I need to send out a great big thank you for all the comments about the naps. I find it incredibly helpful!!!! After hearing from you all, I see that Colin is right on track with the timing of losing the second nap. I have been really nervous to start the schedule change officially, but I see that it is time and I need to go ahead and follow his cues. Yesterday was the same pattern...he showed signs of being tired, but when put in his crib for the first nap, he refused to sleep. After an hour of playing in the crib, I took him back out. He was awake for maybe two hours and then finally passed out for an afternoon nap that was one hour long. Once again he had a fussy night and went to bed shortly after 7pm. Today I waited until about 10:15 to put him down. (the normal morning nap starts at 9:00). I rushed to take a shower thinking that he would probably not go down, but after 30 minutes of crib play, he did finally go to sleep. He slept until 11:45. I doubt that he will take a second nap, which will mean a fussy evening. Tomorrow I think I will attempt to push the nap until after 11:00am. If he could get two hours, I know he will be less upset in the late afternoon. I am going to try an hour of quiet crib time this afternoon and hope he will relax for a bit at least. Do you all have crib toys? Colin sleeps with two small stuffed animals. Maybe I should add a couple of toys in there to encourage quiet play. What do ya'll think?
We are also dealing with what I suppose is separation anxiety. Colin has stopped allowing me to put him down at all anymore. I can't decide if this is from being tired or not...but I cannot let go of him without major tears. He will walk around me crying the entire time I am trying to make dinner. The entire time. Jer usually gets home when I am finishing up dinner and Colin would play with him while I got everything done. Now he won't even do that...he simply wants me and that is it. In a complete show of desperation, I opened the back door last night and left it wide open while I made mashed potatoes. Colin was pleased as punch to step up and down from the house to the patio and it gave me a brief reprieve to finish my task. There were 10 flies to kill once I got the door shut, but I swear it was worth it. :-)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
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4 comments:
Here's my "philosophy" (and I know all moms have different ones)...the crib is business time. The business of sleeping. The twins don't have any kind of play time in there. When they go into the cribs, they know it's time to sleep. Kate had 2 stuffed animals that she cuddles with (and sometimes talks to), and Carson just has his blanket.
I guess I've always been afraid of sending them mixed messages...is this my sleep place or my play place? Do I have an option?
Separation anxiety is not fun, and I've had my share of it. Have you considered putting him in some kind of once a week half a day Mother's Day Out? If it's only once a week it shouldn't be too expensive. The rewards are great...it socializing Colin, he makes friends, you learns that you aren't always going to be there but that you will come back, and you get a break.
I no longer feel guilty about sending the kids to Miss Jennifer's a few days a week. The twins LOVE it there. I literally have to drag them out there kicking and screaming, and now Kate is telling me about her day with the other little girl. Plus, it keeps me sane.
There are all kinds of spelling and grammar issues with my previous comment. :)
Ooh, Shannon makes a good point about the mixed messages. Although, we DO put stuff in the crib :)
Gabby has her rainforest crib soother. She turns it on and off as she pleases, and a lot of times if she wakes up she turns it on and falls back asleep to the music. She has a couple of soft dollies that she ALWAYS sleeps with, and often plays with or talks to them. Usually there is a book in there too since Gabby likes to "read". I guess no big time toys, but some things that keep her busy. We haven't found them to keep her from sleeping- if they get to that point we'll take them out. When she is tired, she sleeps. And if she wakes up, these things keep her happy until I decide it is time to go get her.
Daycare actually helped us a lot when moving to one nap. Gabby never wants to go to sleep if she is around her friends, so she had no problem over there staying up until after lunch because of all the stimulation. She got used to it over at Pattie's and it wasn't as hard for her at home. You might want to plan some mid-morning playdates to keep Colin entertained as long as possible.
Gabby doesn't have separation anxiety really, but she does the EXACT same thing at dinner...her clingiest time of day. She just walks around the kitchen, crying, with her arms up saying "up, up, up, up" being miserable until I pick her up. If you find a cure for that one, send it my way!
Large magnets!! That is the only way I get any dinner. I put them in a rubbermaid container and stick Hunter in front of the fridge. She loves it. She just puts them on and off.
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