Moms! When did your kids drop their naps?
Here is our situation. Days I wake Anne Margaret up early, when nap time rolls around, she plays in her crib for 2 hours before falling asleep. Days I wake Anne Margaret up late, she plays in her crib for a few hours before falling asleep. At night, whether she wakes up at 3 pm from her nap or 6 pm, and no matter what time she goes to bed, she plays in her crib for an hour or two before going to bed.
Basically the only thing that is consistent is her playing, jumping, singing, dancing the "Tootie Ta" and singing Jingle Bells in her crib for hours on end. Whether its night time or nap time, the girl likes to party.
We have tried two days this week of missing naps. We keep thinking that maybe this is the ticket and she just is trying to drop it.
Woah nellie, holy moses, gee williker, sakes alive. Home girl is NOT very nice without naps and that doesnt seem to be working. Fussing, screaming, crying and those nights it normally takes her even longer to go to sleep. Its like she is too keyed up and overtired to settle down.
Most of this did start when we took away the paci. Its like the paci was her comfort and what settled her down.
I am not sure if I told you why we pulled the paci, but it was because she was chewing on it. She would gnaw holes in it and I was afraid when she sucked on it half asleep that it would tear off and choke her. Had she just been using it to suck, she probably would still have it.
Anyway, once she is asleep, she is good to go and will sleep for 12 hours straight...but then again, if she is up til 1 AM, I cant let her sleep til 1 PM....but when I wake her early, then I have a grumpy gus all day long and I tend to lose my patience more. You see my dilemma??
Here's an example of our Tuesday schedule from last week. I woke her at 8:30 AM. She went to school, played, we ran errands and ate lunch and at 12:45 or so, I put her down for a nap. At 2:50, she finally stopped playing and laid down...now its 3 PM and she has just gotten to sleep. I woke her at 4:30 PM because I didn't want her up all night but she was Oscar the grouch after being woken up. That night, at 10 PM, she was in bed....jumping, playing, telling herself stories, etc. She played happily in her crib til 12:35 AM when she finally laid down and fell asleep. Then Wednesday morning I hesitated to wake her because she was up so late. Wednesday we skipped our naps and bedtime that night was quite the scene.
I know we could take away her stuffed animals, but when we take stuff away {stuffed animal and blanket and night light} then all heck breaks loose. Wailing and gnashing of teeth and that is way worse than just letting her play. She gets so worked up screaming and crying that she cant breathe and throws her little self around bonking into the rails. That doesn't seem like the best option.
Should I go for a week sans nap and just see if we can hit a routine? Should we switch to a rest time and should I just give her books, etc. Is she trying to drop it or does she just not like to miss a thing? ...I tend to think its the latter. When she cries at night and you tell her to tell you whats wrong, she says, "she just wants to go play some more."
Anyway, advice?? What do your kids do? When did they drop naps? Do you let them sleep in if they were up late the night before? Should I power through nap time and just deal? Honestly, I don't mind her up late, but late for her I mean like 9:30 or 10 PM. NOT 1 AM!
...I know one thing. I cant complain that she is a night owl. Unfortunately, she gets that straight from her Mother! :)
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My daughter (2.5) does this too. Or did.
ReplyDeleteIt still takes her that long to go down, but she is in bed between 7 and 8. Likewise, nap time is now quiet time. 1:30 to 3 and then out of bed. Yes, that means sometimes a 10 minute nap. Yes it sucks.
But now she goes down by 9:30 and wakes at 6:30 consistently (we need that wake time so adjust accordingly.)
My gut reaction (and keep in mind that R's younger, and I don't really have a clue) is that she needs more consistency. R goes down at 7:30 pm, is up at 5:30/6 am, and naps from 12-1:30 pm. If we miss his nap by more than 1/2 an hour, he skips it. And then he's a bear. And if bedtime is more than a 1/2 hr off in either direction, then it gets a lot harder for him to go to sleep. BUT, if we follow the schedule he immediately (literally, under 5 min) lays down and goes to sleep. So...yeah. I'd recommend just trying to find a routine that works for you and trying to be consistent.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, EJ still naps in the afternoon. I have had to move it later in the afternoon so that she is actually tired. She goes down for a nap between 1:00-2:00. Usually she will fall asleep immediately and sleep for 2-3 hours. She is always awake by 4:30 if not sooner. Her bedtime is 7:00 {we are NOT night people! :)} and she wakes 6:00-6:30.
ReplyDeleteShe has always been a great sleeper, so I wonder if it depends on the child?? Also, my girls have always been on a schedule because it works well for us.
I will say, she rarely gets a nap on Sundays because we are with family. She is usually exhausted by evening and falls asleep in the car. I don't think it bothers her as much because she is distracted by other people.
My oldest daughter, now four, stopped taking naps around 2 1/2 years old. But she started sleeping on a twin bed at 1 1/2 years old and no paci at 2 years old. Everything is a battle with mine. Just have to be strong with whatever you decide. If she is playing for so long in the crib, just let her play outside the crib til she passes out on the floor. Then put her to bed. Every kid is different, just have to find what works best for you. Oh, 7:30 to 8 p is bedtime with reading several books then lights out for both my girls.
ReplyDeleteThe key for us has been the SAME daily schedule. So if I have to get him up at 7:45 on W/F then that's when we try to get up every day. We also have naptime at the same time every day. If he hasn't gone to sleep when naptime is "over" we get up anyway. And we have a bath and go to bed at relatively the same time every night. Same routine, same schedule. I know y'all don't watch much tv but I'd be sure to cut it out around sleep times. It seems counterintuitive but I think it keys them up. And stop all the wild fun and playing closer to bedtime. I do think she's just a night owl, but a schedule may HELP. It's going to be harder when "real" school rolls around. Those kids get up early!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you figure out the answers to a toddlers sleeping habits, PLEASE oh PLEASE share your info. My son is 2.5, previously he has been an awesome sleeper. But lately he wakes up 2 or 3 sometimes even 4 times a night. He comes into our room "mommy, daddy". We either escort him back to his bed where he falls back asleep or just put him in the bed with us. (Depends on how successful he has been on wearing us down.) He will go back to sleep, but geish I've almost forgotten what it's like to get a full 8 hrs sleep. Sometimes I've wished for the crib back just so he couldn't escape...lol.
ReplyDeleteJeremiah takes naps great for daycare but fights us. Generally, he's up by 6 am, naps from 12 to 2, then in bed by 8pm. I've heard several people say that they have similar issues with their 2 yr olds. Unfortunately the only answer I've heard is "Eventually they will grow out of it". Not what we wanted to hear. Best of luck to finding a schedule.
I don't know if anyone would agree with my answer...but...my opinion is consistency is the key. Out of my 4 kids 2 have given up naps shortly after turning 2 1/2 years old. Here's my thoughts if you still think she needs a nap...It might kinda stink for awhile, but you need to set a couple of weeks where AM gets up at the same time + or - 15 minutes, is put down at the same time, and then goes to bed at the same time. Then after some time she will begin to go with the routine. An important thing here is that once you get a routine then you can deviate from it a bit when necessary. With my first kid we kind of let her go to sleep when she wanted...wake up when she wanted (which was great because I loved sleeping late)...go to bed late because of our random schedule. But once our second was born...routine became, well, routine. Now...like I said...if you think you want to cut out naps somewhat then I used to have a quiet time...books in the bed or 2 dolls to play with. My question to you is how long after AM finally falls asleep do you let her sleep? I would start out with letting her sleep only like 30 minutes and then see how she does that night by bedtime. If she is still cranky...then let her sleep for an hour during nap. If it were me...I don't let me kids ever take naps longer than 2 hours MAX (unless sick). My 3 year old gets up at 6:30...takes a nap from 1:30-3:30...goes to bed at 8:00. My 2 year old's schedule now is up at 8:00...nap at 1:30-3:30...asleep at 9:00. And that rarely changes. But when it does she handles it much better. Okay...now that I wrote you a book...I hope it helps! Good luck! Any questions? Let me know.
ReplyDeleteLauren--here is my two cents! I am a firm believer in having children on a schedule. I know that it is not always possible to stick to one, but if you could for most days, I think it would help AM a lot. She would know what is expected of her (nap, rest, quiet time, etc.) The key too is consistency!! Children like to know that there is order and boundaries, and they NEED both!! I know you headed out of town (yeah, I get to see you!!) and we can talk more! AND, don't forget AM is adjusting to baby brother being brought into the family!! Major change for her!! Again, my two cents!! Love you!!
ReplyDeleteHi! I don't often comment, but I feel your pain! I have a 3 yr old who is giving up his nap, but his 1 yr old sister still naps WONDERFULLY so I want him to at least rest (if not nap) so that I have time to get a few things done around the house.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments about schedule/routine. We do naps around 1:30 or 2 everyday and if the 3 yr old falls asleep at 3:30, too bad, because everyone's up by 4. Also, what time do you put her down at bed time? Try moving her bed time up a little to see if that helps. I find that its harder for my kids to settle down when they are tired or overdone, and it sounds like she might be in that routine. Its counterintuitive but when my kids nap well and everyone gets in bed by 7:30 they fall asleep and sleep later in the morning than they do if they are up late. Good luck!
I have no answer for you. If there's anything I've learned from Slade it's that every child is different. What works for Zoe, might not work for AM. That being said, more consistency might be helpful, but I know you really love the freedom of not having a schedule... so more consistency might not work for you, and I believe that you are an important piece of the "what works for my family" puzzle. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteI guess you have to figure out what's more important, right now. A nap, having the freedom to be anywhere at anytime with a toddler who does great at 11pm, a nice quiet time in the afternoon for the whole family to reset for the next part of the day.... and then whatever you decide is the most important, just make the necessary changes.
what does your routine look like before she takes a nap?