Does anyone have any thoughts on phasing out naps? I think that Blake probably doesn't need one every day. For example, today we probably shouldn't have pushed a nap since he was up til after 9pm (normal bed time is 7:30). But how do you tell when your kids need a nap. I know Blake isn't ready to totally give up naps ( a few weeks ago he went 3 days in a row without naps and by the 3rd day he was falling asleep at 5:30 so we had a long evening keeping him awake).
We are just trying to figure this out. Any suggestions or advice on the matter is welcome. Thanks in advance.
5 comments:
What worked for us was that he had a quiet time in his room. If he needed a nap, he would fall asleep within 15 minutes. If he didn't need a nap, he would spend the time looking at books in his bed. I would come get him after he'd been in there after 45 minutes or so. The trick was to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal so Jackson was relaxed enough to fall asleep. I also pushed his nap time back (to 2:00 or 2:30) on days I was pretty sure he would fall asleep to seal the deal. For a while he would take a nap every third day. When he wouldn't even fall asleep on those days, I stopped expecting naps all together and there was a while where he was just plain tired around dinner time. He finally grew out of that.
I mean I would come get him if he hadn't fallen asleep yet. Also I never let him sleep over an hour or so because he would go to bed too late.
I love nap time! Brooklyn (who is 5) still takes a nap and Savannah (3) too. I might have to phase Brooklyn's nap out when she starts kindergarten :) My kids are much happier with a nap especially around dinner time. If they don't nap they are really grumpy and not fun. They do go to bed at 8:30 though. That's the trade off: earlier bedtime or naps. All 3 kids are asleep right now and I even got a short nap too. Good luck!
I liked what Katrina said. That is kind of what we did with Max until he got smart and wouldn't do quiet time anymore. If he naps, don't let it be for too long 1/2-1 hour. And keep them as early as possible.
Looking back to what my mom did with me (what I can remember), we would go lay down in my bed and read a book. If I feel asleep, I'm sure my mom was stoked. Otherwise, I knew that this was "quiet time" and I was to stay in bed, usually reading a book.
I agree, that you should designate a new "quiet time" versus nap time. Blake may see that as more of a big kid thing instead of a baby thing, like his darling little sister. It also teaches him that it's okay and expected to be quiet for a time. Keep it separate from a time-out in that he is allowed quiet picture books but no toys and a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. It may take some work, but eventually Blake will get it and hopefully begin to enjoy it!
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