This week I am experimenting with taking away Liam's nap time. If Liam naps he will stay up until 9:30 easily, and that makes my day soooo long. Also, he will fight going to bed if he has taken a nap. It becomes a battle and I am going in and out of his room a dozen times before he falls asleep. I would just shut the door and not go back in, but he screams so loud from his room that he frequently wakes up Marlo. So, I feel forced to go in and calm him down. Moreover, Joe and I try to be in bed by 10 since Joe has to wake up at 5 am for work. So, when Liam is up to all hours of the night Joe and I don't get any time together - but what's new there - that's what you sign up for when you have kids.
If Liam doesn't nap he easily falls asleep by 7. And there is no fighting. He's pooped from his long day and falls asleep within 5 minutes of hitting the pillow. He does get a bit more sensitive in the evening, but he doesn't have major meltdowns or anything. This tells me that he might be ready to give up his nap.
Here's the issue: if Liam goes to bed at 7 he will never see Joe during the week. The earliest Joe gets home is 7:30. Usually, he gets home closer to 8. And this surely takes a toll on Liam. He asks for Joe all the time. And when he's upset he just cries for Joe. Part of me wants to take the nap away so he can fall asleep at a reasonable time, but part of me thinks he should nap so he can stay up later and spend time with Joe.
Thoughts? Any other parents deal with the issue of one parent getting home late and trying to balance that out with the kids' schedules?
This is a tough choice. Anna refuses to nap so I never had to worry about it. She also stays up late... Usually only gets 10 hours of sleep a day. Maybe see if you can skip nap and stretch him eventually to 8? Maybe he will eventually sleep in later?
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