On Napping

I have always been a big believer in sleep for the babies. And after reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and being scared into believing that my children would develop personality disorders if they didn't get adequate sleep, we maintained strict sleep schedules with Andrew. From about 6 months on, he was a great nap-taker (two 1.5 hour naps) and went to bed easily at night (10-11 hours). Even when he dropped his morning nap at one year old, he took one extra long afernoon nap and still squeezed in 10 or 11 hours of sleep at night.

I have always said that "Andrew would never drop his afternoon nap."

And that was the problem. I said, "never". When will you learn, Christy? When will you learn?

It started around Christmas. We were still taking naps then. I had cut them down to two hours in the afternoon. And, most days, he would go down easily for a nap. But bedtime was another story.

The Bedtime Battles. The drama started each night around 7:30. Getting in the bath; brushing teeth; picking out and putting on pj's; choosing books; reading said books; singing songs. All before the parents actually left the room. And then? He wouldn't actually fall asleep until close to 10pm! Because? He would be in and out of his bed; sneaking around the house; singing at the top of his lungs; jumping on his bed; kicking his feet against the wall; throwing his animals and pillows off the bed.  Doing everything except settling down and falling asleep.
And, I don't know about ya'll, but I can't actually relax at night until the children are sound asleep!

I contemplated letting him give up his naps. But when he did skip a nap, he was super cranky the next morning! Not worth it! So we have just powered through these past few months of taking naps and going to bed late each night.

And then, two weeks ago, we were so busy, he only took two naps all week. And on the nights he skipped a nap? There was no Battle. He was asleep by 8:30pm. Asleep, people! Not in his room playing. Actually snoring soundly. And he managed to make it through the following days without any major meltdowns.

Both my children were asleep by 8:30! It was like I had my evenings back! It was glorious! It was a revelation!

No more waking up cranky from a nap! No more trying to decide how much snack to give a starving, cranky child to fill him up, yet still leave him hungry for dinner! No more Bedtime Battles!

No More Naps!

I can't believe that I believe this.......but for this almost three year old, we are so done with naps!

And we are so into an early bedtime!

Ben, on the other hand, is going to nap forever..........