When (if ever) did you let your LOs have their own schedule?

DD is sleeping beauty. She still loves 2 long naps and 12 hours of sleep at night.
DS on the other hand.....will sleep the 11-12 hours at night but then he wants to take (1) one hour nap and thats it.

Often times DD is ready for bed before DS is. SO I always *try* to put them down together but inevitably he stays up 30min-1hour longer than his sister.

Are your kids on precisely the same schedule? What do you do when you have one who needs 2 naps a day and one who just needs 1?

Im trying to treat them as individuals but I want to keep my sanity too

 

I struggle with this. My DS Jack is just like your DD, and my DS Jacob is just like your DS.

For a long time, I made them both go down for 2 naps but Jacob rarely took both and would scream through the whole first nap. Now, I try to give them both just one nap, but I have been doing that for weeks and they have not elongated their nap time - today they only slept for 30 minutes. It was a horrible afternoon because of that!

Wish I had some suggestions, but I don't - it's been a major struggle for me for nearly a year!

 

I have always let me kids dictate their own schedule (based on their needs of course). Thankfully my girls put themselves on the same exact schedule so it has never been an issue.

I would say I am able to maintain my sanity the most by having happy babies. If that meant that one needed 1 nap and the other needed two then so be it. Of course I love the peace when they are taking a nap, but if its a battle then it defeats the purpose. Soon enough they will both probably be down to 1 nap a day.

 

QUOTE(twinboys07 @ May 2 2009, 07:22 PM) [snapback]1298030[/snapback]
I struggle with this. My DS Jack is just like your DD, and my DS Jacob is just like your DS.

For a long time, I made them both go down for 2 naps but Jacob rarely took both and would scream through the whole first nap. Now, I try to give them both just one nap, but I have been doing that for weeks and they have not elongated their nap time - today they only slept for 30 minutes. It was a horrible afternoon because of that!

Wish I had some suggestions, but I don't - it's been a major struggle for me for nearly a year!


Ya I dont deal with the screaming so if I put them both down and hes still in there hollering I go and get him back up. I tell him he can play but mommy isnt playing with him cause she needs to rest like sister LOL
I definitely cant deprive DD of the naps she NEEDS. I think hes just going to have 'independent play time' while his sister takes her extra nap.

More less just wanted to know its not just happening at my house

 

Mine are the same way, DD still needs 2 naps/day, but DS is ready to move to 1 nap/day. And, we are struggling with this, depending on the day and how tired I am (how much of a break I need), sometimes I put them both down for 2 naps, and sometimes I only let them have one nap - it doesn't seem to matter, I pay for it either way (either DS is crying because he doesn't want to sleep, or DD is crying because she is tired). I do still keep them on the same schedule, otherwise I would never get to leave the house because someone would always be napping....sorry, not much advice, just big hugs to us!

 

Anthony can sleep for 30 minutes, and Nicholas can sleep for 3.5 hours. Or, Anthony can sleep in his crib for an hour, then sleep on me for at least another hour, if not more...while Nicholas stays asleep soundly in his crib. Anyways...

I remember when we were transitioning to one nap, or when Anthony was only doing 30 minute naps, trying to put them down TOGETHER for at least ONE of the naps. Is that possible? So-let one take the am nap and keep the other one up for that nap. Then for the 2nd nap-put them both down together? Does that make sense? Or it can be the first nap. Maybe if it's the 2nd nap, they'll get a bit more tired? I don't know. Naps can be so hit or miss here for Anthony. Basically-if I have help here-he'll take a good two hour nap no problem. If it's just me-one hour to the second(I know-some people don't get that, so I am not complaining-especially when it was 30 minutes before!) :blink:

Good luck! Who ever knew sleeping/napping would be something as parents we would have to worry about!

 

we also struggle w/this, but i agree w/the pp that a happy baby makes a happy mommy. and, since i completely obsess about sleep, the more mine get the happier i am (up to a point--and then i'm just too exhuasted to be happy!)... mine have always each folowed his own rhythm and i've tried to respect that and work around it.... there have been MANY days when i had no time to myself because they "took turns" napping.... it sucks but i just keep telling myself that it won't last forever!

since you really have to take the best care of yourself possible i think you have to do what's right for all of you, not just them. the idea about them taking one nap togethr might work.....

gl!

 

The way I did it was put them down and get them up at the same times and if one or the other stayed awake for a while or woke up early that was fine but they stayed in the cribs til I went to get them. (wow, that's a long sentence! :huh: ) That was how I got my time to clean, eat lunch in peace, have alone time with dh at night, etc. That's what I had done from about 6mos on so by a year they rarely fussed to get up because they knew it wouldn't do any good. With you being pg again, I'd let your DS learn that naptime is naptime and he's in the crib whether he sleeps or not. It's worth the struggle now to guarantee that break time after the new baby comes.

 

Mine are pretty much on the same schedule. However, I think DS is starting to get ready to go to one nap and DD would like a later bedtime. However, what we do for our sanity is still put DS down for a second nap where he has quiet time while DD sleeps and DD still has the same bedtime as DS, except she might play in her crib for a little bit before she falls asleep. Good luck!

 

From day one I let them do their own thing. Now at almost two years they mostly nap at the sane time and go sleep within an hour of one another at night. I really love when they nap at the same time!

 

My girls are not on the same schedule any more. Just this morning Amelia woke up at 7:15 but Lily slept in til 8:30. It does make for really long days when I have one baby awake at all times, and those days are hard. However, I love having the one-on-one time with each of my girls. This morning when Amelia was the only one awake I brought her in our bed and changed her diaper there and then she snuggled and cuddled with me and DH. I really enjoy having the alone time with each of them, and there still are some days when they are on the same schedule, but I don't force it.

 

I didn't read the other posts so I may repeat some of what they said...

Ben has always needed more sleep than Daniel. Daniel has been on 1 nap since January whereas we're only just transitioning Ben to 1 nap now. Luckily Daniel is pretty flexible and can stay awake til Ben goes for his afternoon nap. Our schedule looks like this:

6am - both wake for the day
8:45am to 10am - Ben's morning nap - Daniel stays up with me during that nap
12:45 til 3:15 - Daniel's afternoon nap
1::15 til 3:15 - Ben's afternoon nap
6pm - Bedtime for both

As you can see, Daniel would go down about a 1/2 hour before Ben in the afternoon but at least there was a big stretch where they BOTH were sleeping.

I guess my opinion is find the compromise. Try to find a schedule that attempts to meet both mommy's and babies' needs!

Cary

 

We dont have a schedule here. We just deal with the day as it comes. Some days were up early and some days we sleep in pretty late. if the boys need a nap they head to the bedroom and go to sleep. B/C the boys will either be going to preschool or I will be having a homeschool type area set up at home during the summer we are going to try to get on a schedule. Im not a planned person and hate to look to the clock for what needs to happen next. So to answer your question we all have our own "schedule".

 

We dealt with that around that age as well. It was hard b/c with DS on two naps and DD on one nap it was always time for someone to be sleeping and we could never get out to do anything. I compromised and on days when we didn't have plans I went with the alternating schedule and on days we had plans I either had DS skip his morning nap or attempted to lay DD down early for her nap. With time I gradually nudged their schedules and now they are on the same schedule with one afternoon nap although DS typically sleeps 30-60 min longer than DD on any given day.