Can you let them finish a nap in the car?

Hi there,
My twins haven't been napping well lately. Evan is teething and Claire is really distracted by EVERYTHING right now. I just got back from the gym (yay!!) and they both fell asleep on the way home. I know they are exhausted. They woke up early and were playing a lot in the gym child care. Is it okay to let them finish their nap in the car??
We have a locked garage. The temperature inside the garage is fine. I rolled down the windows in the car, and I'm sitting on the stairs (so I can hear them cry when they wake up). Do you think this is okay? If I get them out right now, I know they won't go back to sleep and they will be very cranky.
I have the Britax Marathon seats. I hate the way their heads hang forward when they sleep in the car. It looks so uncomfortable. But I'm desperate for them to get a good nap in right now.
Thanks for your input. I'm wondering if it's okay, because I know it's one of those things you probably aren't supposed to do with your babies.
Beth

 

I think it's fine - especially since you'll hear them when they wake up! Make sure you're checking them every so often (10-15 minutes or so) and that if their skin feels too hot, you take them out ASAP.
This is probably a silly question, but you turned the car off, right? Even with the windows down, being inside a garage with the car on can lead to CO2 poisoning.

I hope they nap well for you! If you get too worried, you could always just go for a drive until they wake up!

 

I almost always let my kids finish out a nap in the car. I crack the windows, park in the shade...and usually sit and read a book or something outside of the car. If it's chilly out, I make sure they have coats or blankets on them. Use practical sense about the temps.

 

Absolutely and I have to say IM JEALOUS!!! WE dont have a garage, but if we did I would be doing exactly what you described.
Usually what I have to do is get them out of their carseats, say nothing, dont make eye contact or anything. Carry them straight to their room, put them in bed and shut the door. They usually go right back to sleep- thank GOODNESS!!

 

i agree! i've spent many an hour reading a book in the front seat of my car waiting for the girls to wake up (we have a detached garage, so i'm always stuck in that situation).

 

I used to do it if I didn't think they'd go back to sleep when put into their crib. It always depended on how long they had been asleep and how close to a feeding. I have many a times left them in the garage with their car door open and the door to the house open.

 

Thanks so much for your input. I feel better now.
They slept for another 20 minutes or so, which was pretty good. We live in a tri-level (garage on the bottom floor). To get them to bed, I have to carry them up 2 flights of stairs and it always wakes them...sigh.

Good point...Yes, I turned the car off

 

I do this often. My babies ALWAYS wake if I try to move them and wont go back to sleep even if I let them CIO for a long time. Obviously if the temperatures at an extreme, you can't do this but the temp in our garage is remarkably consistent. I keep blankets in the car in case its chilly and they are always warm and snug when I get them.

This is what I do: I turn off the car right away and close the garage door before opening the car doors (its LOUD). Then I open both sliding doors on the van, and turn off the van indoor lights. I then unload as quietly as possible with a 5 yr old singleton. I leave the door to the house open, and put a cheapy monitor in the van so I can really hear them even if I have to step away to the restroom.

If one wakes before the other (which usually does happen) I can get that one out without waking the other since both van doors are already open. I figure they are safe, snug, and I can hear them. Not that different from napping in their room or pack and plays.

HTH.