Baby Squared

Ha! So damn funny.

My one-year-old just gave up one of her naps. She was solidly in the two-naps-a-day camp, and now, suddenly, one of them is gone. I feel a very similar sensation to the one you wrote about. Oh my, but when that *second* nap goes the way of the Dodo...that will be a sad day indeed!

Oh, now that is a sad, sad, SAD day, indeed.  I weep for you, sister-in-arms.

I'm enjoying my state of denial over here, thinking the nap is going to last until kindergarten.  I'm in for a rude awakening, huh?

Farewell, sweet nap.

Methinks it's time to introduce the concept of "quiet time."

hilarious! i mean... um, my heartfelt condolences.

My deepest condolences to you and yours. And heaven preserve my home from this sad event for at least another 6 months. I need to get through the winter with the afternoon nap in place.

Aww!  I will say a prayer for the loss of your beloved nap.

I rue the day... I cannot even bear to utter it, for fear that it will come to pass.  But I hearten myself with the statistic that something like 30% of 4-year-olds still nap... so there's hope... and by golly I ain't giving up easily!  Oh, he's begun to try, yes indeed, but then we bring in the Big Guns... Grandma!

Have read your blog for months, but never left a comment.  I have 4yr old twin boys ad a 2yr old boy.  Don't lose hope.  My boys went on a nap strike for about 2 months when they were 2 1/2, and then started napping like champs again for a year.  This past summer, they took 4 naps between them all summer, and the hour of quiet time in their rooms in lieu of naps became time to wrestle.  So, in September, I told them they'd have to take naps separately.  They alternate - one sleeps in their room and the other in Mommy and Daddy's bed.  Lo and behold, the nap returned, at least for one of them every day, at least 2 hours. Anyone who doesn't nap has always had to stay in their room reading quietly for one hour (which works better on some days than others).   I tell them, "we all need some quiet time every day, even Mommy, so we can all stay happy and healthy."  Better than eyeing up the wine rack by 3PM, yes? Good luck!

may happy memories of your beloved nap comfort you in your time of mourning.  and may an earlier bedtime grant you some peace later in the day.

As I read this out loud to my husband, he said, "Bite your tongue and don't laugh!!"  You see, our two year old daughter's nap is on life support, and we are afraid to push it over the edge.  I really hope the nap survives this current rounds of colds, sniffles and flu shots and makes it through December hale and healthy.

Ah, such a sad day!  I feel your pain in a way so few others do.  Long (long, long, long) live "quiet time"!!  

(can't believe i'm the first to use this) can a nap Rest In Peace? or is it already resting?  

Oh, I feel your pain! I've had days of going to extreme and herculean lengths to resuscitate Noah's afternoon nap. As in, "I know! What don't we get in the car and drive around randomly for an hour and a half?! Because, even though we'll be stuck in the car, at least Mommy can listen to NPR [aka "boring guy"]. Or the Clash. And drive half an hour each way to that one drive-through Starbucks. Or find a parking lot with wi-fi for a cramped and miserable freelance edit session." You get the idea.

But though one does look back in sadness, there is life. There is spring; there are new reasons for celebration and joy. There is ... are you ready for this? ... an 8 o'clock bedtime that actually happens at 8 o'clock. As in eight. p. m.

I am sorry for your loss.  I cling tightly to Michael's nap and his 8:00pm (okay, 8:30) bedtime.  May it last until kindergarten, AMEN.

My daughters just turned 3 last week and the nap for one of them was on the way out a few months ago.  One daughter would usually get no nap and one would get a 2+ hour nap.  It made bedtime rather difficult because one was incredibly tired and crabby by 6:00 and the other wasn't tired until 7:30.  After a few weeks of chaos I decided that the nap needed to come back so I told them that they had to stay in their beds until 2:00 (they nap in separate rooms).  After a few days the nap made a miraculous comeback.  I'm hoping it lasts until they're 4, but I won't hold my breath.

My deepest heartfelt condolences on the loss of your nap.  We too have suffered a similar loss and were equally devastated.  We have since replaced our dear friend with a series of afternoon playdates, as we are still trapped in the house with little sister's nap still healthy and happy.  However, my your sorrow be slightly lifted with the knowledge that I literally laughed so hard at all the things you accomplished (?) during that one glorious nap.  May God bless your bedtimes.

"...Next time anyone with one kid starts complaining about how hard they've got it, I'm going to poke my own eyes out! Wah, wah, wah, it's so hard running around after a two-year-old. ONE two-year-old? Are they kidding? Cry me a freakin' RIVER!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I could not have said it better myself!

Clio and Harrison should hang out.  The boys were not napping very well right before we went to toddler beds. They were mostly playing their cribs but I left them in there anyways.  Then they climbed out of the cribs so we went to toddler beds. Now naps are gone.  Eric would nap if left alone.  He wants to nap, but Harrison wants to play and will climb on top of Eric and get him riled up.  He was throwing toys at Eric back when they were in cribs and not napping.  

I blame it all on Harrison!  Today I did relaxing time with them and my mom tried this with them too.  I put a movie on for them in separate rooms and made them lie down.  They were calm and I figured if they were really tired they would sleep.  They didn't, but Eric about looked like a zombie around 2 so I tried to get them to sleep.  Harrison acted nuts and Eric started getting frantic because he was so tired so I kicked H out and patted E's back until he fell asleep and then he slept for 2 hours.  

The thing is I might in a way want naps gone because they go to bed easier at night.  Like they are out within 2 minutes of lights out.  But at the same time I need a break during the day to get stuff done, eat chocolate, regroup, relax.  So I think I am going to keep relaxing time going and separating them.  Then letting them sleep if they seem to want or need to and by them I mean Eric.  Not my Harrison bootsy.

Hang in there, I am in the same boat.  OH yeah I caught Harrison sleeping in Eric's bed last night.  Cutest thing ever!  He tries to sleep with Eric a lot and Eric kicks him out and wants him out.  He must have snuck over last night sometime.  So sweet.  But Eric woke up at 5 crying and trying to push Harrison out.  awwwss.

Mira: I have thought about driving around with mine during naptime too to get them to sleep!  So funny I am not the only one!  One reason I know they need to nap is if they are in the car more than 5 mins in the afternoons they pass out and fall asleep.  

As an outside observer of the phenomenon (read, father), I feel your pain, and, as always, love your writing.

Oh, Nap, I miss you so - We have a 5 y/o who's nap left us at 2 years and 2 months. We tried to deny it's departure. We tried to resuscitate nap. And the child wound up jumping on the bed like a monkey for 2 hours every day and I ended up in tears on the phone to my husband crying "I can't take this anymore - to heck with Nap - NO MORE TRYING".

Enter the twins - they are 16 months old and down to one nap a day. Samantha would sleep for 2+ hours if she could but Danielle jumps around her crib yelling "Antha, Antha, WEEE!" and wakes up poor Samantha after 1 hour of sleep. That leaves us with a very cranky little girl indeed.  Why don't we separate them? Why don't we remove Danielle when she wakes up?  Those are very good questions.  Because neither child is good at sleeping in a pack n play and they sleep wonderfully through the night together in their room. It is just nap time that gives us trouble and it isn't every day, just enough to make us crazy.  That is my answer to why we haven't separated them - it is all because WE ARE CRAZY.

This post put a smile on my face!  

I do remember that mourning period when my son gave up his nap (even if it was nice to be able to leave the house on weekends without calculating how far we could push the little guy before we raced back to the house for his nap).  My daughter has hung on to her nap for longer than expected--she's four-and-a-half now and naps more often than not--but she's become so miserable to awaken after a nap that I'm contemplating throwing it out altogether (except after three days of no nap she becomes a bear anyway . . . sigh).

I did extend the napping life of each child by telling them when they protested naps, "Okay, you don't have to nap.  Just sit quietly in your room and read books for rest time."  My son napped some and read some with this, my daughter almost always falls asleep but thinks she is in charge, and I get that blissful hour--for now.

Naps.  Parting is such sweet sorrow.

This was a wonderful piece Jane--just a delight to read!

I laughed so hard!!!  Ahem, I meant, sorry for your loss.  I wish you and your family strength during this difficult time.

Harper is giving up her nap now, too--right on schedule, it seems--and while it does seem nice to be able to be out a little longer, it has also resulted in naps in the following venues: 1) in front of a Dora DVD; 2) while eating fishsticks; and 3) (my favorite) on Dad's shoulders while walking to the grocery store.  I think the nap is gone, but it left its next of kin: the dreaded 4-6 PM whining period.   Bummer.  Is this happening to Clio?