How to tweak schedule

[jswerczek]

We are traveling out of town for a funeral and I'm a little nervouse about naps. The funeral is at 10 a.m. when my little boy who is almost nine months old lays down for a nap. I could probably push him a bit, but don't want him to be fussy during the funeral. I have thought about getting up at 5 a.m. for the day to make it all work, but that seems a little extreme He can stay awake for 2.5-3 hours but then gets tired. After the funeral is a lunch and I'm not sure where I can lay him down at, but he needs to sleep at some point!

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[Deb_in_oz]

this is one of those situations where you just have to go with the flow as much as possible and get creative.  how far "out of town" is the funeral - is it longerthan a 1/2 hr drive? if you can try to time the drive for when he mightbe tired enough to take at leats a 30-45 min nap then you can buy yourself some flexibility.  just try to att the minimum take the edge of tiredness.

at the funeral - if he starts getting crnky/fussy don't stress yorself too much - he is a baby and peopel will have to understand. as much as it might be tempting top let others take him "to giveyou a break" i woudl say if he is not well rested to limit this as much as possble - passing a baby around can be extremely stimulating and tiring. also he will already be out of his element/routine and possibly overtired and this coudl make things worse.  just holding him during the funeral could relax him - keep his stim.. low and you might buy some more time as well - if you can keep him in a stroller even better as he MIGHT doze off especially if you cover it up so he has nothing to look at.

try to find a time int he day when you can get him down for a proper nap - even if it means leaving a bit early.

sorry for your loss - don't try to worry too much about sticking to his routine - just do the best you can and keep it all low key and he will probably surprise you. as long as he gets a nap that day he will probably bounce right back - tick close to home the next day to get him well rested and he will be fine i imagine.

[jswerczek]

Thanks for the advice Debra. It is quite far and we will be traveling the day before so unfortunately we can't squeeze a nap out in the car. I will just be flexible and like you said, keep it low key. I know everyone will want to hold him, but maybe they can hold off until he has a proper nap! I know that there is nothing I can do but try to get through it, it is just nice to have someone tell me it will be okay We have been pretty die hard EASY since day one and my only complaint is that when things come up, I get a little paniced and am not sure how to deal. But my little one always surprises me and I have to learn that it is okay to go off of routine once in awhile!

[Deb_in_oz]

good luck jennifer and just keep that attitude.  there will always be weddings, funerals, christmas gatherings etc and that is the beauty of EASY - because you have been consistent with him from early on, he can easily get back on routine especially if the variation is not long llived or too extreme (like making a 3 nap a day kid go to 1 nap for a week etc). we went away for 6 nights with Liv in January and she had never even slept in a travel cot and not only did she do that but most of the nights she and big sis had to share a room and they both did great (up early etc chatting together but both slept through the night so i was happy - i had to trust they woudl be ok which i know is hard but it does work)  within a day of returning she was back to the routine she was on before we went (while away she had early wakings so did 2 naps instead of 1...) THIS IS WHERE THE HARD WORK PAYS OFF. and if it i a hard time do what you have to to get a nap - don't think "oh it is AP if i hold him to sleep or use a stroller or car ride" he knows what to do under NORMAL circumstances and that is the difference.