naps on the weekend

Re: naps on the weekend

• ladybugpjb member

  June 2013

  I perfected the art of getting him from car to crib without waking him up. It just became a necessity. If he wakes up after the car nap, I just resign myself to a crazy-cranky afternoon/evening.

  Before we leave for whatever it is we are doing, I make sure his room is set up for naptime - paci in crib, toys out of the way, curtains closed - and I take off his shoes when we get in the car. That way, I don't wake him up by taking his shoes off when I get him out of his car seat, and I can just quietly carry him to his room and put him straight in his crib without making any extra noise closing curtains, moving toys, etc.

  

  

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• TiffanyBerry member

  June 2013

  DD would never transfer from car to anything.  I either kept her in the car (in the garage, usually sitting in the car next to her) if she would stay asleep, or make sure to be home in time for her nap if I couldn't afford for her to skip it.  Otherwise, she just wouldn't nap.  (Now, of course, she doens't nap at all...)  Just one of those choices you have to make when planning your day.
  

  
  

  

  

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• Temp123197812503460

  June 2013

  If there is some trick I would love to know it. My kids don't transfer well so we live by their nap schedule which includes being home at least 30min 1hr before naptime so they don't fall asleep in the car. At least with only one nap a day it's easier, but with two babies we just can't afford to mess with sleep

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• Seldaar member

  June 2013

  We don't transfer DS either. We let him sleep in the carseat.

  On the weekends it is not unusual for him to take both of his naps in the carseat. he'll usually sleep for around 45min each time.

  The couple of times we tried to move him did not work out so well. So now we just make sure the air is on in the car, or the windows are all the way down and one of us sits in the car with him.

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• TiffanyBerry member

  June 2013

  Nicb13:

  You say "I don't know how to get him to nap but I can't just let him not nap, ya know?" but why not? I've finally realized that you can't force them to nap so if they miss one and are crabby...oh well! Our weekends don't revolve around DS's naps so if they get thrown off then we don't stress it. Luckily when he falls asleep in the car I can take him up to his room and put him down without him waking. If he does wake after a short cat nap, I just plan on the rest of the day being tough because he's tired and he gets an early bedtime.

  Every kid is different.  You can't force a kid to nap, but if you don't give them an environment they can nap it, you're essentially taking it away from them.  And some kids are particularly sensitive to that environment.

  After a few months old, DD would almost never fall asleep in the car, no matter how tired.  She NEVER transferred (EVER) from asleep in the carseat to asleep anywhere else.  And if she missed a nap, she fought sleep even harder (and she already was ridiculously good at that), so the rest of the day wasn't just tough, but a nightmare.  It was FAR less stressful for me to make sure she had the right environment to nap and plan our day around that than to wing it and deal with the consequences.

  I have many friends whose kids were the opposite, and - at least a few times a week - they could totally wing it.  But their kids are different than mine.  I respect that, while I can't fathom making the same choice that they did, their choice worked for them just as well as my choice worked for me.

  Whatever works best for the family, you know?
  

  
  

  

  

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• shannm member

  June 2013

  I do try to schedule for DD's naps. I sometimes can transfer her to the crib from the car if I need to. Alternatively, I park, put the windows down, and bring some paperwork in the car while she sleeps or use the iPad on the front stoop while she sleeps in the car.

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