I have a very vivid memory of being 5 (or 6) and playing with my friend "J." J had a little sister who was young enough to still take daily naps. Obviously we "big girls" were way too old for such nonsense. But J's mom worked out a deal with us, since the little sister wanted to be just like us, if we would lie down and pretend to nap, she'd make us a special snack. I remember J and I giggling as we pretended to sleep, then crept out of the room and down the stairs.
I think back on those days now, because I'm trying to remember how old the younger sister was. Because at 3 years old, Thatbaby is still taking daily naps. And not just taking them, in desperate need of them.
The terrible threes, or the wrath of the three-nager, means lots of whining and mega meltdowns. These get even worse when he's tired. And given that he's still waking up shortly after dawn, he gets tired in the middle of the day. Which means without a nap, the afternoons are miserable and the evenings are even worse.
On top of that, I need those daily naps. They're my break to get things done, because nothing gets done with a toddler running around. They're also my break from that whining and melting down I mentioned earlier. Eventually, when he no longer needs the nap, I'll still probably institute a "quiet time" or "alone time" during that typical nap period. But between you and I, I hope he keeps napping for a long time. Then again, I wish I could still have daily naps too.
We're still in blissful needs-a-nap mode for our almost three year old too!
ReplyDeleteMy 9 month old... DIFFERENT story. That kid just doesn't seem to need it like his older brother does!!
You mean the threes are "terrible" too? I thought I'd just have one year of meltdowns and whining to endure.
ReplyDeleteI remember still taking naps up until kindergarten! So he's still got a ways to go...
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