I have a couple of challenges and need your suggestions. These aren’t questions emailed to me from readers, they’re mine-all-mine.
Here goes:
Me? Nap? Surely you jest
Toddler Nap Tips?
Ruby will be 2 in July, and I think she may be giving up naps. THE HORROR! It seems rather early, my other kids were at least 3 before they gave up naptime. So this could be a temporary stage for her.
This is a particularly bad time for her to be going through this stage of development, as I’m very very very pregnant and NEED a nap in the middle of the day. As well, since I’m very very very pregnant that means there will be a newborn soon – and I’ll need that nap even more.
Up until about a week ago she was a good napper. At around 11 or 12 she would come to me and ask me for “night night”. But now, she resists mightily and all the usual tricks don’t work. She may eventually fall asleep after 30 minutes or so of work, and by then I’m grumpy and exhausted. (If we get in the car for a ride, she’ll be out like a light.) If she does nap, she sleeps 1 1/2 – 2 hours. If she doesn’t get that nap, she will be miserable in the evening and may not sleep particularly well at bedtime either.
Is this more of a discipline issue? Not sure. She has been giving Daddy a hard time about bedtime, too. She isn’t fussy or anything, she just won’t fall asleep easily for him like she used to after their usual routine. It’s tiring him out. If I dropped the nap would she fall asleep early again?
I realize now that I’m asking more than one question. Gimme your best shot!
I could try:
- Continue trying to get her to nap, but waking her after an hour
- Give it up, and if I need to rest, recruit an older kid to babysit (I don’t nap for longer than 20 minutes, so this is a viable option)
- Put her in bed with an audiobook and insist she stay there for at least a half hour (figuring that she’ll likely fall asleep if I’m firm with her)
What do you think?
Wicked, Evil Afterbirth Pains
Any woman who has given birth more than twice probably shudders a little when I say the words “afterbirth pains”. They tend to get worse after each delivery, thanks to the fact that your uterus has to work ever harder to get back to pre-pregnancy size.
After the last couple of babies, the pains were wickedly intense and had me in tears several times a day. It wasn’t hormones and sadness, it was from sheer PAIN. The afterbirth pains have seemed more painful than labor after the last couple of babies.
I’ve tried liquid calcium several times a day. I’ve tried binding my belly. I’ve tried lying on my stomach. I’ve tried AfterEase tincture. I’ve tried high doses of Advil. I’ve tried red wine. I’ve tried all of those, at the same time.
This time, I’m strongly considering narcotics. And I really don’t want to go that route. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your expert advice mamas!
When our daughter, now a mother of 3, decided she didn’t want naps and I too was very pregnant with our third child I made an agreement with her. She didn’t need to sleep, she just needed to stay in her bed and either ” read ‘ her books or play with her dolly. We bought her a ” bedtime ” doll to only be used when in the bed. It also made the night bedtime easier.
Many moons later she has used this on one of her children. It works!
Well with my youngest he hardly ever takes nap unless I get him up really early with me. When I do get him up early he would tire out by the afternoon and would beg me for a nap.
I also use the traditionals nighty night tea, to help my kids calm down at night and get sleepy.
But than again when all else failed I just locked them all in gave them something to do and have my oldest keep an eye on the youngest.
I agree with your suggestion and Joanne’s. I have 6 kids ages 1 month to 7 years and they all take a quiet time. I don’t call it naps for the older ones but they usually fall asleep anyway and I will keep this in practice for everyone in the house until the day they move out. I am very strict about nap time. If the older ones can’t (or wont) fall asleep after 30 minutes they may have a book in bed. Then after they read for 30 minutes (if they haven’t fallen asleep) they may color, draw or make necklaces at the kitchen table. Seeing as your little one is 2, you could still have the same idea but an older child keep track of the time, mandatory lay down in bed for 30 minutes, if not asleep older sibling can read two books of little ones choice. If still not sleeping set up specific toys that are quiet even when thrown/dropped just for nap time. It’s worked for us. Also if they wake you up make a mandaory everyone in bed time… for us it’s until daddy gets home from work, because now mommy is too exausted… Good luck.. whatever you just pick something and STICK TO IT!!!
My older son was difficult to put down in the bed for a nap after 2, so I would daily go for a walk around the time he was tired in the pram and he would fall asleep there!! I would then transfer him into bed or recline the pram down.he would sleep an 1 1/2!!
I halso had very bad after birth pains after my third!! My midwife says this is quite normal, they do seem to get worse after the more babies you have!!
Melissa
Well I can’t help much with the nap thing as my 2yr old has done the same thing now as yours and I sooo feel for ya because I just had our 2nd daughter so a newborn and a toddler are challenging enough let alone without naps.
I can help with the afterbirth pains though. They def do get worse and I couldn’t even remember them the first time but with this last one wow. I took liquid lobelia and arnica and they helped greatly. Just be very careful n don’t go over the rec dosage with lobelia as too much will induce vomitting(great for poison control). When r u due?
Oh my, I never want to go through afterbirth pains again. Unfortunately I had to take the conventional stuff for 1 week with my last birth, because I was in absolute AGONY (this is coming from someone who has given birth drug free four times, so I’m not unfamiliar with pain).
You know what I’ve found three times over though? The pains are there until I expell the final bit of whateverismeanttocomeout following the birth. I do have the placenta come out ‘complete’ as the midwives say, but there is always that little bit just sitting there. It looks like a chunk of liver. The pains disappears instantly following it’s expulsion. The contractions do stay for a few more days after that, but they are relatively painless.
Best of luck!
My kids don’t take naps anymore and never did even when new siblings came along, so I can’t help there. I think they stopped napping at 18 or so months.
@AussieGirl Hmm, interesting. I do notice that I pass a few clots (they look like beets, which is why I cannot eat beets!) but I’ve never noticed if the pains go away after those are gone. So the question is, how to make those pass faster?