Nap Weaning

Dear Em,
You've always been a good sleeper, at night & nap time. For the longest time, you napped for three hour stretches. It was kinda nice for Daddy & I. We used your nap time as down time for ourselves, time to get cleaning or projects done, & just time to enjoy peace & quiet. I'm not going to lie. We both have come to enjoy nap time.

Over the past six months, nap time has been a little more difficult. Your naps have grown shorter, & sometimes when we put you down to sleep you don't nap at all. Typically, this is followed by you being super, super cranky. As much as we've enjoyed nap time, it's also become difficult to plan around your nap time. It seems like every activity outside of our home happens to be scheduled right in the middle of your nap time. As much as we value the quiet time your naps provide at home, it's really tough to plan outside activities around it.

So I began to wonder, is it time to start weaning you of naps? On the one hand, your unwillingness to nap made it seem like maybe you didn't need your naps anymore. On the other hand, you almost always turned into a cranky terrorist on the evenings after you refused to nap. Like most milestone moments, your daddy & I were scared about not knowing what to do & unsure of how to proceed.

Your nonnie was not scared. On the weekend Daddy & I traveled to Maine, Nonnie declared it was vacation at our house. You didn't have to take naps, & even got late bedtimes at night. When Nonnie told us, I feared the worst. I wondered how much screaming & crying Nonnie had to endure, but she said you were doing great. We returned home to more than great. You were in a wonderful mood, you were sleeping in each morning until 8am instead of waking up at dawn. It was fantastic.

Once Daddy & I were onboard, we did institute quiet time. You don't have to nap, but you do have to spend quiet time in your room. You can play quietly on your own (& for those people who feel bad for you, you have more than enough toys & books to keep you occupied). Daddy & I still need that quiet time, & I think you do too.

You know what the funny thing is? You've ended up napping during most of the quiet times. You start off playing & talking & singing with your Lamby, & then all of a sudden you're sleeping. When you wake up, you tell me Lamby wasn't tired & wanted to play, but you told Lamby you needed a rest.

So, I guess you still do need your naps, but at least you do OK on the days when you don't get naps too. I guess the whole thing wasn't so scary afterall...until we talk about eliminating quiet time. That truly would be very scary.

I love you so,
Mommy