Naptime Madness

Dear Mothering Heights,

My daughter is two and half years old and recently started climbing out of her crib at night. We put her in a toddler bed but she won’t take a nap now. I am spending over an hour fighting with her to go down and end up feeling angry. Should I just give up and forget her afternoon nap?

Frustrated
Los Angeles, CA

Dear Frustrated,

The hair on the back of my neck stands up just thinking about your situation. My solution was to put my youngest daughter in extended preschool, so they could put her down for a nap. Nothing like peer pressure to make those eyes close. If I had it to do it over, I would remove everything from her room, put up a gate so you can see her, and set the timer for an hour. Explain to your daughter that she needs to lie down in bed and rest. Go sit in the other room and curl up with a cup of tea and People magazine. If all else fails, head to park. There might a hot dad there to distract you for a few minutes during your sleepless afternoon.

 

Comments

[Erica]

I just found your blog through The Hausfrau's new blog and have to say, thank god I found you. Just the sense of humor I've been craving... Keep on posting! I'll be back.