We got up at noon, ate lunch, and went to Sam's Club. All of that was smooth sailing and, bonus, Kinley fell asleep in the car on the way home.
I smoothly transferred her from her car seat to her crib and she didn't even open her eyes a teensy crack! I patted myself on the back on my way downstairs, made plans in my head to finally get the mop out, and headed back out to the garage to unload the ginormous bag of tortilla chips, jug of salsa, and 5 lb flat of strawberries. No sooner had I put one foot back in the house, she woke up. Screaming.
Sigh.
It was pretty much like all the days we've been having lately. SuperBaby has come to the conclusion that naps are lame and unnecessary, so she will no longer be participating.
Unfortunately, after 4 or 5 major meltdowns yesterday, it seems she clearly still needs a nap.
She cried when I used the word "scoot" while we were playing. I'm assuming that was because that is also the word I use to tell her to back away from the oven when I am removing hot things from it, and just like her momma, Kinley does not like to be bossed.
She cried while I mopped because, although she could see me, I was more than 5 feet from her.
She cried because I turned on the shower, peeled a banana without her, drew a puppy with sidewalk chalk, helped her open a flap in her Spot book, and ate the Teddy Graham she shoved in my mouth. No explanation for any of these.
Needless to say, it was a long and patience-trying day. And the two before it were exactly the same. Something had to give.
Duh. She needs a schedule!
I know how important schedules are to littles, so why it didn't occur to me until breaking point to make one for Princess SuperBaby is beyond me. Now that it has occurred to me though, I am not wasting another precious day!
First of all, getting up at noon (or 1:00) is over. Sorry, Kin. You can do that again on weekends in 15 years. I think 10:00 sounds perfect.
And I know we need books/songs/flashcards time, sensory/art time, and tons of play/outside time. Plus, we definitely need NAP TIME. Period.
Here's our first tentative schedule:
10:00 Wake-up/brush teeth/clothes on
10:30 Breakfast
11:15 Books/songs/flashcards
12:00 Playtime
1:30 Lunch/TV time
2:30 Playtime
4:00 Nap
5:00 Sensory/art or playtime
6:15 Walk with Daddy
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Bath
8:45 Hang out with Mom and Dad
10:00 Bedtime
This is my wishful thinking schedule, so I'm already guessing a lot will change, but we needed a jumping-off point.
I'm also assuming the first couple of weeks are going to continue to be fussy and awful, but hopefully Kinley will catch on quickly and we will both be so much happier.
Fingers crossed!
Just in case this plan fails and the screaming continues, I'm gonna head back to Sam's Club today and pick up an economy sized jug of wine and bottle of Tylenol. This time I'll know not to get my hopes up if she falls asleep in the car. :)
Good luck! We're on a somewhat schedule.
ReplyDeleteAt 18 months, Tristan still takes two naps a day. Morning is usually 45 minutes-1 hour, but can be 1 1/2 hrs. Afternoon is between 1 & 2 hours. I've tried getting him to one nap, but then he only sleeps an hour and is cranky before and after!
Schedule's are so hard! We are totally failing so far, but I've come to the realization that even though our current schedule isn't conventional, it works for us right now. I'm not giving up, just not stressing over it. :) Good luck convincing a toddler to stick to the plan right?
DeleteTotally. Our schedule usually has T sleeping by 9 and up at 7:30/8. It's a bit later, but my husband usually works 2nd shift so I works for us.
DeleteSeems your schedule gives plenty of daddy time ;)