Nap Time

Much to my chagrin, my peaceful afternoon naps appear to be coming to an end. Maintaining a regular nap time for all three children has been a major battle lately.

Baby Girl will often sleep for two or three hours in the afternoon. My toddler still requires at least an hour's sleep as well. However, Mr. Preschooler seems to be outgrowing his daily nap.

For the past week my boys have been making mischief when they should be sleeping. Stern discipline has not been working. I've even resorted to taking away their special blankies when they misbehave ... but to no avail.

I suspect the problem lies with our eldest son. He's simply outgrown his afternoon nap. His younger brother sees that he is awake, and being a gregarious little guy, he wants to be awake too. If we take our preschooler out of their shared bedroom at nap time, I think (hope) our toddler will settle down to sleep.

Tomorrow will be the experiment. For the first time ever, I will allow our preschooler to have "quiet time" instead of a nap. He will spend some one-on-one time with Mommy in the afternoon. We may read or work on a craft. Then, we will wait and see if he melts down before bed time!

I am very sad to say goodbye to my own daily nap. I have come to rely on it. I suppose I must simply get myself to bed earlier in the evening! I do find it interesting that while Baby Girl is starting to sleep through the night, my preschooler is wanting to sleep less. I guess the next few days will be an adjustment period for us all.