I am sitting at my computer with my earplugs in so I don't have to listen to my children scream their way through the afternoon (actually the earplugs only dull the noise - I can still hear them). I have been saying for over a month that we are transitioning to one nap but I haven't really been too serious about it until now. The boys conspired together last week and decided they were done taking an afternoon nap. Of course, they still want to take a morning nap around 9:30 so that means the last several days they have been up from 11ish until bedtime at 7:00. Not fun for the parents. So, I decided it was time to get serious about this transition to one middle-of-the-day nap. When they go to MDO they only take one nap and that's no problem but, of course, it's not the same at home.
Yesterday was day one and they made it until 11:15. I thought that was great until everyone started crying about 12:15. Seriously, they are only going to sleep for an hour? I thought they might want to take a nap around 3:00 but nope, they thought that was silliness. So, they both went to bed around 6:45 (Jacob actually walked into his room and was waiting by his bed when I finished putting Luke to bed). And then, lucky us, Jacob woke up this morning at 5:36. I know it was 5:36 because I dreamed it was 5:36 (I forgot how sleep deprivation makes you have the WACKIEST dreams) and then I opened my eyes and, sure enough, my clock said exactly 5:36 AM. Sleep deprivation also apparently makes you have ESP.
So, I read last night that you should move the nap time back in 15-20 minute increments so today I tried putting them down around 10ish and will just keep moving it back slowly until we get to 11:30 or 12. They still only slept for an hour and so I thought I would give them a chance to take an afternoon nap which is why I'm now wearing the earplugs. Luke is literally SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. I want to go hide under a rock.
Anyone have any thoughts? I know everyone says it takes a few weeks to make the one-nap transition but, oh my goodness, this is craziness.
1 comment:
Hi Suzanne,
My experience has been that once you come up with a gameplan - you need to stick to it. I have one child who is very flexible, and another who is very much a creature of habit and regimen. If you start down a path and then change your mind from day to day (such as sleep deprivation is apt to do to you), you likely will end up with only cranky and confused kiddos. (Not to mention a cranky and frustrated Mommy!)
Once their little systems start getting used to getting only one nap per day, they will be sleepier at naptime and prone to sleep a little longer. But, if you keep trying to throw in an afternoon nap here and there because you're worried they aren't getting enough sleep, chances are their bodies will stay confused and you will remain frustrated.
My suggestion: Trust your instincts, and try to maintain as much predictability as possible at naptime. They will adjust in a couple of weeks to the new time, and hopefully, to a longer nap.
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