Gwyn's "tired signs" are perfectly clear. She is a yawner. If Mama happens to miss a yawn, she will not hesitate to remind me that she is losing steam fast by rubbing her eyes furiously. I try to pay close attention to her signals to get her down in a timely fashion but it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.
Gwyn wakes at approximately 7:30am each morning. If her wake time is off I still aim for the morning nap 1-1.5 hours after she gets up (because she is already exhausted by then). This usually puts our morning nap at 9am. I have tried to play with this time...a little earlier...a little later...nada. She does not want to go to sleep. She will cry and cry and cry. I usually continue my attempt for 1 hour. Then I bring her back down stairs where she jumps deliriously in her Jumperoo (smiling and yawning between bounces) or she fights with all her might to keep her head up while playing on her play mat (if her head rests on the floor for more than 5 seconds she promptly lifts it right back up with restored determination and vigor!) I am usually exhausted just watching her.
So I hold out hope for an afternoon nap. Usually I start attempting this one at noon. Basically, to avoid sounding redundant, this is a repeat of the morning.
Then, to my great dismay, she usually falls asleep in the middle of a meal (while nursing) around 1:30-2. When this happens I attempt to separate myself from her...not easy, and put her down to sleep. This is successful maybe 50% of the time. Today is one of those lucky days, but who am I kidding, this is not working!
Tomorrow we are going to try Ferber for naps. I used Ferber for bedtime and Gwyn goes straight to sleep every night within minutes after eating. I will report back in one week...cross your fingers, say a prayer, do a dance...we need all the help we can get!
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2 comments:
The nap dilemma drives me nuts, too!
what is Ferber??
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