your little one's naps while your older child has activities to go to

ksmommy

Hello,

Just wondering how you all handle your little one taking naps while your older child does her activities/sports....so far we have been lucky and I have been able to work naps around my dd activities but it looks like there are going to be some days coming up where my little 16 mo ds won't be home at nap time...I still want him to take a nap though. He is a bear in the evenings if he doesn't!!!

What do you all do?

coryandamanda

Does your little one still take 2 naps? If so, I would imagine he would transition to one soon and then it will be alot easier. Haidyn takes a nap at 1 pm for an hour so we have been able to schedule things around it. We have gymnastics at 10:15 am, a playgroup that is at 10:30 am and a few times a month we go to kids activities at a local ecocenter that are either at 3:45 pm or 9:15 am.

K&H

We schedule around nap time. E still naps twice, so we'll split up if need be in the morning, but afternoon nap is sacred and nothing touches 1-4pm. But, for now, Darling still naps as well.. so that ones easier to keep sacred. As she gets older and actually sleeps less we'll still encourage at least 90 minutes of quiet rest time, so because the girls are so close it's not like this will really be a struggle.
It would be really easy to be tempted by many nice things that are offered during nap time, but we just won't do it.

ksmommy

Thanks ladies. I have always scheduled activities around my kids' naptimes. However, my dd (age 6) is in soccer for the next 8 weeks and her games on Saturdays aren't at the same time each week....my little guy is down to 1 nap each day but it is a long one. He sleeps from 11 am until 2-2:30 most days. I will see how game day goes with nap times...:)

Shanny

I am kind of in the same boat as PP's because Arden and Kate are just a year apart and that has made it much easier. I have no idea how/when/where poor little Lydia is going to ever get a decent nap! With carpool for school alone we'l be hard pressed to get her on a good sleep schedule.

What time will the games be? Could he go down earlier or later? What if you adjusted bedtime at all do you think that might help shift nap time around? I don't envy you...I covet nap time so much and it is hard when life goes on and you have to mess with their sleep.

Have you thought about hiring a sitter to come for a few hours on Saturdays? Might be money well spent!

yfnr

M has never had a nap schedule for this exact reason. Life with the twins didn't stop long enough. I babywear with M so he would just nap on the go. The only thing I make sure we're on routine for is bedtime.

Zen

I only have one but when I'm on the go, Shiloh naps when she needs to. Could be in the carseat or the stroller. If she needs to sleep, she sleeps. I haven't ever tried to structure my activities around her schedule. The only thing I don't do is go out if she's already asleep. Unless it's to work in the morning. Then I scoop her up and off we go whether awake or asleep!

roses25

I also have never scheduled Aiden's naps. We go with the flow. If he's not ready to nap, he simply won't nap even if we sit in the bedroom with quiet activities. When he was little he napped in the sling. Now he naps in the sling, in his carseat, in his stroller, or in the bed. He's pretty flexible about where he'll sleep, so when he needs to sleep he sleeps wherever we are.

Carolyn