Help me with weekends

babydontforget

I'm finding myself with hideously overtired babies on weekend evenings, and I don't know how to solve it.

They take a morning nap and an afternoon nap, and the afternoon nap starts between 2 and 3. On the weekends I arrange things such that we'll get home from outings (yesterday it was waterbabies class and lunch, today it was Ikea) in time for nap, but they always, always fall asleep in the car on the way home. And it's always during the last five minutes of the ride. And I have tried everything, I swear, but I can't figure out a way to transition them into the house from the car without waking them up. And once they're awake, there is just no getting them back to sleep. I swear I have tried everything to get them back to sleep, but nothing works.

But maybe there's something I haven't tried. Any ideas? The result of all of this is meltdowns all night, and then a nasty bedtime. All I can think of for a solution is a) not going on outings, and b) driving aimlessly and letting them have their nap in the car. Neither of these solutions appeal to me. 

preheatedoven

babydontforget:

 b) driving aimlessly and letting them have their nap in the car.

This is what we do. I've also never been able to transition them from the car to a crib, and once I wake them, it is very rare that I will get them back to sleep without a few major meltdowns. I usually use the time to chat with DH, or if I'm alone in the car, to catch up with a friend on the phone. 

AlishaMay

preheatedoven:

babydontforget:

 b) driving aimlessly and letting them have their nap in the car.

This is what we do. I've also never been able to transition them from the car to a crib, and once I wake them, it is very rare that I will get them back to sleep without a few major meltdowns. I usually use the time to chat with DH, or if I'm alone in the car, to catch up with a friend on the phone. 

Totally agree with this!  Personally, I plan on them falling asleep on the way home.  I'll swing through a drive through to get myself a coffee, and take the leisurely back roads home.   If I can get them at least a half hour I know we'll make it though.  If they're awake when we get home, I either sit in the car and fiddle with my phone, or putter around in the yard until they wake up.

kafunder

We've also run into this problem too. It's a PITA. Same thing happens if we go on a walk in the middle of the day and they fall asleep in their stroller.

My only suggestion is that if you're taking them someplace along with your DH, can one of you sit in the back with them and entertain them/keep them from falling asleep. We did that last night on the way home from a BBQ to keep them from falling asleep right before bedtime, and it worked pretty well. And, the babies love having me back there with them.

MrsLnt

kafunder:

We've also run into this problem too. It's a PITA. Same thing happens if we go on a walk in the middle of the day and they fall asleep in their stroller.

My only suggestion is that if you're taking them someplace along with your DH, can one of you sit in the back with them and entertain them/keep them from falling asleep. We did that last night on the way home from a BBQ to keep them from falling asleep right before bedtime, and it worked pretty well. And, the babies love having me back there with them.

This is what we do when we go out in between naps on a weekend.  I pretty much refuse to go out between naps during the week if I'm on my own because I can't keep them awake in the car. It's a pretty good bed that the times I don't want them to sleep in the car or stroller, they will, and vice versa.  

I have driven for 2 hours before but it's not necessarily safe to drive around that much with no real purpose and, hello, gas is nearly $4/gallon and I drive a Pilot.  Driving for a whole nap is expensive!

MADforever2009

Come home even earlier so they won't fall asleep in the car?

babydontforget

We do this whenever both of us are in the car. Sometimes it works, but most of the time they fall asleep anyway. Swear to god I sing "wheels on the bus" at the top of my lungs but they fall asleep anyway. The car is some kind of sleep magic.

This weekend I was on my own, so it wasn't an option. And, yeah, it also happens with the stroller. I hate feeling like I'm housebound!

MrsLnt:

kafunder:

We've also run into this problem too. It's a PITA. Same thing happens if we go on a walk in the middle of the day and they fall asleep in their stroller.

My only suggestion is that if you're taking them someplace along with your DH, can one of you sit in the back with them and entertain them/keep them from falling asleep. We did that last night on the way home from a BBQ to keep them from falling asleep right before bedtime, and it worked pretty well. And, the babies love having me back there with them.

This is what we do when we go out in between naps on a weekend.  I pretty much refuse to go out between naps during the week if I'm on my own because I can't keep them awake in the car. It's a pretty good bed that the times I don't want them to sleep in the car or stroller, they will, and vice versa.  

I have driven for 2 hours before but it's not necessarily safe to drive around that much with no real purpose and, hello, gas is nearly $4/gallon and I drive a Pilot.  Driving for a whole nap is expensive!

babydontforget

We do this whenever both of us are in the car. Sometimes it works, but most of the time they fall asleep anyway. Swear to god I sing "wheels on the bus" at the top of my lungs but they fall asleep anyway. The car is some kind of sleep magic.

This weekend I was on my own, so it wasn't an option. And, yeah, it also happens with the stroller. I hate feeling like I'm housebound!

MrsLnt:

kafunder:

We've also run into this problem too. It's a PITA. Same thing happens if we go on a walk in the middle of the day and they fall asleep in their stroller.

My only suggestion is that if you're taking them someplace along with your DH, can one of you sit in the back with them and entertain them/keep them from falling asleep. We did that last night on the way home from a BBQ to keep them from falling asleep right before bedtime, and it worked pretty well. And, the babies love having me back there with them.

This is what we do when we go out in between naps on a weekend.  I pretty much refuse to go out between naps during the week if I'm on my own because I can't keep them awake in the car. It's a pretty good bed that the times I don't want them to sleep in the car or stroller, they will, and vice versa.  

I have driven for 2 hours before but it's not necessarily safe to drive around that much with no real purpose and, hello, gas is nearly $4/gallon and I drive a Pilot.  Driving for a whole nap is expensive!

babydontforget

We do this whenever both of us are in the car. Sometimes it works, but most of the time they fall asleep anyway. Swear to god I sing "wheels on the bus" at the top of my lungs but they fall asleep anyway. The car is some kind of sleep magic.

This weekend I was on my own, so it wasn't an option. And, yeah, it also happens with the stroller. I hate feeling like I'm housebound!

MrsLnt:

kafunder:

We've also run into this problem too. It's a PITA. Same thing happens if we go on a walk in the middle of the day and they fall asleep in their stroller.

My only suggestion is that if you're taking them someplace along with your DH, can one of you sit in the back with them and entertain them/keep them from falling asleep. We did that last night on the way home from a BBQ to keep them from falling asleep right before bedtime, and it worked pretty well. And, the babies love having me back there with them.

This is what we do when we go out in between naps on a weekend.  I pretty much refuse to go out between naps during the week if I'm on my own because I can't keep them awake in the car. It's a pretty good bed that the times I don't want them to sleep in the car or stroller, they will, and vice versa.  

I have driven for 2 hours before but it's not necessarily safe to drive around that much with no real purpose and, hello, gas is nearly $4/gallon and I drive a Pilot.  Driving for a whole nap is expensive!

babydontforget

We do this whenever both of us are in the car. Sometimes it works, but most of the time they fall asleep anyway. Swear to god I sing "wheels on the bus" at the top of my lungs but they fall asleep anyway. The car is some kind of sleep magic.

This weekend I was on my own, so it wasn't an option. And, yeah, it also happens with the stroller. I hate feeling like I'm housebound!

MrsLnt:

kafunder:

We've also run into this problem too. It's a PITA. Same thing happens if we go on a walk in the middle of the day and they fall asleep in their stroller.

My only suggestion is that if you're taking them someplace along with your DH, can one of you sit in the back with them and entertain them/keep them from falling asleep. We did that last night on the way home from a BBQ to keep them from falling asleep right before bedtime, and it worked pretty well. And, the babies love having me back there with them.

This is what we do when we go out in between naps on a weekend.  I pretty much refuse to go out between naps during the week if I'm on my own because I can't keep them awake in the car. It's a pretty good bed that the times I don't want them to sleep in the car or stroller, they will, and vice versa.  

I have driven for 2 hours before but it's not necessarily safe to drive around that much with no real purpose and, hello, gas is nearly $4/gallon and I drive a Pilot.  Driving for a whole nap is expensive!

babydontforget

Aack. Sorry for the hiccup. Stupid bump.

MrsLnt

babydontforget:

We do this whenever both of us are in the car. Sometimes it works, but most of the time they fall asleep anyway. Swear to god I sing "wheels on the bus" at the top of my lungs but they fall asleep anyway. The car is some kind of sleep magic.

This weekend I was on my own, so it wasn't an option. And, yeah, it also happens with the stroller. I hate feeling like I'm housebound!

This was me, about 2 weeks ago.  I thought I could run to a quick lunch at Subway with my mom and drive through the bank.  I was no more than 5 miles from my house.  They of course fall asleep on the ride home.  I was singing and yelling and blasting the radio.  Nope.  They still fell asleep.  

I've pretty much accepted the fact that I'm housebound until they are down to one nap.  It sucks, but it's better than the alternative of screamy, overtired babies.