It's official. Aubrey is down to one nap a day. I have definite mixed feeling about this. On the one hand I'm really sad to see the second nap go. I mean lets be honest. What mother doesn't love nap time? It's just a little extra time everyday that you can count on to get something done, rest, blog, read, etc. I usually use the time during Aubrey's morning nap to get ready for the day. Now that that time is gone I don't know what to do with her while I shower, do my hair, put on make-up, and get dressed.
On the other hand I'm glad we've finally gotten to this point. She's been fighting her naps for weeks. Everyday it was a battle that usually ended in a lot of frustration for both of us. I knew the signs were all there...but I just wasn't ready to let go. So now I'm glad that we can have nap time and bedtime with no tears.
The frustrating part is that Bree hasn't settled on a specific nap time. It all depends on when she wakes up, which can be anywhere from 7:15 am to 8:30 am. So, sometimes she's ready for a nap around 9:30 or 10:00,and other times she won't go down until 12:30 or 1:00. So that makes it really hard to plan my day, and know when I need to be home for nap time.
And then there is the matter of pooping. (Sorry to all of you non-mothers. Poop is a part of my life, thus a part of my blogging. It just can't be helped!) Sometimes Aubrey's nap will be cut short if she has to go number 2. In the past, while this was sometimes frustrating, it was never a big deal because I could make up for it during her second nap. Now that we're at one nap a day, if it's cut short for a number 2, then that is that for the rest of the day. It's no Bueno.
So that's where we are. One nap a day, but still trying to figure it all out. If anyone has any suggestions for how I can make it all work I would really appreciate it!
Also, what do you do with your kids while you get ready for the day?
10 comments:
Because I am in school right now, I usually get up earlier than Caleb to get ready for the day. But on the days I want to sleep in, I bring him into the bathroom with a few things to do. That way, he's restricted to one area and I can keep an eye on him. He also loves to watch me put on my make-up (I pretend to put some on him). And while I put my make-up on, I set him on the counter and he brushes his teeth.
Once a day naps are hard to adjust to at first, but I have found that I prefer them. He sleeps better during his naps and at night. You learn to get things done more efficiently...at least for me. Hope that helps.
I put Evie in her jumperoo. It's pretty close to our bathroom door, so she can watch me get ready, but she's still contained and happy for the 10 mins it takes me to shower.
I wish I still had one nap! You know Noa so hopefully this doesn't sound harsh...I put him in his room which has a baby-proof doorknob and tell him to play. I put Isca in her bumbo with a mirror right in front of her and I lift up the cloth curtain so she can still see me. Then I speedily shower and get dressed. Sometimes I just wait till Luke gets home so he can hold down the fort.
I got your message at my dr. appointment! Sorry for the short notice anyway. It worked out having the kids there, thank goodness for strollers with locking wheels and portable dvd players!
I admit that I much prefer one nap a day to two--we have so much more fun in the mornings, and the afternoon naps and bedtime work much more smoothly.
I've found with both my children (although I know it differs for everyone) that my girls will begin sleeping in later when they drop the morning nap. I also NEVER let Juliet go to sleep earlier than her "regular" naptime, no matter how cranky she is (although I'll adjust by half an hour or so), but I would suggest that you just stick to a regular time and then Aubrey will probably adjust to that.
My kids wake up about 8, go down for naps at 1:10 or so, and go to bed at 7:30.
As far as the morning--the best advice I've got is to be up and ready before Aubrey. Yes, you can distract her (my favorite method when I'm running late is to put the baby in her high chair and give her breakfast in the bathroom), but I find that always ends up making me more stressed and everything takes twice as long.
Noooooo! I'm shocked! Aubrey! The Queen of Sleep! Why? Why would you do this to your mother!?!
Okay, seriously, I'm mourning for you, but hopefully it's for the best.
As for getting ready, we are all up at 7, and I make sure to hurry and shower before Jason leaves for the day (not sure how that would work with a real working husband, vs. a student). Everything else can be done with Leah close by.
Best of luck- what a new frontier!
Quincey goes to bed and sleeps in until about 8:30 or 9. He then eats lunch around 11:30 am and then goes down for a nap around noon... but if we are out and about he can go much later and still be fine.
If I was not lazy I would get up before 8:30 and get dressed, but unfortunately that almost never happens!!! (so embarrassing)
Anyways, so normally Quincey is watching a video while I am getting dressed and make-up. And I normally have to shower at night time... translation? My hair never looks freshly done except on special occasions.
Ah, poo. Yeah, that always cuts M's naps short too when she goes during naptime. It took M a couple months to settle on a nap time after she went down for 1 nap. She normally goes down at about 12, but if life gets crazy she's okay going down later. When nap time gets cut short, I just make sure to put her down for bed on time to make up for it. As for getting ready...yeah I still haven't done that and it's 2:30 in the afternoon. Yikes. I've crossed over to the dark side in that regard and I put on a movie for M, or if times are desperate, I put toys in the bottom of the shower and let her play while I shower. I find I don't get ready nearly as often as I should anymore.
i just don't get ready. period. i wish i was kidding. i shower at night when she's in bed, so in the morning it takes me literally three minutes to brush my teeth as i'm getting dressed and throw a bandana on my head. voila!
i know that technique might not be an option for you :)
I remember when Gabby dropped her morning nap, and I had the same problem because she never woke up at the same time every day. But what ended up happening is that she would go down at the same time whether she slept in that morning or not. I just figured if she slept in it just meant she needed more sleep that day and so I still put her down at the same time. Does that make any sense?Gabby has now stopped napping at all, and I am so sad! We do a rest time, but its just not the same.
I usually let Gabby watch a movie for a few minutes while I get ready, or sometimes she just sits on my bed and reads books. Our house is pretty baby proof and she's old enough now that I don't have to worry about her too much.
We've been at the one nap stage for awhile and still don't have a set schedule. Basically, I plan my day and if we don't have anything doing on in the morning then Brooklyn can go down for her nap whenever she wants. If we're out and about then she just has to wait till we get home and she's usually pretty good about that! So good luck! It feels like you finally have a schedule down and then it changes! It sometimes seems like a never ending cycle :)
And about the getting ready for the day...I usually try and wake up before Brooklyn and workout/shower or latley it's just been hopping in the shower. But I also just set her on our bed (she knows how to get down from it) and turn on a cartoon for the couple minutes I'm in the shower. Plus - I can see my bed from our shower so I can keep an eye on her as well. Good luck! It's so hard to find what works and your own little niche - just know there are others out there going through the same things!
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