So, it is harder than I thought to keep AJU5 on a schedule! I know that if she naps too much the evenings are a bust. But, having a little girl who is crying at everything is no fun either. Two night ago we tried to put her down at 7 - her normal bed time (actually between 6:30-7:30). She stayed in bed for an hour - playing! At the end of the hour she got kind of cranky and we let her out. We finally got her back into bed at 9 - our bedtime! The cause for refusing to sleep - afternoon nap. She was cranky and asked to take a nap. Her morning nap had been cut short by the doctor's appointment, so I let her have another one - bad idea! Yesterday she had an hour morning nap and then a 15-20 minute nap in the car between my work and the grocery store. So, she was still below her two hour nap norm and went to bed around 6:30 without a fuss. Today she napped early - 8:30-10:30ish. Since we won't be home until 8:30ish tonight, I am actually hoping she naps this afternoon! I wish I could keep her on one schedule, but I also feel compelled to let her nap when she is obviously tired. It is a hard line to walk!
How are your kids at keeping to a schedule? Do you even try?
4 comments:
It seems to me that about every few months the schedule changes a bit--just when you're getting used to it!
We are all about the schedule:
up at 7, Jack naps from 9-11, lunch at 12, Jack naps from 1-3, dinner at 5:30, bath at 7, bed by 7:45. Repeat indefinitely.
He has a Little Gym class that messes with his morning nap, as does Harry's swim lesson, so we make minor adjustments, but other than that, schedule city!
It is really rough to keep a schedule now that the older kids are into activities. Our days are just not so orderly and organized like the were in the past. It makes it harder to have a set nap time. Back in the day, when life involved a morning activity that wore them out, it was easy to have an afternoon nap after lunch. (I actually found it easier to put 2 kids on a routine than when I only had 1 kid....so maybe there is hope for your future!)
Before summer, we had Dean on a fantastic sleep schedule:
Up around 7, nap at 10, up around noon-ish, nap at 3, then bed around 7:30. Suddenly at around 16 months old, he transitioned to one nap, usually taken between 11:30-12:30 and lasting between 2-3 hours. Vacation foo-barred our schedule, but we're getting it back in order.
I think the one thing that has been our saving grace at bedtime is our strict bedtime routine. We do bathtime, then the same 3 books each night in our bedroom. While we read, Dean drinks his milk, then we brush his teeth. Then his dad picks him up and we put him in his crib.
I hope your schedule straightens out some. Also, I couldn't believe it when I noticed on your ticker that you're already 18 weeks along! Almost halfway there! Hope the nausea has subsided and you're enjoying pregnancy. Junior #3 will be here before we know it!
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