Naptimes are for Tea and a Giveaway!

How many other stay at home mammas can relate to the delicious freedom you experience upon laying your toddler down for their afternoon nap?

Napping came at a cost for us. Collin was never eager to nap, or ever go to bed for that matter. He has always been such a social butterfly (like his mom)! When he was about a month old, we put a schedule in place, using a modified version of Babywise and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. At eight weeks he started sleeping through the night, but the first year of his life consisted of measly little 45 minute naps during the day. We'd let him cry a bit, just to soothe himself back to sleep and get over the "45 minute intruder" mark, which sometimes garnered us another 45 minutes, but not always.

As much as I would have liked to let him sleep-in in the morning, so that I could sleep in, I would set my alarm for a specific time and get him up so that we could start the day out right and stay on schedule, capping the day off with a nighttime routine and bedtime, consistently at the same time every night. Needless to say, I was exhausted when bedtime rolled around, especially since I wasn't ever getting more than 45 minutes of time to myself. But, we kept with the schedule. I think I felt like I had worked so hard to get things where they were, that I feared what would happen if we went off course. (Now, I'm less worried if we deviate once in a while. Especially since he knows what to expect each day).

He went through a period of time, around 9 or 10 months, where he would pull up to standing in his crib at night and howl because he couldn't get back down. Thankfully that was just a phase. We've also had a few night terror incidents now and then. Also a rarity.

He has continued to sleep over twelve hours a night and is now taking at least an hour and a half, sometimes two hour nap, nap each day. I think I started to see things really change when he started walking at 13.5 months. The physical exhaustion that walking brought really set in and made for much better naps. He was ready to go down to one nap a day at 15 months (he is currently almost 20 months old).

There is so much peace for me in knowing what the day will look like and how to plan for it. I can tell, as much as he doesn't like going down for naps, that around his naptime he's expecting me to take him upstairs, close the curtains, sing him a song and plop him into his crib with his animals. I don't get more than five minutes of protesting ever. He's usually out before the five minute mark. If one day, he is just totally and completely not into napping, that's okay. He will still get put in his crib at naptime and I will come get him when naptime is over. That could mean he cries for half an hour and plays for the rest of naptime, but I still don't let him get up until it's time. On those days, he is typically ready to hit the sack by 7:30, instead of 8PM.

How about the rest of you? Have you had success with naps? Are they a source of contention? Do you get a good cuppa tea, or your beverage of choice, and some alone time? At least once a day? I hope so!

I also feel the need to say that if you are currently a mamma in the midst of naptime or bedtime nightmares with a baby or toddler-- take heart! It will get better. I know it's easy for me to say because I'm on the other side of it, but this season will pass. If I could go back and talk to myself a year ago, I would say, "Keep on keeping on, sista! Keep pushing for a routine-- even if it gets messed up every day. Stay consistent and strong and you will eventually see the payoff of a happy, rested baby!" Feel free to drop me an email if you have questions or need prayer!

On this cloudy day in Joplin, I'm enjoying some Plantation Mint tea out of one of my favorite teacups!

Okay, so I realize there are people reading this blog (I'm getting over 300 hits a day), but I rarely get comments on here. I've decided to do my first giveaway in the hopes of generating some online dialogue within this community. :)

Are you interested in winning this lovely, vintage brass trivet from Tinted Vintage? It's heavy and full of nice patina. If so, please leave a comment here and tell me about your naptime experiences with kiddos. If you don't have kiddos, tell me if you yourself are a napper! For another entry, take a look at Tinted Vintage's shop on Etsy, heart it and tell me. For yet another entry, please either go to my Facebook Page and become a fan and tell me you did so, or if you are already a fan, let me know!

I'll be announcing the giveaway winner tomorrow!