Category Archives sleep

The No-Cry Nap Solution – review

As the mother of two little boys, I have learned to expect anything. My oldest, NHL, is five years old. When he was younger, he craved naps. We would always know when he was tired and ready to rest. Each morning at the same time, he would go to sleep with no major battles. NHL switched to afternoon naps at daycare when he was two. The summer before he started PreK NHL was still taking naps. Then, when he started school "poof" the naps were gone. Rather than nap he would go to sleep earlier and was a very happy and well rested little guy.

Of course, I always assumed that since my oldest napped easily that the little guy would. In hind sight, I should have assumed it would be the opposite. My little guy has always kept me on my toes. Napping has been no different. JSL is 20 months old now and showing his independence. He wants to see, touch, explore and do everything. He is afraid of missing things when big brother is home from kindergarten. The boys share a room, so getting JSL to sleep in his crib at night on his own is a tough. If he cries, jumps up and down, or fusses too much he will not allow NHL to get rest. Thanks to this, JSL usually falls asleep in our bed.

Although falling asleep in our room is not a big deal, it does cause some complications come nap time. JSL is used to falling asleep with my husband or myself. Settling in his crib was not something that he knew how to do. He would hoot, holler, jump up and down and shake from crying so much. A mommy can only handle so much of this.

At just the right time I was asked to review The No Cry Nap Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. Pantley is the bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution that many of my friends have used over the years.

The co-cry nap solution

Right when the book arrived, JSL’s naps became erratic at best. He would fight sleep, cry if we walked toward his room, and wake within 20-30 minutes of being in his crib. Some days he would settle for a nap on his own, other days he would fall asleep nursing and be transferred to his crib. The lack of a consistent nap was starting to take its toll on everyone in the family.

Pantley begins the book with a chapter dedicated to the importance of naps and how much sleep children need. She explains that although naps only take a short time during the day, they help to shape the rest of the hours within the childs day. The following are some of the ways that Pantley says that naps benefit children:

  • Naps are a biological necessity.
  • Naps reduce the day’s fussiness, whining, and tantrums.
  • Naps increase learning capacity for babies.
  • Naps fill gaps from poor nighttime sleep.
  • Naps improve a child’s mood.
  • Naps improve brain development.
  • Naps improve the bedtime routine.
  • Naps increase attention span.
  • Naps ensure proper growth and development.
  • Children’s naps give caregivers a needed break.
  • Naps are beneficial for people of all ages.

Reading those words made me think about my little guy who was quickly becoming a reluctant napper. On those days that he napped well his mood was better, he was more focused on his play, he went to sleep easier at night, and yes I received a break to get things done (most impressed that the caregiver was included).

Pantley makes it clear that, as the parent/caregiver, you must be aware of the signs that your child is tired.Trying to get a child that is not tired, or even overtired, to nap can be next to impossible. I started keeping notes about troubles we were having at nap time. I wrote whether or not he had slept well the previous night, what time he was up in the morning, and how active he had been before putting him into his crib for a nap. After a while, I started to recognize JSL’s signs that told me he was ready for a nap. He rubbed his eyes, he slowed down, he went to the couch to rest. I learned that that was my key time to get him into his crib. If I waited too long, he would get a second wind of sorts and go into overtired mode.

When I knew it was time and put him into his crib, he would usually settle quickly. The problem soon became staying asleep. He would wake 20-30 minutes into a nap and fuss. Of course I would run into his room to check on him. That was my mistake. While reading the book I found out that the sleep cycles often mean that he would fuss. When I walked in and JSL saw me, he would pop up. If I stayed away and let him self soothe again he would typically nap another hour or more. Lesson learned.

So far many of our nap dilemas with a toddler have been helped with the chapter called The Nap Resister – When Your Child Needs a Nap but Won’t Take One. Whether it was inconsistent nap schedule, looking for tired signs, being too busy, coping with separation anxiety. Pantley suggests items and helps the reader to become in tune with your children. Never do you feel pushed in one direction or another because she always notes that each child and family is different.

I believe that we are well on our way to helping JSL to become a better toddler napper. Thanks to The No-Cry Nap Solution, I have a fabulous resource available when a new nap time situation rises. I highly recommend this book for new parents and those that have children who are also resistant nappers. The book is available on Amazon.com for $10.85 with free shipping and would make a great baby shower gift. I know that when we get back from our vacation I will begin reading The No-Cry Potty Training Solution also by Elizabeth Pantley.

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Thank you to Elizabeth Pantley and the Family Review Network for this wonderful review opportunity.

 TheAngelForever

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Happy New Year – 2009

Life with kids on New Years Eve is quite different than it was before them. This year we bought some fun goodies to have with dinner and opted to stay in thanks to the snow that was dumped on us during the day.

NHL asked if he could stay up to see 2009 start. We figured it could not hurt to let him try. Of course, our theory was that he is five and typically goes to bed at 7:30. The kindergarten kid shocked us. He was pretty alert (albeit cranky) most of the evening. He played on the computer, watched the Travel Channel about Disney World, and used the Nintendo DS with JL.

Suddenly at about 11:00 NHL asked to take a nap. He said he was a little tired and simply wanted to rest a little while. We tried to talk with him. Within 15-20 minutes the tired kiddo was conked out on the couch like so:

So close to 2009

As I Twittered away at the NYEtwarty, JL was caught like this with sleeping NHL next to him:

TechyDad = geek

The little guy slept though most of the evening. He woke up once, but was in his crib from 9:30 to 7:30 this morning.

Now with the New Year here the reality that we have a vacation planned THIS YEAR (in four months no less) is real!

Wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2009 to everyone.

 TheAngelForever

P.S. Hubby and I are supposed to go out to dinner tomorrow night. We opted for a more quiet evening. Good thing thanks to the awful weather here.

 

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Wow, Wow. . . what a weekend

Thank goodness NHL’s eye is doing so much better. The antibiotic drops really seem to be helping. The croup cough will not go away, so I will likely give a call to the allergists office Tuesday when his doctor is back from vacation. Something needs to help him and perhaps it is using the nebulizer that has been sitting and collecting dust.

Before eating last night I decided to take JSL out of the house. He had been stuck inside all day. I wanted to get to Rite Aid because they had amazing deals on cold care items. There were two entire pages in thier ad of items that were free after single check rebate. I decided it was finally time to try something beside CVS and the ECBs. Below are all of the items that I purchased. The cost up front was about $43, but I should get all of that back in a single check rebate. Not too bad, especially since we are all battling things now. 

Cold product score from Rite Aid

When JSL and I arrived back home our pizza was ready. NHL had already eaten some and wanted to go watch television. He was so tired after refusing to nap all day. He was too afraid that his eye would close shut again. While JL, JSL and I finished dinner NHL went to relax on the couch. One minute he was chatting away, the next we found him like so:

Fell asleep mid chat

Something that the boys loved this weekend actually arrived at our door Thursday. It was the Wow Wow Wubbzy giveaway package that I won from 5 Minutes for Mom. Talk about perfect timing! The boys loved watching the A Tale of Tails DVD and each claimed one of the books. Here are all of the goodies that were included. Thanks again ladies! 

Wow, Wow . . . what a win!

Something pretty exciting happend to the little guy tonight, details to follow soon.

TheAngelForever

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Teething monster strikes again

Let me go on the record and say that the canine teeth are evil little boogers when they decide to come in. I vaguely recall these teeth being the worst when NHL was little, but my memory was quickly restored thanks to JSL. The little guy has been an absolute mess the last week or so. He does not want to eat, prefers nursing (YES he is still nursing) more often, will not settle at night to sleep, and is up many times during the night.

Last night was particularly bad. He did not settle until we pulled out the Motrin and gave it to him. Of course it helped him to get to sleep initially, but did not last. JSL was up at least 3-4 times during the night. After the second time he was up howling, he ended up in our bed where we all seem to be able to sleep some.

Prior to these evil little teeth pushing their way into JSL’s mouth, getting him to sleep at night was fairly easy. He loved to snuggle up with his new silky blanket and a pillow. Thanks to a great giveaway on An Island Life we were introduced to Kennedy Grace Boutique on Etsy. Cathi’s baby blankets are absolutely amazing. JSL quickly declared the beautiful silky soft new blanket his. We had Cathi make it with our last name so either of the boys could use it. NHL gladly allowed JSL to have it since he is quite attached to his "squeaky" blanket buddies.

Sleep time with favorite blankets

Thanks again to Kailani and Cathi for helping to make our non-teething night time routines so wonderful. I can not wait until these pesky teeth are in and JSL can go back to simply curling up with his silky blanket to have sweet dreams.

TheAngelForever

 

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