Jinx
Yeah I totally jinxed it. Like I knew I would. I am such a dumbass.
Just over a month ago, I blogged about how Moo was such a great sleeper. Boasted – if you will – that she’d win medals for her Olympic-quality sleepage. Rubbed it in yo’faces about even if she was in a mega-bouncy destructive mood, I could shove her in the cot and guarantee myself a snoring baby by the time I would get downstairs and pour myself a cheeky rum’n'coke.
Well, fark me sideways. I said I’d jinx it. And I did. I completely voodooed myself, without even realising it, and that is some SERIOUS VOODOO.
Y’see, I am sitting here, typing this, and listening to Moo on the monitor, chatting away to herself in her cot upstairs. Not asleep. Awake. The very-much-awake form of not sleeping. She’s usually conked out by now. But for the last week or so, she’s taken, on average, OVER AN HOUR to get to sleep after I’ve put her down for the night. This is not good. This means a change to the routine is needed. And I have a natural suspicion and fear of change.
I tweeted about it a few nights ago. The responses were various. I was told to try shortening her nap, or eradicating it altogether, which I’m not ashamed to say, I shrieked out loud at. GET RID OF HER NAP?? No. NOOOO. I need that nap time as much as she does. I’m not ready to let that go. That is valuable blogging housework time.
Somebody else said that as long as she wasn’t upset/in danger/setting the place on fire, then just leave her to it. I like this. This I can do. My trouble is, I can just see what will happen: soon enough, she’ll figure out that I’m downstairs eating all the cake and want a piece of that action. Then she’ll be upset/start climbing the walls/practice her fire-breathing skillz without the necessary due care and precaution. And there go my precious evenings.
I need my evenings. I can’t keep her up later, it’s fine if I’m around but when I start rehearsals for my next play, I can’t expect a babysitter to put her to bed, especially if it’s my younger brother, who thinks she’s like a giant guinea pig and is a bit scared of her. I have tried physically wearing her out in that hinterland between dinner and bath time – previously known as leave-mummy-alone-it’s-time-for-Neighbours-time – but that just seems to get her EVEN MORE excited.
It’s dark in her room, and a comfortable temperature, she’s been fed and watered and cleaned, so there’s nothing I need to do in that respect. She just doesn’t seem to be as tired as she used to be.
My only explanation is the powerful voodoo I magicked when writing that post. I should have realised and stopped myself. Now I am paying the price. The status quo has been well and truly rocked. I am DOOMED.
You’d have thought with me writing about how farking poor I am, my voodoo might have beshizzled up some extra cash by now. Bastard.
Is afternoon nap time over? Moo is 20 months, almost 21. When do they drop the nappage? Or is there something else I can do to get her sleeping at a sensible hour again?
My daughter L is almost 3. She doesn’t fall asleep until between 12-2am. She sometimes takes nap but its usually around 3 in the afternoon. I have tried a ton of different things, even giving her a natural supplement as told by my doc didn’t work. Do what’s best for you. She goes down at 9…she gets one movie and then she plays until she falls asleep. Nothing else I can do.
Wowzers. I guess she doesn’t need that much sleep. Maybe that’ll change once she starts school?
No she does… she wakes up around 11am haha. It’s good because I get to sleep then get the little one up and fed. Then I still have time to watch a show or clean a bit.
My son’s the same age, he doesn’t usually nap in the day. I’m with whoever said put her down and leave her to it x
LOL yeah it is good advice, I don’t know why I’m getting all fret about it tbh. I tried Moo with an early nap today and she seems to have gone down quietly this evening x
Sounds like you’ve got all the advice you need here. Can I just add my little bit of homespun wisdom?
DO. NOT. DROP. THE. NAP.
Bibs has been trying to drop her nap recently. I am not having a bar of it. I make her swim 70 lengths before bedtime and she does all the shopping now.
I. DON’T. WANT. TO. DROP. THE. NAP. And I won’t. Moo gets uber-tired in the afternoon so for her sanity and mine, the nap stays. I tried an earlier nap today and that seems to have worked. We’ll see how it goes.
Swimming, you say?
Maybe she’s going through her next developmental shift. As in, physical or cognitive development (growth spurt or language development spring to mind). Apparently, they aren’t as sleepy while they get a handle on growing bodies and new skills. But once things settle it’s back to business as usual. Finn had periods like this. And he was the mortal enemy of sleep but once he slept through he pretty much kept doing it apart from occasional periods of a week or so and during this time we noticed he was either getting taller, teething (molars) or doing something new (I think he’s language skills really started to develop around this time).
But for the love of all things pure and sacred, don’t drop the nap.
Mahahahahah this is what everyone else is saying. I won’t drop the nap. I can’t. I need her to sleep as much as she needs to sleep! Yeah what you say makes sense, she is going through little growth spurts at the mo and maybe this is disrupting her usually reliable sleep patterns. I’ll see how it goes. Thanks missus
You could make the afternoon nap a little shorter and feed her more bananas. Apparently they’re supposed to help regulate some serious brain beshizzleness regarding sleep. Make a banana milkshake or something. She might like that.
It’s probably just a phase. They all do it. Apparently K is doing the same with my ex-wife at the moment. T did it too for a while but got back into the swing of it again. Just try not to fret too much. If she’s gurgling away on the monitor contented then that’s good. She’ll sleep.
Hope it all works out.
Thanks. I’ll go buy a truck load of bananas
Oh dear. Maybe its the weather? I wouldnt drop the nap, my boy is 3 and a haf and still has an hour most days! If she is happy and she eventually drops off just leave her to it!
Yeah that seems to be the best plan. I like plans where I don’t have to DO anything
I don#t have any advice since I’m not at this stage yet… and mine is a TERRIBLE sleeper… but I did enjoy reading your post
I would kill to have naps to get my blogging (uh… housework…) done
good luck to you!!
Ack you poor thing, I love nap time with all my soul and can’t envisage having to give it all up *weeps*
if shes happy and not thinking of you eating all the cake, leave her be, shes obviously not clingy or scared of her room….believe me ive been there and it was hell! i used to sit by the cot (practically falling asleep on it) then gradually move away but it never worked, all night long screaming til he wore himself out. then we moved house and instantly the same day he was fine! that was years ago and he now shares with his bro who is a total monkey. recently they have been keeping each other awake, bouncing on the bed, turning off the monitor etc driving me crackers! even though they dont have a nap and run round all day their cogs are still going
Jeezus sounds like you need tranquilliser dart gun
hahaha theyve been ok the last too nights but the vets is only down the road if i need assistance
When my son started wanting a later sleep time I was disappointed – a whole hour later means an hour less of me time. I’ll be staying at a 7 bedtime as long as possible. If he says no to going in his cot, and wants more books, I just let him have one in his cot. Luckily he’s usually asleep after flicking one page – I’m hoping he’ll be like I was as a kid and happy to go to bed as long as he’s got a book with him.
Good luck with Moo. I guess cutting out the nap has to come to them all eventually.
NOOOOOOOOOOO! I’m going to INCREASE her nap time instead. I love nap time. But the book thing is a good idea, I might try that – thanks
I think I am going to scare you know —– my oldest son (who has somehow survived to the ripe old age of 23) dropped his nap at 19 months. No matter what time he was put to bed he was ALWAYS awake at 4.30 AM ready to go for the day. He would quite often be helping me to peg out the washing at 5 in the morning!
He would drop off to sleep easily when he was put to bed, but despite me trying to change bedtime to enable me to get a lie in, his internal alarm clock would always ring. Even now he is good at getting up in the morning.
I would suggest that you perhaps just leave her as she is and let her settle herself down, after all, she isn’t cranky or upset. I would also suggest that if she does start thinking you are having fun downstairs, then put the vacuum cleaner on! White noise, and vacuum = work = no fun.
Good luck and enjoy the next phase of Moo growing up.
LOL she’ll probably wonder what on earth is happening if she hears the Hoover. It’s such a rare occurrence
DS2 has dropped his nap and he’s just turned 2, and he still doesn’t go to sleep until about 8.15 (so mummy’s Neighbours time has to happen on Sky+!) I agree that if she’s happy leave her to it – she may decide not to escape – DS2 just lies and yells orders when he’s not sleeping – like ‘milk’ or ‘fan on’ – rather than getting up for anything, I just go and provide whatever he wants and then he doesn’t feel the urge to get up – can be a pain, but better than having him running about downstairs. Good luck! xx
8.15!! *faints* That’s almost MY bedtime!
I thinks its the weather, I wouldn’t take out the nap LPV still naps and although sometimes he takes ages to go off, he does eventually. I just leave him unless he’s really going mental.x
Good plan. Thanks
x
I would be really surprised if she has outgrown her nap so young. My experience is the nap is dropped somewhere between 2.5 and 4. You could try shortening her nap to an hour if its currently longer. Also is the wind down to bedtime consistent and windy downy ? Alternatively I find valium works a treat, for them some days, for me others.
I’m seeing if an earlier nap has any effect. Then I’ve got the whole afternoon to tire her out. Otherwise, it’s valium o’clock
I kind of agree that if she’s happy & just barbling away to herself, then leave her to it. My eldest used to do the same. It was just her way of settling down to sleep. She’s nearly 2 so she’s more aware of the lighter, warmer evenings than she was a year ago. She’s also more aware of what she’s done during the day & perhaps she needs to discuss these important new happenings with her teddy/self/ceiling.
The only other thing I can suggest is possibly start thinking towards potty training? This might seem ridiculously early & strike fear into the very core of your being. I only say it coz my eldest slept through the night 7pm-7am from 6 weeks old & used to sleep 1-3pm every afternoon. She was like clockwork. Until she was 22 months. She started being really unsettled at night. She was ready for potty training. She could tell us when she was pooing or weeing, so we did it. But she also stopped having her afternoon nap. Just like that. Suddenly point-blank refused to sleep in the day any more. But she also went back to sleeping soundly at night. I can’t fathom it but I’m sure it was all linked.
Anyway, that’s my tuppence. For what it’s worth.
I’m not sure Moo is ready for potty training just yet, she likes to wear her potty as a hat. So could get messy. Am sure you’re right about her chatting about her day to her dolly etc, sometimes I go up there to check on her while she’s asleep and they’re all lined up down one side of the cot. Her captive audience
Oh I sympathise I HATED dropping nap time! Both mine stopped around 2 but I know others who napped till 4 so it really depends. Which would you save in a fire, your afternoon time or your evening time…
*weeps* It’s like Sophie’s Choice…
Couple of things. You can start by taking the nap out – sad but true. Then however, she gets put to bed earlier so you do get more time in the evening. You might have to give her a few weeks and see how she responds to taking that long to fall asleep – is she crankier, is she not waking up at usual time, all that. But yeah, the nap thing sucks. Do not keep her up later though, that’s a myth. Putting a child to bed earlier makes them sleep more. xx
Thanks. I’m trying an earlier nap time first to see if that makes a difference. Could be that her naps were too late in the day. Otherwise, yeah, it’ll be time to drop the nap *sob* X