The Solution to the Afternoon Nap Boycott

Oh the afternoon nap.  The blissful time when the kids go to bed and I can eat my lunch quietly while watching my guilty TV for 10 peaceful minutes (Bachelor, Real Housewives, etc.  Yes, I need help, these shows are eating my brain).   Then, after my 10 minutes of downtime, I get to work, and spend the next hour and a half frantically cleaning, doing emails, calling customers, etc.  Unfortunately, Munchkin Girl has decided that sleeping is for losers (my words, not hers).

Several months ago she started only taking naps three or four times a week.  Now it's down to 0 or 1. The problem is that not only do I really need that time, she also needs to have some quiet time or she's crabby later!  It's no fun to have Daddy come home from work and have her whining all night.  Plus, the more she cries, the more Little Buddy gets fussy too.  So, I have vowed that she WILL go to her room for an hour.  However, she doesn't seem to like this plan.  For several weeks now we (the nanny and I, depending on the day) have fought her during "naptime".  I tell her she MUST be quiet.  We have a sticker program too and she does like to earn those stickers, but after awhile, she can't help herself, "Mommy!!!!  I want to be awaaaaaaaaake!!!!"



Sometimes she even wakes up Little Buddy too so I really had to do something.  My friend told me about a clock you can get that lights up blue when they are supposed to be sleeping and then yellow when it's time to wake up.  There are lots of choices out there, but I did some research and found THE BEST PRODUCT EVER!!!  You can configure it for however long you want.  I did it for 1.5 hours.  After some coaching on what we expected, she is now quiet (or moderately quiet.  Sometimes she sings at the top of her lungs, but I figure that is playing by herself, right??) until the clock turns yellow.  It's SOOO wonderful to know that I have a full 1.5 hour block in the afternoon even if she doesn't nap.  You can set it to light up blue during night too.  I chose 7:30pm-7:30am.  Then at 7:30am, it changes to yellow.  That's really great too because she used to wake up around 6:00, right while I was in the shower.  Now she plays until 7:30 and as soon as it turns yellow, "Mommy, it's yellow, good moooorning!!!

I actually bought this product myself almost six months ago and liked it so much that I wrote away to them and asked if I could give one away to one of my readers and they said yes!!  So, if you want your own Tot Clock, just use the form below to enter.  Rules are below.  Good luck!!




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Bedtime routines and strange OCD behavior

It's 5:45am and I was just beckoned to Munchkin Girl's room to search for the "hippo" that had fallen off the bed.  My husband really wants me to find out if we are the only ones who have this problem.  Munchkin Girl is three years old and this is what her bed looks like every night.  And by every night I mean EVERY night.  No exceptions.  Even the placement of every item is crucial.   Tinkerbell on the right side.  Cinderella on the left  Then you will notice the purse (Yes, it's still the fake Prada from the doctor visit.  The purse also has specific items inside and if anything is forgotten, it can be a major tradegy, even at 2am when she tends to take inventory of what is missing
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Hubby is gone at bedtime a lot, which means that I alone have to:

1.  Locate all the items, which can be a major chore because she plays with them all day.  I found the small teddy bear inside the oven in the play kitchen last night
2.  Pick up all the items and carry her and the items up the stairs
3.  Arrange all items correctly in bed
4.  Read 1 book
5.  Tell her one story of when I was a little girl and one story about when Daddy was a little boy
6.  Give her a kiss in exactly the right spot on the cheek

The problem is, she doesn't want to leave these items in the bed.  Every single morning, she wants me to carry all of these, plus her blankie, plus her down the stairs.  That's not even to mention my 18 month old.  Luckily all he needs is milk and some food.

We did ask my doctor about all this.  He claims it is normal and we should just try to keep her as comfortable as possible.  She better grow out of this phase soon.  Keep in mind that she already has a full bed, not a twin, and yet the other day she said, "Mommy, I need a bigger bed.  Tinkerbell keeps falling out."