I got Aiden to take a nap in his bed, on the weekend, during the DAY. I couldn't believe it! Ever since Aiden learned how to crawl out of his crib a few weeks ago, napping on the weekend has been nonexistent. I know he's not ready to get rid of naps altogether yet because he still sleeps 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day at daycare.
We had tried EVERYTHING. Letting him run loose in the bedroom (sometimes he fell asleep on his own, sometimes he didn't), laying with him, sitting on the bed next to him and holding him down (horrible)... I thought we were out of options. But then I started thinking about Blair, who sleeps in a big boy bed. Alexa has had some trouble getting him to sleep occasionally and I know they leave his door open a crack when he goes to bed. I decided to ask her why she keeps the door open and how she deals with him getting up. She said that every time he gets up, she tells him to go back to bed. And the door stays open so she can see if he's in bed or not.
We decided to give it a try. We left the door open, I sat on the love seat where I have a perfect view of Aiden in bed and Travis went outside. For one, we didn't want Aiden to be distracted by too many parents trying to tell him what to do. Two, Travis wasn't sure he could handle the game playing on Aiden's side. I told him to go outside and if it worked, then he could try it later.
AND IT WORKED! Like a charm! We laid him down for nap time together, like we do at bed time and used to do for nap time. Travis went outside and I sat on the couch. Every time Aiden tried to get up, I told him sternly, "Get back in bed." After a couple times of that, I told him he could have a book if he stayed in bed. He said okay, so I handed him the book and went back to my perch. Every time he sat up, I went in and asked him if he was done with his book. He always said no and laid back down. It took about five goes with this before he finally stayed down on his own. He pressed a few buttons in the electronic book he'd chosen and then rolled over. I gave him 10 minutes of lying there, shifting occasionally, and then I went in to check on him.
He was asleep, so I laid his book on the ground, covered him up with his blanket, locked and shut the door. It was amazing. The whole thing probably took 20 minutes. I can only hope that we can reenact this feat next weekend. It probably helped that he went to bed late the night before, spent the morning playing outside and went down late for his nap. We'll have to see how it goes next time before getting too confident.
After I had Aiden locked away (last time we left him inside for nap time, he got out of his room and pulled out all the DVDs), I headed back outside to sit with Travis. That morning, we slept in until 8 am (unusual, but expected since we stayed up late) then got up and watched Cars for the first time with Aiden. He really seemed to like it, but I have yet to see serious interest. I'm hoping to get him hyped up enough that he'll want to see his first movie in the theater, Cars 2, this summer.
We had tried EVERYTHING. Letting him run loose in the bedroom (sometimes he fell asleep on his own, sometimes he didn't), laying with him, sitting on the bed next to him and holding him down (horrible)... I thought we were out of options. But then I started thinking about Blair, who sleeps in a big boy bed. Alexa has had some trouble getting him to sleep occasionally and I know they leave his door open a crack when he goes to bed. I decided to ask her why she keeps the door open and how she deals with him getting up. She said that every time he gets up, she tells him to go back to bed. And the door stays open so she can see if he's in bed or not.
We decided to give it a try. We left the door open, I sat on the love seat where I have a perfect view of Aiden in bed and Travis went outside. For one, we didn't want Aiden to be distracted by too many parents trying to tell him what to do. Two, Travis wasn't sure he could handle the game playing on Aiden's side. I told him to go outside and if it worked, then he could try it later.
AND IT WORKED! Like a charm! We laid him down for nap time together, like we do at bed time and used to do for nap time. Travis went outside and I sat on the couch. Every time Aiden tried to get up, I told him sternly, "Get back in bed." After a couple times of that, I told him he could have a book if he stayed in bed. He said okay, so I handed him the book and went back to my perch. Every time he sat up, I went in and asked him if he was done with his book. He always said no and laid back down. It took about five goes with this before he finally stayed down on his own. He pressed a few buttons in the electronic book he'd chosen and then rolled over. I gave him 10 minutes of lying there, shifting occasionally, and then I went in to check on him.
He was asleep, so I laid his book on the ground, covered him up with his blanket, locked and shut the door. It was amazing. The whole thing probably took 20 minutes. I can only hope that we can reenact this feat next weekend. It probably helped that he went to bed late the night before, spent the morning playing outside and went down late for his nap. We'll have to see how it goes next time before getting too confident.
After I had Aiden locked away (last time we left him inside for nap time, he got out of his room and pulled out all the DVDs), I headed back outside to sit with Travis. That morning, we slept in until 8 am (unusual, but expected since we stayed up late) then got up and watched Cars for the first time with Aiden. He really seemed to like it, but I have yet to see serious interest. I'm hoping to get him hyped up enough that he'll want to see his first movie in the theater, Cars 2, this summer.
After the movie, I made breakfast and Travis went out to fill the kiddie pool with water. He came in to eat, then we all headed out to relax in the water. While Aiden was taking his nap, Travis and I relaxed by the "pool".
You can see our veggie garden next to Travis. Some of the plants are doing well (tomatoes and cucumbers), while others not-so-well (onions and peppers). I think I might plant new onions this week. They are doing really bad.
After an hour and a half, I had to drive up to pick up our rings from their bi-annual inspection, cleaning and rhodium plating. On my way back, I stopped at the grocery store for a few items. When I got back, Travis fired up the grill and made our dinner. When we were finished eating and cleaning up, we all hopped back in the pool for a few more delirious minutes in the water. Aiden was so tired he laughed almost non-stop.
Travis and Aiden took a bath while I cleaned up the kitchen. Then when they got out, we relaxed on the couch for 30 minutes watching The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, a fantastic find by the Ramby's. It reminds me strongly of shows I used to watch as a kid, like The Muppets and Fraggle Rock.
Travis and Aiden took a bath while I cleaned up the kitchen. Then when they got out, we relaxed on the couch for 30 minutes watching The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, a fantastic find by the Ramby's. It reminds me strongly of shows I used to watch as a kid, like The Muppets and Fraggle Rock.
It was an excellent Sunday. I quickly determined the Theme of the Day to be The Lazy Song, by Bruno Mars.
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1 comment:
Sounds like a really great day!
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