What do I do?
I believe that every problem has a solution. Most problems have many solutions. This is definitely one of those times…
Here’s what’s happening:
Henry naps every day, but for the last several days getting him to fall asleep has been a fight almost to the death. It’s like the freekin Hunger Games. A mom and a toddler enter… You get the idea.
He can’t nap till he poops, and like clockwork he needs to take care of business right after lunch and before nap. In. That. Order. Lately he has been going to sleep at night without daddy hanging out in his room for an hour while he falls asleep (this is awesome). But now he wants me to “Go!” when he’s ready to nap too. He wants to be left alone to put himself to sleep. Why am I complaining about this? Because he gets up about 10 times, with various excuses as to why he is done napping all in the name of avoiding falling asleep in the first place.
It takes an hour. Back and forth, sometimes juggling the baby, sometimes begging him to STFU so he doesn’t wake her up. But after an hour of fighting, it’s now not 12:30. It’s 1:30. And he’s finally asleep and I’m emotionally exhausted and starving. But then he sleeps till 4. Or like yesterday, till 5. And I know I should wake him but I’m so wiped from the fight of getting him to sleep and he’s such a pill when he wakes up that I just avoid, avoid, avoid.
Maybe if I stick to it in a few more days he will figure it out and the World War Sleep can come to a cease fire. But maybe I’m missing something, an easy way to get him to relax and let himself fall asleep? It’s clear he still needs the nap, otherwise he wouldn’t stay asleep for 3+ hours, right?
Suggestions?