Several weeks ago Trenton started some new evening antics. After I put him bed, he'd open his door multiple times and just peer out, closing it really quickly if either Ryan or I made eye contact with him. I think he finally figured out that we don't really go to bed at the same time he does! I can't blame him for being curious about what we do in the evenings!
It wasn't a big problem since he never comes out of his room, so I would just ignore it, and eventually he'd go to sleep in his bed. But when the duration of spy antics started extending to 9pm or later—after being put to bed at 7!—I started thinking maybe he didn't need as much sleep as I like him to get. :)
Putting him to bed later was not going to happen. Not being a night person at all, I would actually prefer that he go to bed early rather than take a day time nap. (I know, I'm crazy!) So I tried something new for naptime, and we have been loving it.
Every afternoon I put T on the master bed with a few toys and his blankies. I tell him he doesn't have to sleep; he can play. But he can't get off the bed until Chase wakes up. The first couple of days, he stayed awake till the bitter end and then got all excited when Chase woke up. But most of the time now, he sleeps at some point. Overall, his naps are shorter than they used to be, and he isn't getting up much at all in the early nighttime hours. Problem solved! (At least for now!)
Plus, he doesn't mind going down for "rest time" as much as he used to! Today, in fact, after I put Chase down Trenton voluntarily told me, "I'm ready for my nap now." (WHAT?) Then after I took him to the bed and showed him the small selection of toys (which I switch up daily), he said, "You can leave now," and kind of pushed me toward the door! (HEY!)
I can't say that happens every day. (Sometimes my "It's time for a rest!" is met with a pretty fierce yell/scream of "No!") All things said, though, this has definitely helped.
I love this face SO MUCH.
I am with you...I would MUCH rather have kids in bed earlier than have them take a nap. I'm glad you found something that works!
ReplyDeleteWe do this too and I could not live without it! Glad it works for you!
ReplyDeleteIt's always scary to try and switch a routine, mostly because it's hard (for me) to step away for something that used to work, even if it isn't so much anymore. But when you finally do it and find something that works, it's a huge relief. Glad you found a new routine that gets you some sleep!
ReplyDeleteAh, the nap vs. earlier bedtime dilemma. In general, I like my kids to take a nap for as long as we can stand it, b/c I think they behave so much better in the afternoon, but at some point, the later bedtime (for us, it was creeping towards 11 pm!) becomes unbearable, and then you just deal with a crabby kid for a week or two during the transition. Although I didn't hear anything in your post about a crabby pants! It gets better after a few weeks, but I still think almost everyone (myself included) behaves better after a nap.
ReplyDeleteWhat a creative and perfect rest time idea! Good job. And I totally understand the whole 'choosing early nights over naps' thing. Must run in our genes.
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