some wonderful trips though!!! I know this sounds awful- but my babysitter has forced Ellie into the same nap cycle as the other kids, she just slowly (over the course of 2 months) moved her nap time 10 minutes later every few days so that now she's sleeping at noon with everyone else. Have you tried something like that at all?
ReplyDelete'Good Night Sleep Tight. The Sleep Lady's guide to...'
ReplyDeleteIt's the most awesome sleep book I've read, and I've read a lot of them. It goes from birth on up, addressing all the different situations. You could find it at the library, but TOTALLY worth having around as the sleep patterns change as they grow.
Boy...it's been a while since I've been blogging. I LOVED catching up on everything. You are the best mom around!! Happy 5th anniversary!! You have the best marriage!! I love your little kiddos too. Good luck with the napping. I don't really have any great counsel since both of my kids HATED napping!! So, basically, I was a failure.
ReplyDeleteHey, I don't know about the napping, but I can help with the pictures. I will email them to you next weekend. I am waiting to offload my camera til I get back to Switzerland. It was so fun to see you last week, miss you friend!
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