Love through training: The Nap Struggle
There she was again, standing up in her crib with that adorable grin just begging me to give in to her plea to keep playing and skip nap time....
...when the grin didn't serve her the crying began along with the continual getting back up to stand in her crib in protest. After 48 hours of nap rebellion my one year old was getting far too unhappy to let this power struggle go on. She usually would take a second nap later in the afternoon and it really helped keep her together until bedtime because her morning nap was much earlier in the day. As a preemie, she very much still needed this second nap and as a parent I'm painfully aware that lack of sleep during the day begets lack of sleep at night.
It took a very intense twenty minutes but because we introduced the basic sleep training timeline of twenty minutes to allow the brain to calm itself down at a young age, she was asleep only a half hour later than her normal nap time and for me that was a big win!
Here's what we did. I laid her down after a routine similar to bedtime (diaper change, white noise/fan, and dark room, kisses) then quickly left the room whit the door slightly open. I then used our video monitor to see when she was reaching for the crib bars to pull herself up and spoke firmly "no please Aislynn". She pulled back her hands and cried for a while before trying a second time to pull herself up and was met with the same firm but calm response "no please Aislynn". Again she pulled her hands back, cried for a little while, and gave it a third try. "No please Aislynn"My tone was the same firm but calm. She gave a final whimper then went to sleep for an hour.
I really value giving her the gift of sleep as well as the gift of healthy boundaries to help her brain establish itself to react well in a safe and loving environment. She's going to learn somewhere/somehow so I'm glad I can control part of the learning to make it positive and healthy instead of negative or harmful.
Happy Napping!
Helpful Tips:
- I will never ever regret purchasing a video monitor!! In addition to the above victory, It made earlier sleep training much easier and less painful as a mommy because I could always see that my darling one was ok and just needed to teach herself to calm down
- Making sure to put power behind your "NO" by using it sparingly and only when you are committed to following through with a consequence when it's disobeyed is a crucial part of the above success story.
- A firm but calm voice is much better received and should come from a place of calm authoritative strength and love. Your little one never wants to and never should be in control even though they will test you a million times a minute!
- Give yourself a break! We all make mistakes and get worn down so get a good nights sleep and try again tomorrow!
- Training is a marathon. Build on what you have already established but never go back on previously set rules. Consistency is like a warm blanket and a pacifier to your kids.
- Ask for help! Parenting is tough so get a baby sitter and get some you time whenever possible so you can be at your best for your little one.
