Thursday, October 6, 2011

Napping dilemma

We have been having some issues with Elliott's napping lately and I am completely worn out trying to figure it all out. She has always been a fantastic sleeper, which I know is not the case with all babies. So for a while she has gone to bed at 7:30 or 8, sleeps until around 7, then takes two 1.5-2 hour naps. Don't get me wrong...I'm SO thankful for her sleeping habits, but I think I was spoiled.

Ever since she started walking, I feel like she basically decided she really didn't want to nap anymore. I assumed it would be the opposite...it made sense to me that she would be MORE tired when she started walking. BABIES NEVER MAKE SENSE. Remember that Lacey. As soon as you think you are in control and have it all figured out, they totally mix things up. I think they just want to mess with their poor Mama's mind. Lately, every nap is a battle. I usually try to put her down about 10 and then again at 2 or so. I don't want to lay her down too late in the evening because then she doesn't want to go to bed. Call me selfish, but I need my evenings to recuperate, people. We go through the same rituals we always have when I lay her down (give her her pacifier, read her a couple books, hold her for 5 minutes or so), but she cries EVERY time I lay her down. On a good day, it's just a cry of protest as I leave but then she falls asleep. On a bad day, it's full out screaming like I'm trying to torture her by putting her in her crib. She has yet to fall asleep when she starts really screaming.

I have had two theories: 1. I have not let her get tired enough, or 2. I let her get too tired. Both seem to make no difference. So then I started thinking, maybe she is ready for just one nap, even though everything I have read said that 14 months is a little young to drop down to one nap. This would make sense, except for the fact that when she doesn't get two naps, she is SO grumpy and EXTREMELY dramatic. Every fall, taken away object, or you name it is the end.of.the.world. Imagine dramatic crying and laying on the ground. She obviously is tired. When I can't handle the drama any more, I end up rocking to her, singing to her, anything to try to make her fall asleep, which she usually does.

I feel kind of at my whit's end. I was reassured by this post that we're not alone in these sleeping issues. Anyone with young kids have any thoughts or recommendations?

1 comment:

  1. Well, I have one of those babies who requires NO sleep. So, my opinion needs to be taken with a grain of salt. :) But Paisley used to take 2 much shorter naps a day until about 2 months ago when she went down to one. She still dozes off for 15-20 minutes a second time every now and then. But we also only get 8-9 hours of sleep at night. So who knows!?!

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