Amidst the very looong few weeks we've been trudging through around here with bouts of the flu, teething and toddler sleep refusal, I decided to cut Tory back to one nap a day. I might be crazy, yes it's true. My decision mostly derived from sheer exhaustion and dread in the fight of another 90 minute battle with Miss No Nap. I just didn't have it in me. Plus, most toddlers her age who attend day care have moved onto a one-nap schedule, so I thought maybe she was ready to do the same. Maybe I was trying to over-sleep her and that's why she was fighting me so hard.
We've been at the one-nap thing for four days now, and I'm not convinced it's the right move for us. For one, I've really fallen in love with the idea of having an hour in the morning to myself to shower, blog, throw in a load of laundry, clean, whatever. Before the holidays, we had a nice little system in place of wake-up, breakfast, playtime, poop (for Tory, in case there was any confusion about that), milk and a morning nap. I didn't even care we were confined to the house until mid-day because I was able to cross a few things off my day's to-do list and have a little "me time" to boot. Secondly, Tory is an early riser (usually stirring at 5:00am and up for good between 5:30am - 5:45am) so by the time 9:00am rolls around, she needs a little down time. Her morning nap is usually her solid sleep of the day, sometimes 1-2 hours, and it's the second afternoon nap she seems to need less.
I realize four days isn't long enough in the parenting world to test if any theory works. I should give this one-nap thing at least a week or two to see if it's really the path we're on. I've tried to busy Tory and I every morning with trips to grandma's house, Target or the gym so the day doesn't feel so long for us. Except, every time I put her in the car to go somewhere she falls asleep. Staying at home for six hours in the morning isn't my favorite choice as the constant whining, pant-leg pulling and shouts of "up! up!" can be a little overwhelming without a mental break somewhere. If it's not a morning nap for Tory, then Target or Storytime at the library will have to do.
Things seems to be getting back to normal around here. Tory's fourth one-year molar popped through her gums and she seems in less discomfort overall. I'm feeling about 90% better after the worst flu-turned-cold cough and congestion crap I've experienced in quite some time. After the holiday hoopla and being at home for two weeks now, Tory seems less insistent on being held during every waking hour and more interested in occupying herself with toys, etc. Back to routine feels good.
This morning, around the time of her old morning nap, Tory looked a little sleepy. I warmed up some milk and decided to rock her for a few minutes in her bedroom. She seemed drowsy and calm, so I laid her down in her crib, said night-night and walked away. Not a peep from her. NOT A PEEP!!! It was like the old days, a simple morning nap! No wrestling! No frustration! Hallelujah!
The benefit of being home with Tory every day is we can set our own schedule. Just because all the other toddlers her age are ditching morning naps doesn't mean we have to, right? Things seems to be back on track around here for both of us. I'm so, so glad. I'm going to relax and enjoy this moment we're in, instead of stressing over morning activities and one-nap schedules. And, breathe ... ahhh.
Ok, I am clearly no expert, but after reading this, I was nodding my head that Tory still needs a morning nap. We've been having a little difficulty with Jake's afternoon nap as well - his morning nap is awesome, he goes down no problem and sleeps 1.5-2 hours. But, the afternoon nap can be a struggle. He usually WILL nap, but sometimes it takes awhile and there have been days when he has just "rested" in his crib and not fallen asleep at all. I started reading about when to switch to one nap and the biggest thing I read is if your child is falling asleep in the car in the morning, then they still need a morning nap. Also, the morning and afternoon nap are for different reasons. The morning nap is more important for a younger baby because it's a deeper sleep, more REM and helps them developmentally. The afternoon nap is more just a rest time, so often can be a lot shorter. This totally fits with Jake. There's no way if I took him in the car in the morning that he wouldn't fall asleep. By 9:30am, he's dragging for sure and needs that nap. So, I think by what you're saying that Tory is still in this realm as well. That being said, I know how frustrating it is when your kid won't nap. Remember all my stories about Allie!!! She was a disaster, but now at 3.5, she's a champ! There's hope for Tory yet :)
ReplyDeleteMust comment after living through this situation in July!
ReplyDeleteMy baby (then 15 months) was doing the exact same routine as Tory. From four months old, she would wake up at 5:15 a.m. on the dot every day, take a solid two hour morning nap (8:30-10:30) and a good one hour afternoon nap (2:00-3:00). But at 15 months, she started fighting the afternoon nap and spent 45 minutes-1 hour just having a grand old time in her crib which would escalate into screaming.
We made the switch to one nap and it took about 2-3 weeks of manic singing in the car/sprinting to keep her alert in the stroller/lots of outdoor time to keep her awake in the mornings. It sucked. Or sometimes I'd let her sleep for 10 minutes, and push her afternoon nap back half an hour.
For a month or so, she'd sleep from 11:00-12:30/1:00 for a mid-day thing. Over the next few weeks, we pushed the nap back until now she sleeps from 12:30-3:00 (yes, the sleep length increased once she seemed to realize she was getting just one nap a day).
And FINALLY after her entire life of waking up at 5:15, she now sleeps until 6 or 6:30 (bedtime at 7).
I, too, hated the transition and missed the productive time I had alone each morning. But, now she takes such a long afternoon nap when I'm getting sleepy, too, and the mornings are wide open to fill with fun activities without the hassle of rushing home to get her morning nap in.
Now I dread going back to two naps a day when my next arrives this spring! We're too used to the morning freedom!
Holy crap - you just described our EXACT SCHEDULE. Maybe I should work toward one nap??
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