When we moved the kids into the same bedroom, a few months ago, I knew that it would mean nap times might need some creative planning... But it soon was evident that letting Nathan sleep in his bed, and letting Faith sleep in the pack n' play, in the playroom, worked well. Until Faith stopped napping.
So then I tried putting Faith in the crib, in her room, and Nathan in the pack n' play in the playroom. I didn't think it would work. But he loved the idea! He was so excited to sleep in sissy's spot - and he napped so well, too! Until he figured out how to climb out of it.
So that meant I needed to try to get both kids to nap in their room, at the same time. It meant a week of constantly telling them to go to bed and scolding them from throwing all the contents of Faith's dresser all over the room... But finally it seemed like it would work. And then Sunday came...
While I napped (hey - it was Mother's Day!), Jacob got to fight with the kids to get them to take naps. They never did nap for him... but at the end of nap time, Jacob woke me up and said, "You have to come see your children" So I got up to go see...
Yup - Nathan was IN the crib with Faith. He'd figured out how to get in. At least he hadn't figured out how to help her out! And what was just as funny, notice what's in the crib...
Nathan had thrown his comforter, pillow, sippy cup and stuffed dog all into Faith's crib, as though he was planning on napping in there with her. haha
Since Sunday, we've taken everything out of the kids' room that Nathan could potentially use climb up into Faith's crib. And I've turned Faith's dresser to face the wall, so he can't empty it. Which is a royal pain when I need to get something out of it... but at least I don't have to clean up ALL of her clothes, socks and hair bands twice a day, everyday.
The kids still don't nap well in the same room... not at first. They have to be convinced to stay laying down. Usually by me constantly opening the door and scolding them. Every 3-5 minutes for close to an hour. Finally they fall asleep when they've been forced to have their heads down long enough.
Today was an exception... Faith found it easy to fall alseep - she was wore out. But Nathan absolutely refused to sleep. He woke her up. He destroyed the room. He flipped his mattress over, trying to make it a tent... (I didn't know he was that strong!) Scolding didn't work. Spankings didn't work. I even resorted to a wooden spoon at one point. Nathan still refused to stay in bed, or listen to me when I told him to do so - he was all too willing to tell me "No!" What's a mom to do? I took him in the living room and made him sit on his pillow, in the corner. And in less than one minute - seriously, no exageration - he was out like a light!
He slept there for about a half hour. And then I let him up. Faith never went back to sleep - she was upset that I took Nathan away.
We're looking forward to our new house. The bedrooms are small, and the closets are big. So the plan is for the kids to only have beds in their room. And their dressers will be in the closet - with a slide lock on the door out of their reach. And we'll have a guest room for nap time, so the kids can each have their own room for mid-day naps. For some reason they don't fight bedtime and sleep well in the same room at night. Oh well...
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