I’m a creature of habit. I’ve always been. I love waking up in the morning and having an hour of quiet time with a cup of coffee. I can eat the same breakfast for months. I just love routine.
All of this is funny when you have a kid…because none of what you want matters. Since we’ve been on a schedule since Liv was a tiny thing I’ve gotten up before her and enjoyed a cup of coffee, breakfast & computer/tv time for about an hour. I LOVE my morning time. I would exercise during the first hour of her first nap of the day…then I’d shower and have a snack and get work done.
First let me say, I’m clearly whining in this post. I have a happy kid and I’m so lucky to be able to stay home with her. I know this. I write this to be honest with a struggle I’m going through. If you’re a parent you can relate in at least the way that being a parent is hard freaking work.
To continue…life is changing. We’re in this weird in-between world of switching from two naps to one. My world is basically rocked. I know I’m being dramatic, but like I said I LOVE my morning time, but I certainly can’t spend time exercising during naptime if I only get ONE nap. I have too many other things to do.
I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t having a hard time with the idea of going to one nap. I would be lying if I told you that teething + 2 weeks of only one 40 minute nap was super easy and wonderful. I KNOW it will get better and her nap will get longer, but the past two weeks were TOUGH.
While I’m mourning the second nap, I’m not sitting sulking..because that benefits no one. Instead of sleeping until 6 and sitting on the couch for an hour or more, I’m waking up between 5:30-5:45. I have quiet time for 20-30 minutes and then go downstairs and exercise. It’s been working just fine. Good thing Danny doesn’t expect me to be awake past 8:45 anyway.
During nap time I’m like a crazy person getting things done. I run around straightening up and then sit down to do an hour or so of work. It will be okay and we’ll adjust.
Other reasons why I’m having a hard time with switching to one nap: I hate anything below 30 degrees and this week is just especially cold, which makes me cranky. I also hate going out of my house before 11 o’clock (unless I’m alone). I’ve just gotten used to not going anywhere early. (I know, I’ll get over it.) I also thought she would take two naps for awhile longer since she was kind of late to transition from 3 naps to 2.
It also seems like Olivia can’t stay awake very long in the morning. For the past (forever?) she’s taken her first nap at 9-9:30, basically no matter when she got up. I’ve tried to push her first nap back to 10:30-11, but I’m still getting really short naps and then a SUUPPPPPERRRRR long second part of the day.
Okay, I’m done whining. I always try to keep it real. Being a mom means being super flexible…and I am being flexible..but I just need a little time to complain about it.
I love my little sweet pea and I know eventually we’ll get a long nap back and everything will be great…until then…wish me luck!
Any tips on switching to one nap?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I wish I could remember more specifics, but I do remember the transition is tough just because it does shake up the routine so much.
What worked for me was waking up before Hailey and having my quiet time/blogging/email, etc. For exercise, gym daycare saved the day! We’d go mid-morning, then be home in time to put her down for a nap while I showered/did more emails. Then afternoons were all about Hailey. Play dates, parks, kids museums, etc. This made me feel better about having busy mornings because I knew I’d be focused on only her in the afternoons.
Any chance an of this might work for you?
Hang in there mama!!
I promise it gets easier!!! We were late to transition from 3-2 naps (9.5mo with my help) also so I was thrown off at 14mo when she started changing so much. She was taking forever to fall asleep in the mornings and then it messed with the pm nap. so I started letting the am nap happen on the go…a quick 15-20min and then waking her. The diff here is I enjoy getting out early so I’m not late getting home in the pm after nap. By 15mo she was basically to 1 nap most days but she wanted to sleel from 11-1 that was a long morning and afternoon. It’s def been an adjustment but it will lengthen and she will push off until 12-1. The best advice I got was to keep her occupied in the mornings and put her down bw 12-1. Our schedule has changed but some days she naps for 2.5-3 hrs now….bliss!! It gets easier!! She may start sleeping later so you can enjoy coffee before your workout. I have no advice here bc I haven’t fit that in yet. What Our day looks like:
6am I wake up do a bible study and get dressed for the day (shower, makeup) do a load of laundry and put away the dish washer I ran after dinner
7-7:30 EG stirs and I wait until she’s good and awake to go get her.
7:30-8 i cook and we eat breakfast
8-9 she plays whilei clean up and pack snack and lunch for the day and load car to leave ard 9 for that days entertainment.
9-11:30 we meet others for playdates, library, run errands, meet daddy for lunch, etc
11:30 lunch
12:30ish she lays down for a nap. At 17mo we are still working out the kinks to get to one nap but 75% of the time she will sleep from 12/12:30 until 2:30/3ish.
3 snack time and we play until dinner
I offer mickey mouse or the ipad for you tube videos while I cook dinner
5:30ish dinner with or or without daddy
6:30 bath time
7:30 bed
I got nothing having never been a mom with kids in the house – I have stepkids..
BUT I look at that last pic & she is so friggin adorable. One day you will look back & look at that pic & wonder where the time went.. HUGE HUGS!!!!
Ugh, we’re between 1 and 2 naps right now (some days it’s 1, and others it’s 2; today is 2!) and I definitely wonder how permanently switching to 1 nap will go! Nia’s first nap is around 9:30-10am and same thing, she’s like automatically tired at that time. Since we’re on vacation for almost a month, I wonder how that will change her sleeping patterns once we’re back home and in a routine. Oh the changes you must go through for a baby
We are going through the same thing too! When we have activities around 10 it gets her through that hump and she is great, but when we are just in the house it is tougher. Also in the same situation if she takes one it is only 1.5 hours not a super long one. I think once it does become a super long one it may actually be easier to get things done since the time is all together. Hoping it is not too long…..