are you strict with naps?
Do you guys compromise on LO's naps (if you have a set schedule)? If there is an activity going on and it's happening around/during DD's nap, I will usually pass on it. Today, the local kid's indoor playground was having a Halloween party from 9-12 am. I really wanted to take DD, especially because the weather is going to be so crappy tonight, I am sure we won't do much in the way of trick-or-treating. However, DD usually naps around 9:30 for about an hour. I didn't want to risk an overtired baby, so I passed on the party. I have also passed on signing up for a library story time that happens during naptime. I thought I would be able to find another session that's timing would work out better for us, but I haven't so far.
So anyway, my question is, how often do you compromise the naptime and what is important enough to you to do this for? Everyone else keeps telling me that kids are flexible and I should just do it. I don't know. I am kind of bummed that I didn't take her to the Halloween party now.
Re: are you strict with naps?
I am not "strict" with naps or bed time necessarily. Yes, I'd prefer that he get his naps in and prefer that he get to bed as close to a normal time as possible. However, it doesn't always happen and I don't feel like it's the end of the world if he doesn't. The good thing for us is that he's not "too" crabby if he misses a nap or doesn't get his nap out. The good thing is, he'll sleep more the next day.
When would I compromise? I would've gone to the Halloween party this morning, if it was me. It would've been in the middle of nap time. What I try to do is at least get him started on the nap and if I have to wake him up to go, I will. Again, he's not too crabby. Tonight, we won't be home for normal bed time as we're going trick or treating with my sister and her friends and their kids. It's a 45 minute drive to where we're going so I'm sure there's no way we'll be home by bed time. Sundays...church usually falls right in the middle of nap time. I don't always go to church, but if I do, I usually have to wake him up to go. He'll usually get in a 30 minute cat nap during church. Monday was my mom's day with him. She had to wake him from his morning nap so she could take my grandmother home (she had spent the weekend at our house). And he didn't get a nap the rest of the day. Needless to say he went to bed early, and slept good for naps yesterday. So, again, I'm flexible with it, but don't think it needs to be done on any kind of frequent basis.
I am strict on normal days, but I have found that this helps her. On special days she can be off and then easily get back pn schedule. She usually naps at 10 and 2. Sometimes there is a concert at the library at 10:30. I have put her in stroller at 9:20, which I know puts her to sleep, walked to and near library for awhile which forced an early nap, the woke her at 10:30. She just took a slightly early but long afternoon nap and was back on schedule.
BFP 3.8.16 EDD 11.20.16
They don't nap at specific times, but I always make sure they have time for at least one solid nap. If its for a good reason I'll adjust naps and bedtimes (such as when we had a family weekend to go to) but if not I'm a stickler about it. My sister is currently annoyed at me because I wouldn't take the girls to go TOT with her and my nephew. They were going to a place 45 minutes away from us and didn't leave to go until 6:45. The girls were cranky starting at 6:30 and were in before 7, and to me there's no point in bringing two 9 month olds TOT when they can't actually TOT, will likely be crying, and won't remember any of it. We went Sunday afternoon with the girls and my nephew (completely screwed up a nap for that day, but it was fun) and that was plenty for me for this year. We try to schedule play dates in between naps. There's a lot that we miss right now and we don't get together with other babies as much as I would like but sleep is important and they'll only be little for so long. Hopefully in a few months they'll move to one nap and we can do more.
I'm flexible on the morning nap, mainly because I have DD. I work part time, so on days I'm home I need to get her out of the house or we get cabin fever. Since I know that they will both nap after lunch for a few hours, that leaves the morning for us to get out. We'll usually do the grocery store on one of the days and library story time on another. DS is just along for the ride on those days. Getting DD to the library story time is important to me now that she's old enough to sing along, listen to stories, and talk with the librarians. She really looks forward to that and I wouldn't deny her that experience just so DS could nap at home.
If it's something that I can schedule around, then I do.