Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I am getting nervous....since the boys transitioned to 1 nap its been GREAT for me, they are sleeping 12-3....But what is going to happen with this nice weather and summer? How am I going to schedule play dates and take them out? Do you just skip the nap that day? Take them out 9-12?

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

We do things first thing in the AM or late afternoon---this morning we were out for a walk by 8:30 and played outside until lunch time! Our playgroup meets at 3:30 and that works out fine too.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I never really adhered to a nap schedule. If we made plans when he was typically napping, he usually would nap after (still does)

But, it is also light out later, so going out at 3 isn't so bad either

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

DS is up from 9-2, hme for nap...then out after 4 upon waking

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I try to let him nap unless I really can't avoid skipping it, and playdates aren't a problem since most kids nap around the same time. We either have them early in the day, or late in the day.

With the heat, it's just as well really. He gets so overheated in the middle of the day.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

DD is 2.5 and we just started skipping naps here and there. She would have been a melt-down terror all evening without them at a younger age. We did playdates or library or other classes in the morning, with plenty of time to get home for lunch and nap routine.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

Now that my DD is sleeping from noon to 2 every day I just go out early with her before the nap and I head out again after her nap. It's not ideal but manageable.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

the last week we've been forgoing real naps to go out but Kaydyn is all out of sorts...she needs the rest. So yesterday we went out early and then we came home for her nap. Then we went for a walk early evening.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

For the most part we are home for his nap. We go out first thing in the morning and are home in time (Jack goes in the crib at 1:15)

When he wakes up we also do playdates at say 4pm or so.

For special occassions, and or some special playdates I will skip his nap but definately not on an everyday basis.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

For us we tend to do errands or parks (just me and DS) during hte AM, then lunch and nap. Then our playdates are generally start around 2:30 or 3. We are lucky because our playgroup seems to all have similar nap schedules.

But really DS is totally flexible. SO I can nap him at 12:30 or if we have no plans at 2:30 or if we have alot going on I just skip his nap.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I'm a slave to naps and our schedule.

DD always naps 12:30/1..so if we were to do anything it was out the door by 9...even to the beach and we'd spend the morning there. Eat lunch wherever we were and then home for nap...then we'd go back out and play after she'd wake up.

But now with the baby it's going to be hard because she's on her schedule now.

Thank god they are on the same afternoon nap...but her 1st and 3rd kind of screw things up for us.

So we're going to see how it goes

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I do things in the morning BEFORE the nap or AFTER the NAP at 3 pm

I also am at the point where if we drive somewhere and we are out in the car that they will sleep during the ride and then i am not stuck in the house

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

i don't mess w her naps! i'm not a nap nazi by any means, but i like to keep her on a consistent schedule. usually that means activities in the afternoon because the morning just fly by for us.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

DD usually naps around 12:30 on. I try to schedule play dates in the morning or afternoon around 3pm, but I am not strict about it. We don't want to miss anything so she'll either nap later or worst case scenario, she'll skip it.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I usually schedule things either first thing in the morning or after 3pm. I don't mess with nap time.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I'm a nap nazi...DD is such a terrible napper that we do things in the am and then home for a nap and then back out after her nap...

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I'm a stickler for naps and he loves his nap so I never skip them altogether and just work around them. His regular naptime is 1-3pm but I have a 2 hour window (12-2pm) where I can put him down if I need to adjust it for something. We just go out early in the morning (like if we go to the beach, we generally go early and are back for a 2pm nap) and do things late afternoon. Im too scared he's going to give up naps permanently if I mess with it too much!

Message edited 4/7/2010 4:12:27 PM.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

It's funny--I was always of the mentality that my kids would learn to adhere to MY schedule. But now that I've seen what a wreck DD is when she doesn't nap long enough, or at all, I will try my hardest to make sure that we're home during her naptime.

This week has been really rough for us--we're away from home, wanting to see people...but I still try to make sure that we're home from 11-1 so that she gets a good quality nap. Today, after we met DH for lunch, I was going to pick up some bread and head over to Argyle Lake to walk and to show DD the ducks. She decided she needed a 2nd nap, so we came home instead. I feel that that quality sleep is too important for her to miss...but that's me. You need to do what works for you.

But MAN, what I wouldn't give for DD to be napping 3 hours every day!!

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

I never messed with her schedule/nap...we all paid the price big time if it was skipped. Once in awhile I would push the nap back a little if we were out doing something in the early afternoon. I tried to go out early, by 9 and stay out til 1. Or ..tried to nap her a little earlier in the day to get her up by 2:30/3 and go out to do soemthing.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

Message edited 4/7/2010 8:24:31 PM.

Re: Toddlers...doing things during the day & NAPS

Same as many above me, I try to keep naptime in tact as much as possible. We go out & about in the morning, are home for naptime, then go back out & about after her nap. She is NOT a happy girl the night she doesn't take a nap