The fickle finger of fate, that bastard, has reached down and flicked me on the ol' forehead. Hard.
You dumb bitch, it says to me. Did you really believe your kid would happily nap forever?
[insert maniacal laughing ala Vincent Price]
AHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[Yeah like that.]
And don't you hate that feeling? Being flicked on the head? It's so insulting.
For the past few days there have been no naps in my house. I put Chicky in her crib and she lies there and makes noises like someone choking a cat for the next couple of hours.
She can't be giving up her nap at not-quite-three years old, can she? Say it ain't so. She needs to nap. I need her to nap. I need to nap.
Someone hold me.
I plan on running her ragged this weekend. I'm thinking a trip to Ikea (I don't know about you, but that always tires me out, I'm tired just thinking about it), some time outside in the new snow we're just getting, maybe some wind sprints and a few dozen suicides in the family room.
This could all backfire. She could discover that she doesn't, in fact, need to nap. She could just be a complete bear and whine until my ears spontaneously bleed and then fall off.
If it comes to that there's always whiskey. Lots and lots of whiskey.
I miss the good ol' days.
Dude, I may only be a few months old in this picture but I'm rocking the nap thing.
35 comments:
My oldest napped until 5.5 no joke!
Every few months, my youngest, a 3.5 year old MALE. Give me heart failure by non napping. Then, just when I've accepted that he's all done with the nap thing, he'll go to sleep again.
I recommend instituting quiet time. You don't have to nap, but you MUST play quietly in your room.
Good luck!
Einey stopped napping by 12 months - which killed me because I was pregnant and I NEEDED her o nap. Meenie still naps on occasion (and like 2x per week) but not much. Moe doesn't nap anymore - she dropped those at 3.
Charlotte is not even 2 yet and every day is a total crap shoot nap-wise. Every day, I put her down at 1pm and some days she naps 2, 2.5 hours and some days, she sings and talks in her crib for as long as I leave her up there.
Which is the point where she screeches "MOMMY! ALL DONE!" I am so sad that she's going to be out of the crib in a matter of weeks which surely means no more naps. Ever.
I totally feel for you!! My daughter's not even 1 & fights sleep ALL the time - naps AND bedtimes. *Blah!* She just doesn't like to be left out of the action I guess...
My mom said I was the same way! I guess I'm getting a taste of it now :o)
I wish you much luck!
Honey, The Poo hasn't napped in 368 days.
And no, I am not exaggerating.
Please, I beg you, do not repeat my mistake. When she seems like she is giving up naptime, get her a bed and institute quiet time in her room as mandatory.
Otherwise, she'll run ya ragged.
My one daughter gave up her naps at 18 months, AND would tap me on the cheek in the middle of the night and wake me up for THE NEXT FIVE YEARS...
I never thought I'd be a mama with a child's sleeping bag on the floor...
lolol
:-)Beth
Ack! It is going this way with The Mayor too. Let me introduce you to "Quiet Time." It's not THE SAME, but it works.
My son napped until he was 3 1/4 or so. My daughter is 3 1/2 and hasn't napped for almost a year. It really gets to me when she's all whiny in the afternoon when she should be napping, but there's too much excitement with a big brother in the house. That's when she stopped napping. When she realized her brother wasn't napping. Quiet time is the key! Play in your room for 45 minutes.
My condolences to your free (nap) time! :)
It could be just a nap strike. You may still get naps out of her. My daughter gave up naps by 2 1/2 (when I had a 6 month old too). My son is 3 1/2 and still naps most days.
Go with quiet time and lock her in her room (well, just close the door...you don't have to padlock it or anything...) and make her spend an hour or so quietly playing so mommy can rest.
If that doesn't work, I still have some of the good drugs to make kids sleep...
I kid. Or do I? BWHAHAAHAHAHAAH!
Pre-Pubescent One napped until kindergarten, and sometimes after. Diminutive One stopped napping at 18 months. It was a sad, sad day. I feel for you.
oh I feel your pain! My oldest (4) dropped naps around 3 and now he has quiet time watching tv or a movie and half the time I can nap on the couch. :) My youngest (2.5) naps most days and he's in a big boy bed so I'm hoping he keeps it up!!
Quiet time is a good good thing...good luck!
Oldest gave up naps at 3. He did have to remain on his bed for quiet time until he started pre-k at age 5.(Sept Baby) BBB napped until he was 6. It was so awesome. I hope Chicky just has a minor disturbance in her nap schedule and will ne anpping again by Monday!!!!!
Mine both stopped napping before age 2, so I got nuthin. But, OTJ may have something with quiet time.
Mine were done napping before 2, as well. Quiet time was instituted, but when all they did was stay there laughing and screaming and singing and rolling around disrobing and giggling... yeah, I got nuthin'.
Bub stopped napping shortly after his second birthday. At first we went with it, but within a couple of weeks he was clearly overtired and miserable. In the end, we had to COMPLETELY darken his room for him to nap there. Shortly after he turned three he started into a 50/50 schedule where some days he would nap and others he would just play quietly in his bed, and then at around 3 and 3/4 it got to the point where if he did fall asleep, he'd be up until 10 that night, so that's when we got rid of the nap altogether.
I will second all the wise women before me and recommend insisting on quiet time. Keep some quiet toys she likes in her room, and she's only allowed to use them during quiet time.
Oh, and quiet time ends when mommy opens the door.
Good luck!
Pumpkinpie goes on and off with naps - lately more off than on, to may enormous dismay.
Oh man, I send you my deepest sympathies...
Fa stopped napping a year ago and I'll never be quite the same woman ever again.
My mom always told me, "You don't need to sleep but you do need to lie quietly for [insert length of time]." I was a stupid child so I totally fell for that.
HRH napped until he was four! RC is also nearly three and thinking about dropping them. Uh, no. way.
We now play this game where I hand him about ten books and tell him he can read in his crib for a little while with the light on. He's out cold for about an hour and a half.
And yes, if no nap, there must be quiet time.
My oldest was done napping by 2.5 my younger napped about the same... but ocassionally falls asleep in the afternoon quiet time.
Good luck. I know how you feel.
Wow, that seems like so long ago I had to worry about that. Are you planning preschool for her? That should give you some nap time. ;-)
cute cutie!
If the nap is dead, I will certainly grieve for you, my friend.
xo
Yeah, my oldest was the only one who napped past 2.5, and even then it wasn't every day. The younger two stopped much earlier than that. (did my 3rd ever nap? I really can't remember!) Although, a well-time car ride usually helped out by lulling them to sleep.
I'd say, stick a video on and snuggle on the couch together. Mama's gotta rest.
But in the meantime, you show a pic of true peace...
What a great shot, one arm up one down, looking like a true angel who enjoys sleep...
So sorry for the loss of this tranquility...
You're lucky you got as many naps out of her that you did! Mine gave them up all before 18 months.
Maybe the new one will be a little sleep hound?
Mah gawd, that picture and her little hand up = cute.
Ramekin goes on and off naps... and varies by the daily schedule even. On days he has nursery in the afternoon - no naps. On other days, usually naps, and naps pretty well. Strange.
Days without naps and with him all day can be reallllly long.
Oh girl, you DID get flicked. That's gonna leave a mark.
There are days when Boo doesn't nap. I put her in her room, in her crib (or toddler bed, depending on her mood) and she gets out and, I don't know, plays with the outlets and mini-blind cords. Other days, she takes all the blankets and puts them in her closet and sleeps in there. She's a weird, weird child.
Oh please say it isn't so. A parent's worst fear, the "no more napping" stage, I hope and pray it is a mere blip on the radar and your daughter goes back to napping. If all is lost, instead of whiskey, I definitely recommend Cosmos?
The death of a nap is a tragic thing.
Say it ain't so.
I feel for you! We do quiet time in our house. My older son has some quiet toys in his room and he plays with them during it. If he behaves and doesn't make a ton of noise and wake his brother up or flood the bathroom (or anything else on that level), he gets to watch TV afterwards.
Neither of my boys napped past 24 months. Seriously. I must have had bad luck because I hear these wonderful stories of kids up to age 6 who likes to nap. Well, not mine.
Except every now and then an hour or so before bedtime when I don't want my 3 yr. old to nap he does anyway.
Hollis sometimes doesn't nap. We make him stay quietly in his room anyway. We even split him and his brother up so his little brother will actually get a nap. AND we put locks on the doors so I could actually nap too without fear of my children wandering the streets.
The problem now? Hollis is potty trained and will not be night time or nap time trained until I remove the lock. Nooooooooo!
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