SO my toddler is currently going through a phase(I refuse to accept that it could be anything else) where he won't nap unless pushed around the streets in the pushchair or driven a great distance in the car. It is doing my head in and to be honest after day four of no nap I am over it.
No my child is not dropping naps. The first day he has no nap I get grumpy from naptime until bed time, second day I get minor tantrums from naptime to bedtime and by the third day it is full blown tantrums over anything that doesn't go his way through the whole day. If he doesn't nap I have to prepare dinner at least half an hour earlier otherwise it is like the world is ending at dinner time and he wont eat.
So because I am over it, I asked for advise on one of the mums groups I belong to on facebook. Some people had some great suggestions, and then others just make me mad thinking about it... Yes I do know that I am stressed, but who wouldn't when they have to go and tell their child to lie down every ten minutes for an hour in vain hope they will fall asleep. Who wouldn't feel stressed when you go in to settle your toddler back down to find that they have stripped the bed yet again, so have to remake it just to be able to lie them down in yet another sleep attempt. Who wouldn't be mad and frustrated when you go in to get your child after yet another hour wasted trying to get them to sleep to find they have found a small lift in the wallpaper and have decided to strip the walls. Who would not be mad to walk in to find their toddler had figured out how to remove their pants and nappy and pee all over the bed after they had stripped off the mattress. Yes I am stressed but who wouldn't be with a toddler like mine.
But telling me to look at my behaviour as that could be rubbing off on my child is the least helpful thing anyone has ever told me. My child does test my patience but I know to talk to him in a firm even voice, to physically touch him if I want his attention and that some days the fight isn't worth it. I don't want advice on how to deal with my own behaviour, I want to know how to get the toddler that needs to nap to actually nap. I just need him to sleep or everything is a mission and by day three nothing will go right.
On a plus however he is usually well behaved and will sleep through the night. But seriously people think about what you post in answer to peoples questions. Telling a stressed mother(especially a pregnant stressed mother) that they need to look at their behaviour first as that could be causing the issue is not the way to go. I wanted to know how to deal with no sleep not the tantrums.
No my child is not dropping naps. The first day he has no nap I get grumpy from naptime until bed time, second day I get minor tantrums from naptime to bedtime and by the third day it is full blown tantrums over anything that doesn't go his way through the whole day. If he doesn't nap I have to prepare dinner at least half an hour earlier otherwise it is like the world is ending at dinner time and he wont eat.
So because I am over it, I asked for advise on one of the mums groups I belong to on facebook. Some people had some great suggestions, and then others just make me mad thinking about it... Yes I do know that I am stressed, but who wouldn't when they have to go and tell their child to lie down every ten minutes for an hour in vain hope they will fall asleep. Who wouldn't feel stressed when you go in to settle your toddler back down to find that they have stripped the bed yet again, so have to remake it just to be able to lie them down in yet another sleep attempt. Who wouldn't be mad and frustrated when you go in to get your child after yet another hour wasted trying to get them to sleep to find they have found a small lift in the wallpaper and have decided to strip the walls. Who would not be mad to walk in to find their toddler had figured out how to remove their pants and nappy and pee all over the bed after they had stripped off the mattress. Yes I am stressed but who wouldn't be with a toddler like mine.
But telling me to look at my behaviour as that could be rubbing off on my child is the least helpful thing anyone has ever told me. My child does test my patience but I know to talk to him in a firm even voice, to physically touch him if I want his attention and that some days the fight isn't worth it. I don't want advice on how to deal with my own behaviour, I want to know how to get the toddler that needs to nap to actually nap. I just need him to sleep or everything is a mission and by day three nothing will go right.
On a plus however he is usually well behaved and will sleep through the night. But seriously people think about what you post in answer to peoples questions. Telling a stressed mother(especially a pregnant stressed mother) that they need to look at their behaviour first as that could be causing the issue is not the way to go. I wanted to know how to deal with no sleep not the tantrums.
