Support for "Dropping that last nap"

[Mom to M&M]

Oh boy Rina - sorry to hear that. Laura - sorry as well - will he nap better in stroller with a cover/shade on it so he's less stimulated? Deborah - maybe try to cut his nap to 1.25 hours tops and earlier bedtime?

Well as for us, DD did fall back asleep - maybe around 7:30. I went in at 8 to wake her and she was only lightly asleep and woke up ok and informed me that she sucks her thumb in the crib/bed only. Very cute. Class ended up being cancelled though so we just ran a bunch of errands and the plumber is here now and I'm thinking maybe I'll try for a nap somewhere between 1 and 1:30. Fingers crossed.

[Mom to M&M]

But I'd give it like 2 weeks of consistently cutting it to 1.25 hours with a slightly earlier bedtime before deciding if it is working...

DD fell asleep at 1:30 or maybe just after. Will wake her at 2:45/2:50 and try for 8:15 bedtime and hope for the best!

[debo620]

hmm, seems Kaleb is taking his nap then like 5.5grs or so after waking hey? I wonder if that would work and then I'm sure Noah would also wake after 1hr15 on his own from not as tired etc.

today I'll just lay him down at 12:30---and see when he fall asleep.----would like at least 1hr 30min nap from crap 9hr night last night.

this shouldn't be so hard...

[MommaHolmes]

Our plan B was a disaster!! Went in to his room after an hour as he had been mostly quiet but occasionally calling out (which I ignored as he wasn't crying), he'd filled his nappy and seemed to have got out a small handful which was on his bed sheets, his wall, his floor and on him 

Ah well, tomorrow is another day.

Thanks Karen, will see if I can make the stroller a bit less stimulating for him next time I try that. I think I could have done with setting off about 20 mins earlier also but sometimes when there's two of them and one of you it doesn't quite work out like you plan!

[Mom to M&M]

I agree - yucky plan b! Sorry that didn't work. Deborah - maybe cut to 1.5 tops and try to get him to bed 5.5 hours later?

I woke dD at 2:50 after about 1.25 hours, maybe one hour 20 minutes. She is obviously still tired and her cheeks are a bit flushed - so we'll see. Will try to have her in bed by 8:15 and see...

[PeepersMom]

At the ripe old age of 2.5-2.75 we still mess with A times to get a good nap.  For us we almost always have had a good hour longer in the eve than the morn.  Mostly his choice. I pretty much put him down the same time every night and usually he will fall asleep at about 1 hour longer awake time in the eve than in the am.  Unless he is sick, then you never know. 

For example yesterday napped after 5.5 hours awake time but at bed fell asleep at 6.5 awake time.  Unfortunately if it takes till 6.5 A for nap we are in for a very late night = early morning and an early day the next.

Talking it over with Dh we just don't think that even though PJ has his fair share of 30min naps, and he is taking longer and longer to fall asleep for nap it is still worth the effort to give get him a nap.  If he naps he will stay stay awake until around 8pm at night - even if the nap is only 45 min.  But no nap he can't last much past 6:15.  To me that means he needs that nap --- even if it is a power nap. 

I think in the past several months he has also started to regulate his night time sleep to be 11 hours so that is good enough that even if he does a 20 min nap he can make it to 7pm and it isn't so much that he might take a 1.5 nap depending on how he is feeling that day.

So in the end, even though we did have a few rough weeks with him fighting nap, I am not sure he is dropping it OR I am going to stop it b/c it isn't worth the fight.  He will get used to the idea again in time.  today it only took 20 min to fall asleep for nap.

now I need some serious help on how to get his mind to turn off at bedtime.  You should hear him in there reviewing his day, talking about things that happened 2 weeks ago, counting, abc's, singing Thomas, pretending to be a race car.... crashing!!  It is enough to drive me batty!  Just go to sleep already!!!! 

Meg

[rinajack]

By the time I went to bed, Zara's night ended up being fine.  Hughs did not, a whole other story

Up at 6:30. We are going out this morning for a playdate, Hugh probably wont' nap, or will short nap, so we should all be able to have our nap together at a slightly earlier hour today which will be good.  I am just soo tired lately, and really need this nap with the kids to help me be a good calm mother.

Tomorrow morning, we leave for a weeks holiday away.  Not sure what that will mean for naps for either kid, we could me in a right mess of a routine when we get back, only time will tell.

[Mom to M&M]

Meg - have you tried Hyland's Teething tablets? Same company makes Calms Forte 4Kids. I finally tried it tonight - 2 tabs about 30 minutes before bed and 2 more tabs right before bed. Got her in her crib at about 8:20 and she was actually asleep (I think or at least very quiet) by 8:50 - MUCH better than last night (10pm) or the night before (11). Think it must help turn off the super active minds and bodies...

Have a GREAT holiday Rina!

[debo620]

well Noah was asleep about 12:50---so I let him sleep til 2:30, was planning for bed at 7:45, but he is on mini meltdown mode come 6:30---so bed my be at 7:30ish instead---and then he has some more windown time in crib.

[aisling]

Ahhhhh I let him sleep 2 hours!  He didn't fall asleep until 9:45pm I'm an idiot!  I got carried away cleaning out closets.  Why does it have to be so hard?

A x

[PeepersMom]

 Why does it have to be so hard?

A x

Amen sister!

At least you were doing something constructive = I am usually watching reality tv reruns and loving every minute of it. 

Karen, I actually have some nighttime calming stuff in the med cabinet for PJ that I haven't used in ages.  I used it for a plane ride once and it worked to keep him calm.  I hadn't thought about it in a while, thanks for the reco!!  Currently listening to my "baby Meerkat sunning himself on a rock" as we went to the zoo today.  I feel like going in there and yelling "QUIET!!!!!!!!" 

I actually don't know how long PJ slept for his nap today - I thought it was a touch over an hour but when I went in to get him he has his pants and underwear off b/c he wet.  He was playing with his blanket - so maybe he had only an hour?  He seemed very tired at bedtime, but I guess he still needs work his stuff out before falling asleep.  Last night I was thrilled when it only took a mere 50 min before he fell asleep.

Meg

[Katet]

I read all your posts & I think oh I wish our life was simple enough to be able to look at a nap around 5.5/6hours from wake up. To be able to balance the needs of a 4.5yo & 2.75yo, we simply have to wing it... today the 4.5yo has a bit of a fever & is taking a nap, while the younger sibling, well  who knows... we are also having some toilet regression issues with wet beds (he has been dry at night for 4months) & almost daily poo in pants... I wish I could pin point a reason for it, but can't.

[rinajack]

HUGS Kate....

And yes, being able to time it prefectly for each child would be marvellous!  I have taken (so we can all share nap time) to Hugh napping too early for PM nap, and Zara napping too late....but we are all pretty well rested, so can't complain too much.

The kids have just managed (through sheer good fortune) to fall asleep in the same room at the same time - WITHOUT ME THERE! There was a fair amount of playing, but I wanted some space, so I thought I would let them play for 1/2 hr while I had some time to myself, then I would go in and lay with them to help with the actual nap process.....and they are already asleep! I still need that nap, so will join them soon

[Mom to M&M]

Kate - I can't even imagine trying to balance the needs of two so close in age. DH and I hope to TTC maybe 6-8 months from now and we've discussed that and know that the second will have to be a lot more wing it - stroller naps, car catnaps, whatever since we'll also be busy with DD. Does make it sometimes seem silly to be stressing so much over it now. Actually, we're really not stressing too much - more just trying to figure out what we can do to make it easier for DD (and ourselves!). Sorry to hear that he's having some toilet regression issues - we've had a few here too.

Meg - the zoo sounds fun! Aisling - I need to clean closets and all too. Have a good nap Rina! Deborah - hope Noah had a good night. As for us, after falling asleep at 8:50 DD woke crying and saying potty at 3:10 or so. But she only had a few dribbles and did let me put her right back in her crib after a couple of hugs. She did fuss for a minute or two but think she was back asleep by 3:30 or 3:40. Think she's just waking now at about 7:55 so we'll see how day goes.

[debo620]

so Stacy, no nap yesterday then? if Kaleb had 12hr+ nights both nights?

last night was good! in crib for 7:35 or so and asleep 8 or 8:15, no NW and slept til 7:15or so,

so I'm laying him down soon 12:45 or so