While I had hoped to have this posted before the end of the night on Tuesday, things do not always go as planned. It’s ironic that today’s topic is about nap time. Charlie would not sleep today! Instead, he would sit there and laugh at me! I was not entertained. Silly boy was making me lose my mind.
When Maggie was born, I was sure that all babies should sleep in their beds. Then, she was born and I realized that wasn’t for us. For quite awhile, I napped with her. Then we slowly transitioned from that, to her napping without me sleeping by her, which involved her napping on my lap on the couch. A month or so after Charlie was born, she was not napping well, so then we transitioned to her bed. While I won’t say this was all pain free, it mostly worked well for us both. Most of the tears were mine, ha! Now, nap time isn’t usually too much of a problem around here, but it is also done very non-traditionally.
We have a fabulous system {sort of}. We have a two bedroom house, and I watch another little girl, so what works for us is a bit odd I suppose. I lay down the girl I watch in my room in the pack-n-play. Then, Maggie gets to watch TV while I get Charlie to sleep. Then, I lay him down on the futon in the living room and hang out with Maggie for a bit before her nap time. She sleeps in her bed in her room for nap. Ideally, I wouldn’t have him napping downstairs with me, but it’s what works for us, and I am a firm believer that if it works for your family, then it isn’t a problem.
If it works for your family, then it isn’t a problem. When it stops working, then it is a problem.
Some things that may help with nap time:
~Keep the routine similar to bedtime, only shorter.
~Play soft music or a fan to block out other songs.
~Read a few stories before nap.
~Nap in the same place as bedtime.
~Know when your child needs to nap. While this may seem like a no brainer, if their nap time is too close or too long after they wake up, they be either not be tired, or be so overtired, they struggle to sleep.
~Most importantly, find what works for you. When trying something new, give it a few weeks before deciding if it is working.
~Keep a sleep journal, this may help figure out when your child needs to sleep.
Let’s face it, nap time is valuable for both the kids and the parents! I feel so recharged when I can catch a few minutes to myself while they are napping.
Each week we are linking up for Tuesday’s Toddler Tales. This week’s topic is nap time wins or loses. Next week’s topic is the sweetest thing.
Is naptime a struggle at your house or has it become a battle?
For us, naptime is a battle. LO refuses go to sleep unless 1 or more parents are “sleeping” next to him, & even then it often takes an hour to convince him to go down. Although, recently, I’ve given the co-sleeping thing 45 minutes, then (if he’s not asleep), put him in his crib & leave the room. He usually cries for about 20 minutes, then falls asleep.
Sleep is such a tough thing! Every child is so different. I hope you find what works for you guys and is easier on all of you!
Nap time is sometimes a struggle in my house. My daughter is four, somedays we don’t do naps. Somedays we both nap. I am seven months pregnant and it goes well when we both nap. She is always worried about missing something.
Those are some great tips! Along with those, I have found it also helps if you don’t let your child do anything but nap/sleep in their bed. If they associate their bed with playing, sometimes this makes sleeping a bit harder. Great article! 🙂
Very true, I forgot all about that one.
Nap times and bed time are ok for us, as long as it is me putting my little girl to bed. She won’t let anyone else do it. It is probably because I am a SAHM, so I spend so much time with her (and the fact that I have the boobies!!!). I am afraid what will happen if and when I leave her with a babysitter!
That is how it has been for us for a long time! Both kids were that way.