"Back to Square One," or "I Call the Little One 'Bitey.'"
A couple weeks ago, I swore off putting the boys on a one-nap-a-day schedule. While they didn’t like taking their morning nap, they weren’t ready to run the entire day with only one nap break. I wanted to wait until they were definitely mature enough to handle the long wake time period necessary in a single nap routine.
Apparently they’re mature enough now. After a few days of reinstating their morning nap, they started showing signs that they were ready to drop it again. Specifically, they screamed throughout the entire morning naptime instead of actually napping. I decided that if they weren’t going to sleep anyway, I might as well let them continue playing around the house. Maybe they’ll tire themselves out for a decent afternoon nap.
We’ve been on this single nap schedule for about a week now, and things are progressing smoothly. They seem to be read to handle one nap, though by the time naptime rolls around they’re occasionally crankier than a Harry Potter spoiler victim. They still have relapses where they fall asleep too soon, usually in the car, but they’re getting used to their new routine.
Yesterday I was swinging the kids in our backyard before naptime. I always try to give the kids some time outside before naptime. I read somewhere that several minutes of sunlight before naptime can help children sleep better. I have no idea if this is true, but I’ll try anything that can coax a few extra minutes out of naptime.
After deciding that our ashen skin had absorbed enough sunlight for one afternoon, I stopped the swings to bring everyone inside for the naptime routine. Abbie hopped down and ran away from the house, likely to delay naptime. When I walked around to the front to unbuckle the boys from their swings, I discovered that the gentle swaying front to back punctuated by occasional shoves in the back had already lulled them to sleep.
Abbie taught me long ago that a child falling asleep before naptime is a bad thing. When she’d fall asleep in the car, she’d often consider that little pre-nap a suitable replacement for the actual nap, and refuse to fall back asleep.
I unbuckled the boys, waking them, and whisked them inside. My only alternative was to let them sleep in the swings, but I couldn’t let that happen. Even if the elements and barking neighborhood dogs allowed them a full-length nap, we’d all regret the hot pink hue their skin would develop after an afternoon in the sun.
When I set everyone down for their nap, I could tell the boys weren’t tired. I closed their door anyway and hoped for the best.
Within minutes, Tory was screaming. Ian, desperate for something entertaining in their barren, dim, and quiet room, bit his brother on the back. I returned both to bed, soothed Tory, and closed the door again while hoping for the best.
I repeated this process a few minutes later, and a few minutes after that, and a few more minutes after that. Ian bit Tory four times rather than try to fall asleep. Ian was justified the one time Tory tried sleeping in his bed. I felt a little unsympathetic for Tory the two times Ian bit him while lying on the floor since he’s not supposed sleep on the floor anyway. I got a little upset at Ian the one time he climbed into Tory’s bed to bite him.
After the fourth bite, Ian got the message and quit biting. My firmness with him may have helped the message sink into his head like teeth into a back. When they awoke, I checked Tory’s back for damage. It was red and bruised in multiple locations. He may have been better off spending the afternoon baking outside in the swing.
Apparently they’re mature enough now. After a few days of reinstating their morning nap, they started showing signs that they were ready to drop it again. Specifically, they screamed throughout the entire morning naptime instead of actually napping. I decided that if they weren’t going to sleep anyway, I might as well let them continue playing around the house. Maybe they’ll tire themselves out for a decent afternoon nap.
We’ve been on this single nap schedule for about a week now, and things are progressing smoothly. They seem to be read to handle one nap, though by the time naptime rolls around they’re occasionally crankier than a Harry Potter spoiler victim. They still have relapses where they fall asleep too soon, usually in the car, but they’re getting used to their new routine.
Yesterday I was swinging the kids in our backyard before naptime. I always try to give the kids some time outside before naptime. I read somewhere that several minutes of sunlight before naptime can help children sleep better. I have no idea if this is true, but I’ll try anything that can coax a few extra minutes out of naptime.
After deciding that our ashen skin had absorbed enough sunlight for one afternoon, I stopped the swings to bring everyone inside for the naptime routine. Abbie hopped down and ran away from the house, likely to delay naptime. When I walked around to the front to unbuckle the boys from their swings, I discovered that the gentle swaying front to back punctuated by occasional shoves in the back had already lulled them to sleep.
Abbie taught me long ago that a child falling asleep before naptime is a bad thing. When she’d fall asleep in the car, she’d often consider that little pre-nap a suitable replacement for the actual nap, and refuse to fall back asleep.
I unbuckled the boys, waking them, and whisked them inside. My only alternative was to let them sleep in the swings, but I couldn’t let that happen. Even if the elements and barking neighborhood dogs allowed them a full-length nap, we’d all regret the hot pink hue their skin would develop after an afternoon in the sun.
When I set everyone down for their nap, I could tell the boys weren’t tired. I closed their door anyway and hoped for the best.
Within minutes, Tory was screaming. Ian, desperate for something entertaining in their barren, dim, and quiet room, bit his brother on the back. I returned both to bed, soothed Tory, and closed the door again while hoping for the best.
I repeated this process a few minutes later, and a few minutes after that, and a few more minutes after that. Ian bit Tory four times rather than try to fall asleep. Ian was justified the one time Tory tried sleeping in his bed. I felt a little unsympathetic for Tory the two times Ian bit him while lying on the floor since he’s not supposed sleep on the floor anyway. I got a little upset at Ian the one time he climbed into Tory’s bed to bite him.
After the fourth bite, Ian got the message and quit biting. My firmness with him may have helped the message sink into his head like teeth into a back. When they awoke, I checked Tory’s back for damage. It was red and bruised in multiple locations. He may have been better off spending the afternoon baking outside in the swing.
posted by Matt at
11:03 PM
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