DS telling me he needs a nap, go with it?

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

DS is just under 26 months old. He usually doesn't ever *want* to sleep. We haven't ever really figured him out sleepwise. Over the past few days he has been telling me "Ethan tired, Ethan nap now" and goes and climbs into his bed and asks me to close the curtains. If someone told me he would EVER do this, I would have laughed in their face. The problem is, it's at 11:30. He has been napping at 12:30-12:45 ish for a few months now. So of course I am thinking this is a routine disaster, what does he know anyways So I have been going with it. Letting him nap then. His naps have been unsettled for about 3 weeks. He is teething his two year molars and they have been the hardest teeth for us by FAR. Not a single one is through yet but this kid is in pain and his behavior and sleep are horrid. So the last few days his routine has looked like:

Wake: 5:50
Nap: 11:30-1:10ish waking at 12:40 crying out and going back to sleep.
In bed at: 7 but asleep by 7:45-8ish

Before I just went with his own little schedule:

Wake: 6ish
Nap: 12:30-2:10
In bed at 7:15 asleep by 8:15 ish

We still have NWings either way. They last for maybe 2 minutes.

So what do I do? Let him nap when he wants or have him nap when I want?

I should add that at his nap time of choice, he falls asleep quickly and by himself. With my naptime of choice, I have to go in there and convince him to stay in bed and usually end up sittig with him so not ideal at all especially with a new baby in 10 weeks

I'm tempted to just let him have at it but I am scared we will end up ever more OT then we probably already are.

[Tweakster]

Follow him.  This is true BW put to the test.  He's telling you something.  Molars are really really hard on them.

[Zoey]

I think the fact that he falls asleep better when he picks speaks volumes Jenn.  I'd follow him, and tweak the length of that nap and perhaps offer a 15m catnap if you feel he needs it later in the day to bridge to bedtime.  Sometimes very similar happened with Owen, I let him lead, and offered a catnap on some days, not others and it worked out in the end.

1130-1245 nap
catnap 5-515 on some day, or even just quiet time in bed
745 bed
IIRC!



PS how very independent and adorable of him

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

Would you just leave the bedtime though or tweak it since the nap is earlier?

Oh ok Zoey, that makes sense. I doubt he will CN but even quietly reading stories works.

It is so cute when he is telling me because he is so serious about it. Ah, I love him!

[babybarr]

I agree with the girls - I think you have to trust him!  I personally would bring bedtime a tad earlier.

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

So do I just go with it in every aspect? Now he has been asleep for 2hrs and 15 minutes. I'm panicing! Do I wake him or just let him catch up on some slee? Gah, I hate that I am such a control freak!

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

Really it's more like 2hrs and 25 minutes now that I see the time again.

[SammyNik]

If you haven't already I would probably wake him!! Then leave bedtime at normal time and see how you go. T has recently started doing this and it is harder as F is never ready to sleep when T is but he does sleep much better if I let him choose when he goes to bed, he will frequently sleep 2.5hrs and still goes to bed nicely. I *think* it might be helping with the EWs as well

[nona]

i believe sleep begets sleep...i am a crazy person who never woke my kid from a nap.

[Tweakster]

Even though F was an EW I still never woke him.  I figured if he was sleeping that long, he needed it.  Could be a growth spurt, the heat, developmental, fighting off illness, anything.  I would not wake him but I guess I'm probably crazy like Heather lol

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

I woke him at 3 hours. I thought it was getting a bit ridiculous. But he was an unhappy camper so I probably should have left him I always pick the wrong thing! Oh well. We shall see how bedtime goes!

[Tweakster]

Nah you might have just woke him at the wrong part of his sleep cycles.  I often find that when we have to wake F from a nap.  He's probably well-rested but it may take him time to get over the shock of it all.  Let us know how he gets on :-)

[nona]

you might have just woke him at the wrong part of his sleep cycles.

yea this was prob the reason!

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

Gah I don't know. He was a mess all afternoon. Who knows? He finally fell asleep at 8:45 with a LOT of help from me. He woke at 12am and then at 4:50 but I was able to put him back until 6:10am. He has been really clingy and needing me a ton which is not like him. We walked to the park when DH got home and Ethan was riding his bike so DH was chasing after him. Me waddling around isn't a pretty sight so I let DH do that stuff Anyways, they went around the corner and DS couldnt see me and he jumped off his bike, collapsed onto the ground in tears, screaming Mommy. Normally he doesn't care of I leave at all. So I don't know if this is teeth or baby coming or a combination of both but he is being odd all around. I will just go with it and see what happens, I guess.

[Zoey]

I bet its a little of both plus him sensing things are changing (baby) and his age (cause he keeps getting older and going thru phases ).  It may take some adjustment and bringing bedtime earlier. 

HUGS.