There is one thing I have to admit, because if I don't admit it then every day I will continue to be frustrated, overwhelmed and never come to terms with this situation. My son STINKS at napping! Maybe this is just a phase we are going through, but he currently only sleeps an average of 1.5 hours a day total. He'll sleep 30 minutes here and 30 minutes there, but rarely longer that that. At first I thought it was just because he wasn't used to the loud noises and bright lights at day care (which is probably a couple reasons he naps so terribly at day care), but I've realized that it's not just at day care but also here at home. He has this new "angry cry" that he does when he is overtired and it doesn't matter if I try and lay him down early he will keep himself awake until he's so overtired that he starts to "angry cry." It's SOOO frustrating and really hard on me, especially at day care because I know the teachers (and myself) don't have the time to really sit down and rock him in order to get him to sleep. So, I am continually praying for him to develop better sleep habits during the day without having to Cry It Out (we haven't been doing very much CIO with him because he has colic). It seems that the only way he will sleep is if he has a full tummy and is rocked with his pacifier. We have a musical puppy (Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout) that plays lullaby's that has been really helpful because I can take it to day care to put in his crib. I know that napping would be better if 1. he didn't have colic and we could have him CIO and 2. if he was at home every day so he could take a nap in a dark, peaceful room. Right now I am brainstorming ways for him to stay home more often without causing more stress on our financial situation.
On the bright side, Josiah has been sleeping through the night really well! We learned about a week ago that his bedtime is 7 p.m. (we were trying to keep him up till 8 and he would throw a fit) so 7 p.m. it is! That means from the time I get home from work to the time I get him to bed I only have about 30 minutes to feed him, bathe him, and put him to bed. This makes getting dinner ready a little difficult but with Andrew's help we can usually have dinner ready to eat by the time Josiah goes to bed. Then we have the rest of the evening to relax! Josiah generally sleeps till 3 or 4 or in the morning (5 if we are lucky!) before he needs to eat again. Then he'll go back to sleep until 7 or 7:30. I like to start his feeding schedule by 7:30 every morning. Lately Josiah has been waking up at various times throughout the night crying and I've had to go in and pop his paci in so he'll go back to sleep. Hopefully he will keep up the good night time sleep habits! If you have any suggestions on helping Josiah transition into day care better and helping him nap better that would be great!
On the bright side, Josiah has been sleeping through the night really well! We learned about a week ago that his bedtime is 7 p.m. (we were trying to keep him up till 8 and he would throw a fit) so 7 p.m. it is! That means from the time I get home from work to the time I get him to bed I only have about 30 minutes to feed him, bathe him, and put him to bed. This makes getting dinner ready a little difficult but with Andrew's help we can usually have dinner ready to eat by the time Josiah goes to bed. Then we have the rest of the evening to relax! Josiah generally sleeps till 3 or 4 or in the morning (5 if we are lucky!) before he needs to eat again. Then he'll go back to sleep until 7 or 7:30. I like to start his feeding schedule by 7:30 every morning. Lately Josiah has been waking up at various times throughout the night crying and I've had to go in and pop his paci in so he'll go back to sleep. Hopefully he will keep up the good night time sleep habits! If you have any suggestions on helping Josiah transition into day care better and helping him nap better that would be great!
I don't have any really good suggestions because Eden stunk at daytime sleep at the sitter's house and she only had a total of 4 little girls. They do get better at napping at daycare but in my experience it wasn't great. You are definitely blessed that he sleeps so well at night already! I will be praying for better daytime sleep at daycare and that you can keep him home more without any financial strain.
ReplyDeletethat is so hard. our kids have both gone through phases with how well they nap, and i'm not sure how old josiah is now, but it got to be the worst for both of them around 4 months. i just remember getting so angry because, seriously, is it too much to ask to have a baby that takes normal naps?!? (whoever coined the phrase 'sleeping like a baby' was a jerk.)
ReplyDeletei'm sorry you're struggling with this. it is absolutely no fun for anyone, and i don't know about you, but i just always felt so guilty for how angry i would get at them when they wouldn't sleep and those times of INTENSE frustration. just know it will get easier - both my kids got SIGNIFICANTLY better around the 6-7 month mark, and it was pretty easy after that. just hang in there!