Comments on: Traveling by Car with an Almost-Three-Year-Old http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/03/travelchild.html A dad's eye view of baby and toddler stuff Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:34:58 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: AJ http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/03/travelchild.html/comment-page-1#comment-4899 AJ Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:35:10 +0000 http://s54748.gridserver.com/baby/2007/03/traveling-by-car-with-an-almost-three-year-old.html#comment-4899 <p>"Clearly very tired" sounds dangerously close to "over-tired." If you wait too long for bedtime, the ensuing crankiness can actually prolong falling asleep. The trick is finding precisely the right time for bed. </p> <p>We worked it out in numbers, determining how many hours after an afternoon nap were required for my daughter to go swiftly to sleep. For a while she needed 3 hours, then 4, and at 2.8-years-old, we are at 6 hours. This pushes the nap earlier and earlier in the day until it's questionable whether to even have a nap.</p> “Clearly very tired” sounds dangerously close to “over-tired.” If you wait too long for bedtime, the ensuing crankiness can actually prolong falling asleep. The trick is finding precisely the right time for bed.

We worked it out in numbers, determining how many hours after an afternoon nap were required for my daughter to go swiftly to sleep. For a while she needed 3 hours, then 4, and at 2.8-years-old, we are at 6 hours. This pushes the nap earlier and earlier in the day until it’s questionable whether to even have a nap.

]]> By: Jeremiah http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/03/travelchild.html/comment-page-1#comment-4898 Jeremiah Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:58:21 +0000 http://s54748.gridserver.com/baby/2007/03/traveling-by-car-with-an-almost-three-year-old.html#comment-4898 <p>I agree with your general attitude regarding bedtimes. We had a while where she would sit in bed and read books (she's a big reader too) and it was a lot of fun to listen in. But after getting pretty sick recently she has decided that NO WAY does she want to be in her bed without us in there with her, reading to her or telling her stories.</p> <p>We don't "cry it out," if that isn't obvious. Every parent has an opinion on that, no need to discuss that.</p> <p>We give her the choice of being held or being in bed. Unfortunately, lately she's wanted neither, and seems paralyzed by the choice, clearly very tired, lots of crying, and long sessions nursing.</p> I agree with your general attitude regarding bedtimes. We had a while where she would sit in bed and read books (she’s a big reader too) and it was a lot of fun to listen in. But after getting pretty sick recently she has decided that NO WAY does she want to be in her bed without us in there with her, reading to her or telling her stories.

We don’t “cry it out,” if that isn’t obvious. Every parent has an opinion on that, no need to discuss that.

We give her the choice of being held or being in bed. Unfortunately, lately she’s wanted neither, and seems paralyzed by the choice, clearly very tired, lots of crying, and long sessions nursing.

]]> By: AJ http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/03/travelchild.html/comment-page-1#comment-4897 AJ Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:40:23 +0000 http://s54748.gridserver.com/baby/2007/03/traveling-by-car-with-an-almost-three-year-old.html#comment-4897 <p>Jeremiah, there's nothing inherently wrong with your daughter going to sleep late as long as it's the time she naturally becomes tired and it's not conflicting with your schedule. And if it means you get more one-on-one time with her, then all the better.</p> <p>Where does the "having a hard time of it" come in? </p> <p>I'm a believer in routine. Find the time she most easily gets to sleep and then stick with it (until her sleep pattern changes again). </p> <p>A big plus for us is that because we don't show her TV or videos, we read lots of books. She has memorized many of them. So, when she began insisting on staying awake at bedtime (lying quietly in bed in the dark for an hour or more with her eyes wide open) on days when she had napped, we let her read picture books. I give her a stack of 5 or 10 books and she talks her way through them. There's nothing cuter than to be listening over the baby monitor, hearing her sing happy birthday to character in a book. Anyhow, she eventually gets tired, lies down, and we come back later when she's asleep to pick up the books and tuck her in.</p> Jeremiah, there’s nothing inherently wrong with your daughter going to sleep late as long as it’s the time she naturally becomes tired and it’s not conflicting with your schedule. And if it means you get more one-on-one time with her, then all the better.

Where does the “having a hard time of it” come in?

I’m a believer in routine. Find the time she most easily gets to sleep and then stick with it (until her sleep pattern changes again).

A big plus for us is that because we don’t show her TV or videos, we read lots of books. She has memorized many of them. So, when she began insisting on staying awake at bedtime (lying quietly in bed in the dark for an hour or more with her eyes wide open) on days when she had napped, we let her read picture books. I give her a stack of 5 or 10 books and she talks her way through them. There’s nothing cuter than to be listening over the baby monitor, hearing her sing happy birthday to character in a book. Anyhow, she eventually gets tired, lies down, and we come back later when she’s asleep to pick up the books and tuck her in.

]]> By: Jeremiah http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/03/travelchild.html/comment-page-1#comment-4896 Jeremiah Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:04:06 +0000 http://s54748.gridserver.com/baby/2007/03/traveling-by-car-with-an-almost-three-year-old.html#comment-4896 <p>We have thought long and hard about cutting out Z's nap. She is about Little Miss' age, and is currently getting to sleep very late and having a hard time of i. She also seems to do okay on the days when she skips it. Two problems loom: Part-time daycare, where they have a daily nap routine that we can't really get around, and a bedtime as early as 6 or 7 would mean that I, at least, would hardly see her at all during the week (I get home at 5:15-5:30). Anyone have any creative suggestions for eliminating our naptime and maintaining a reasonably consistent schedule?</p> We have thought long and hard about cutting out Z’s nap. She is about Little Miss’ age, and is currently getting to sleep very late and having a hard time of i. She also seems to do okay on the days when she skips it. Two problems loom: Part-time daycare, where they have a daily nap routine that we can’t really get around, and a bedtime as early as 6 or 7 would mean that I, at least, would hardly see her at all during the week (I get home at 5:15-5:30). Anyone have any creative suggestions for eliminating our naptime and maintaining a reasonably consistent schedule?

]]> By: Christina http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/03/travelchild.html/comment-page-1#comment-4895 Christina Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:53:38 +0000 http://s54748.gridserver.com/baby/2007/03/traveling-by-car-with-an-almost-three-year-old.html#comment-4895 <p>This is a great topic because we are driving to Texas (from New Jersey) in May for a wedding. It'll be about 26 hours. We intend to leave at night because, like you, we have found that traveling at night with a toddler is the best thing to do (we drove from Tallahassee, FL to TX a year and a half ago and on the way there we drove at night and it was great, while on the way back, during the day, it was a little tougher). This trip should be pretty fun for us, as there will be three adults and we can do Chinese fire drills to see who gets to drive and who gets to sit next to the toddler and who gets to sleep up front. I can't wait!</p> This is a great topic because we are driving to Texas (from New Jersey) in May for a wedding. It’ll be about 26 hours. We intend to leave at night because, like you, we have found that traveling at night with a toddler is the best thing to do (we drove from Tallahassee, FL to TX a year and a half ago and on the way there we drove at night and it was great, while on the way back, during the day, it was a little tougher). This trip should be pretty fun for us, as there will be three adults and we can do Chinese fire drills to see who gets to drive and who gets to sit next to the toddler and who gets to sleep up front. I can’t wait!

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