I am not sure what to do about Tiny Boy and naps.
It seems to me that he is not biologically/developmentally ready to give up a morning nap. When my mother was here, for example, he was taking hour long morning naps (in the stroller) and still taking 2-2.5 hr naps at daycare in the afternoon. Now, granted he was seriously overtired, but still. Then when he was home sick last week he took a 40-min morning nap (in the stroller) and only a 20-min afternoon nap. Yesterday, he took NO morning nap and only a 30-min afternoon nap. This morning, he fell asleep (in the stroller), woke up about 2 minutes later, clearly not comfortable; we nursed in the rocking chair and he fell asleep, then tried to roll over. I transferred him to the crib and...no nap. By comparison, most daycare days he naps for 2-2.5 hrs in the afternoon and occasionally 30-40 min in the morning; according to his caregiver, it's as simple as dumping him on the cot and patting his back for a minute. No crying, no nonsense, sleeping baby.
So it seems to me the problem is not the need for a nap (and I don't really care if his naps are split across two) so much as not finding the right way to nap at home. Did I mention that we even borrowed a cot from daycare? Yeah, fun to play on, no interest in sleeping on it.
Right now he's up in the crib, crying, having almost fallen asleep nursing. I figure if it works at night, well, eventually it should work during the day. Except 5 days of the week, he's got a different routine that I can't possibly replicate at home. Unless I can borrow half a dozen toddlers, too. Grrr.
It seems to me that he is not biologically/developmentally ready to give up a morning nap. When my mother was here, for example, he was taking hour long morning naps (in the stroller) and still taking 2-2.5 hr naps at daycare in the afternoon. Now, granted he was seriously overtired, but still. Then when he was home sick last week he took a 40-min morning nap (in the stroller) and only a 20-min afternoon nap. Yesterday, he took NO morning nap and only a 30-min afternoon nap. This morning, he fell asleep (in the stroller), woke up about 2 minutes later, clearly not comfortable; we nursed in the rocking chair and he fell asleep, then tried to roll over. I transferred him to the crib and...no nap. By comparison, most daycare days he naps for 2-2.5 hrs in the afternoon and occasionally 30-40 min in the morning; according to his caregiver, it's as simple as dumping him on the cot and patting his back for a minute. No crying, no nonsense, sleeping baby.
So it seems to me the problem is not the need for a nap (and I don't really care if his naps are split across two) so much as not finding the right way to nap at home. Did I mention that we even borrowed a cot from daycare? Yeah, fun to play on, no interest in sleeping on it.
Right now he's up in the crib, crying, having almost fallen asleep nursing. I figure if it works at night, well, eventually it should work during the day. Except 5 days of the week, he's got a different routine that I can't possibly replicate at home. Unless I can borrow half a dozen toddlers, too. Grrr.
We have the same thing happening, where at daycare he can easily fall asleep on his own in a crib, but at home we have to nurse and/or rock him to fall asleep. I don't know why this is, but decided not to worry about it. I myself behave differently among other people compared to at home too, if you get what I mean.
ReplyDeleteDuring the weekends I still lay down with BlueEyes for his nap and nurse him to sleep, or put him in a wrap and walk around with him to get him to take a nap. I don't really mind that it's different than at daycare.
I wouldn't mind nursing to sleep. Or rocking him to sleep. Or even fake walking him to sleep. I just wish he would do it!
ReplyDeleteOh sorry I thought you meant that he wouldn't fall asleep by himself. Could it be that daycare just makes him that much more tired that he will sleep longer (or at all) there?
ReplyDeleteIt's possible, I suppose. I think it has more to do with the fact that everyone else is napping.
ReplyDeleteYes I sometimes think that too. BlueEyes also eats vegetables at the daycare while he usually refuses those at home. I guess time to bring out the 20 toddlers in that case... (but in all seriousness, I hope your sleep situation will get better!)
ReplyDeleteI do think that there's something to be said for toddler peer pressure. But I wouldn't recommend borrowing any more.
ReplyDeleteMaybe make LG run him around the block a few times?
xo ... thinking of you!
I'd be happy to loan you my two toddlers if only we lived closer! Good luck, I hope it gets better very soon.
ReplyDeleteOh that would be good fun! Maybe that's what I should do for his birthday: have a nap party!
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