nap training 101

Like I said in my last post, I had the easiest baby in the world until the day I found out I was pregnant again. She was happy, sweet and simple. Sometimes she'd go days without any tears at all. I always knew what she needed. And her needs were easy to meet. Feed her. Change her. Smile at her. Put her down to sleep. 

She was like clockwork too. She slept 8pm-7am so consistently I don't think she even knew that the hours in between even existed. She wasn't a long napper, but she was consistent. She slept at the same times every day, every 3 hours on the dot. And she never fussed going down. You could put her in her crib and walk away and wallah, beautiful sleeping baby. I thought I had motherhood all figured out.

And then one day something happened. Somebody kidnapped my easy-to-figure-out, happily-sleeping baby and replaced her with a very active, very needy 6-month-old stranger. It started with a growth spurt. And then she started waking at night -- wanting to PLAY!! What?!?!? 

Turns out I hadn't figured out motherhood at all. I had just been spoiled silly for the first 5 months! This was the real deal. And I wasn't prepared for it. And on top of all that, I was pregnant, with my head in the toilet and my body begging for sleep. It wasn't very pretty.

And then there was the nap issue. I'd talk to other moms who told me that their 6-month-olds napped for 2 hours. IN A ROW!! What??!?!? Avery was still like clockwork but her clock was really, really short. Her naps were 30 minutes on the dot. Every single time. 

So I did the only thing I could. I took out every sleep book from the library and read until I was blue in the face. And all of the books confirmed it -- 30 minute naps were not enough. Not for her and not for me. I needed a break. And 30 minutes was barely long enough for me to pee, brush my teeth and inhale a sleeve of saltines. 

I was slowly but surely going crazy.

I tried letting her cry. I tried soothing her right away. I tried letting her nap with me. I tried putting her down at different times. Every solution just created a new problem. I felt more and more inadequate. And more and more exhausted. Sleep is one of the most basic needs and I couldn't figure out a way to provide that for my daughter. I was a failure.

Going anywhere in the car presented even more problems. Either I was trying desperately for her to fall asleep or I was trying desperately for her to not fall asleep so it wouldn't ruin her nap. I'd drive with the windows open, radio turned up, my arm in the back swinging toys in her face and the stress in the pit of my stomach making me physically ill. 

Yup, nap-time was going to be the death of me.

I write this post as if it's a problem of the past that's been solved. Sorry to disappoint you but it hasn't. I sit here now in Avery's nursery with the black-out shades hiding me away from the beautiful day. I am trying a new form of nap training this week. She is supposed to be sleeping and I'm here to soothe her back to sleep when she wakes up. Fat chance. She is babbling away right now and playing with her toes. How do you soothe that? I guess it beats screaming. But this girl could care less about sleep. 

I wish I could say the same for myself.