Thursday, July 12, 2012

One nap isn't cutting it.

From what I gather, a lot of kids transition to one nap after their first birthday.  (Not that they HAVE to, according to this sleep chart.)  Lucy isn't one of those kids.  That girl needs her two naps, or she turns into a major fuss pot. 

Her schedule has been a little unpredictable the past two months...  Most days she takes two 1-1.5 hour naps, around 10:00 am and 2:00 pm; but there were some days that she would take one short morning nap (30-45 minutes) and one longer afternoon nap (1.5 hours), or only one looong nap (2-3 hours) in the middle of the day.  Then, a couple weeks ago, she changed classrooms* at school. 

Lucy's teachers felt that she was ready and would be happier playing with the older kids in the Trainer Room (18 months to 3 years).  Casey and I felt relatively comfortable with the idea, except for one detail:  Trainers only take one, scheduled nap per day. 

My poor, sleepy peanut...
Can't even keep her head up at the dinner table!

I'm sure most of my readers are rolling their eyes right about now, and thinking, "She'll adjust" or "She'll get over it".  And that may be true, evenutally, but, for the time being, my poor Goose is really missing her second nap.  And I miss my happy, well-rested girl! 

There is a noticeable difference in her disposition on the days she goes to daycare; she's whiny and clingy, impatient, and uninterested in eating her dinner.  There have even been times that she's fallen asleep on the car ride home from daycare...and we literally live across the street from the center!  That's how tired she is!!  I understand why daycare has to do this, but that doesn't mean I like it.  And you better believe when Lulu is at home, she gets her two naps!    

*Our daycare is the only center I've seen that does not have a One Year Old Room; instead it has an extended age range in the Infant Room (8 weeks to 18 months).

3 comments:

  1. Every kid is different, I am actually surprised how quickly Leland went down to one nap. Sometimes I still think he isn't happy about it, but he will refused to nap in the morning. I say do what you think is best for her and what will make her happy.

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  2. Keeping kids in one room for that span is considered besr practice by all the Early Childhood Infant Toddler experts so I'm glad your center does it. That being said, in my state regulations require that Infants and Toddlers are allowed to sleep when the need arises,and keeping a baby awake for the convenience of the program is far from best practice. Read the regs in your state and have a chat with whoever is in charge. Also, feeding a child who is falling asleep in the high chair can be a choking hazard.

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  3. I just read "About Us". If my math is right she is 16 months old and doesn't belong in a toddler room anyhow.I wonder if they needed a space in the infant room and pushed her ahead for their convenience.

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