So, yesterday Olivia decided that a nap was utterly unnecessary. Which is why I have the freedom to post at 7:30 in the morning...she's so tired from yesterday that she's not up yet. Aside from a few overly-dramatic meltdowns in the afternoon, she really did OK. She played, she wasn't excessively grumpy or listless, and she really didn't show many signs of needing a nap (not that I didn't try).
I'm wondering what this new trend toward sleep weirdness means. I'm not ready for her to give up naps! But it's very difficult to convince her to take a nap when she can readily climb right out of her crib and realizes that during the daylight hours. So far, the crib is still secure at night.
*BIG HEAVY SIGH* I suppose it's time to work on transitioning her to a bed. I have been dreading this, but now that she knows how to climb out of the crib I'm afraid we'll be quickly dealing with an overly tired child if I let her stay up all day simply because she won't stay in her crib.
So, any thoughts or suggestions on how to do this? I just don't know how to go about getting her to stay in bed when she's not caged in. I know she NEEDS naps, but HOW do I get her to take them?
3 comments:
Ooh, that is a tricky one. What about trying one of those wearable blankets? (This may be a stupid idea.) Then it would be harder for her to climb around since they don't have feet.
I would not not NOT give up the crib this soon, if you can avoid it at all. My guess is that she's still adjusting to daylight savings or that she's cutting teeth. Asher's naps are always affected when he's cutting teeth. Maybe put her in the pack and play for a few weeks until she's adjusted? Or maybe let her take some books to bed? Books have worked wonders for naptime in our house. I thought Asher would just play, but it really helps him settle down. He "reads" (quotes) his books, then goes to sleep. You could also establish some sort of rule - like staying in bed for an hour (which means you putting her back in bed for an hour), even if you're not tired. Or staying in her room for all of nap, even if you get out of bed. In my house, once Asher goes down for his nap, he stays in bed for two hours, whether he sleeps or not (obviously if he wakes up crying I'll go to him, but that rarely happens).
Those are my suggestions. At the least I would give her a few weeks and make sure it's not just a reaction to the time change.
Hope I'm not being too opinionated. By all means do whatever she needs - these are just my thoughts.
Everyone I know who has moved their child to a bed at this age had a really hard transition.
Oh man. I DREAD THE DAY. Giving up the crib will be my very dead last resort. Maybe it will pass?! Heh!
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