michelyn8
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Post by michelyn8 on Nov 19, 2014 9:07:36 GMT -5
But it's not always screaming kids. Mine just went where we did without much to do. Even though I wouldn't say they were the most easy going of kids, they didn't seem to need a specific schedule or place to sleep. If there was a to do, we wouldn't have stayed in a public place, but it's not like a to do was on a predictable schedule. The issue I see is yeah, baby/toddler ages don't last long... But if you have 5-6 or more, kids, then you have a prolonged period of having babies/toddlers. By then, older kids are ready to be doing more but still tied to 'the schedule'. Even though I only had two, she didn't slow us down. I put her in a sling and fed her/she slept where we went... I guess thats why it's hard for me to sympathize some times. Although I do understand that a specific child may have specific needs. I'm a proponent of a parent making sacrifices to do what is best for their child. If this means the child needs a regular nap schedule then the parents do what is necessary to keep that schedule. My children all had regular nap and sleep schedules. There were times that we were out and about and the schedule wasn't kept but it wasn't something that happened every other day or even every week. As babies, they took two naps a day and then around age 18 months to age 2 it changed to a nap after lunch and stayed that way until they started pre-school/kindergarten. This worked out well since naptime/quiet time in pre-K and K was usually after lunch so mine didn't give their teachers a problem when told it was time for this. Bedtimes were always around 9 year round until they reached middle school age and then I let them stay up until 10 on school nights and later on weekends. Just like with finances and being able to afford children, if you aren't willing to sacrifice your own wants and time for the welfare of all your children then you shouldn't be having them. If you don't want to spend years with most of your time spent at home and working around the napping needs of 5-6 children, then don't have 5-6 children.
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Nov 19, 2014 9:19:47 GMT -5
My kid (4 months old) can pretty much nap anywhere, but she will not tolerate being held by someone other than me when she is tired. If grandparents come over when she is tired, she will not let them hold her. She will sit on my lap and sometimes smile at them, but otherwise, other people are not tolerated when she is tired. We adhere to a strict bedtime - we don't allow visitors after 6 because 6:30 starts bath and bedtime routine and she is out by 7/7:15. That means the grandparents usually only see her on the weekends. I am already worried about Thanksgiving because 1. she takes a three-hour nap in the late morning/early afternoon every day (11-2 or 12-3, etc.) and lunch is at 12. 2. She doesn't like random people holding her and there were will a lot of DH's relatives there that want to hold her. 3. She likes to sit quietly and play - not have people be up in her face all the time and MIL doesn't seem to grasp that, so that will be a battle. So my Thanksgiving will probably be eat (if I'm lucky), try to explain to everyone why my baby doesn't want you to hold her, and then go disappear into a bedroom for 3 hours while baby naps. Actually, that doesn't sound that bad. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/wink.png)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 9:20:53 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't believe in sacrifice. I do believe in prioritizing my children above my own needs, but in my personal case being in a specific place and time for a nap apparently wasn't a need for my children, so no need to prioritize it.
The problem I see with more than one kid is prioritizing the needs of all the kids at different ages. I can tell you most 9-10 yr olds don't need to be home every afternoon for nap time. And they did not sign up to sacrifice for the others. So, I think the limitations of a strict schedule could be challenging if you have other children. Not undoable, but certainly challenging.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 9:21:56 GMT -5
Steph, you could put a mask on her and tell everyone she is contagious ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png)
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Nov 19, 2014 9:29:14 GMT -5
My kids were of the sleep anywhere variety. But I was working full time during the day, so they were at a babysitter and it didn't matter. Weekends were when I caught up on house work, so I was home for most of it. But now that they are teenagers, my evening schedule revolves more around them and their activities. I'm slowly but surely getting a life again, but it's still going to be a little bit before I have my own life completely.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Nov 19, 2014 9:32:30 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't believe in sacrifice. I do believe in prioritizing my children above my own needs, but in my personal case being in a specific place and time for a nap apparently wasn't a need for my children, so no need to prioritize it. The problem I see with more than one kid is prioritizing the needs of all the kids at different ages. I can tell you most 9-10 yr olds don't need to be home every afternoon for nap time. And they did not sign up to sacrifice for the others. So, I think the limitations of a strict schedule could be challenging if you have other children. Not undoable, but certainly challenging. I think this is really only an issue in your group because it is a home school group. Most people have the kids in some form of a school. So it doesn't matter what the toddler does during the day to the third grader. They are at school. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/wink.png) The problem with scheduling for a group like yours is you won't ever be able to pick a time that isn't inconvient for someone. I would just ask what is the most/least convient time for every one and pick then just pick the most popular that would work for that event. If anyone asks I would just respond that while I know it isn't the perfect time for everyone. scheduling anything for a group isn't ever going to be the perfect time for everyone.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 9:32:24 GMT -5
I didn't schedule weekends around nap time and don't remember problems. I have one friend that for 2 years scheduled her entire life around her child - weekends/evenings - it gets old hearing oh I can't do that, it's nap time.
also, how are you guys getting your kids to sleep at 6 or 7 pm - I was barely getting home from work at that time and once the kids got older they had practice until 7 or so?
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Nov 19, 2014 9:34:54 GMT -5
And yet again the passive judgement that if it wasn't done the same way, it must have been done the wrong way, lol. My kids weren't massive break down balls of screams and tears because they were sleep deprived ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png) . They were occasionally overstimulated (son mostly) but that was as likely to, more likely to come from day care activity or a holiday family get together than an afternoon at the park. We dealt with issues as and if they arose. We just aren't really routine people I guess. We sleep when we are tired, eat when we are hungry. Take our activity and down time as it comes. And if we went to the playground on a Friday afternoon, no one had a problem. And if we took the kids grocery shopping after the drive in occasionally, no one lost it. Im just not sure of chicken or egg? Do my kids just not need to be heavily scheduled? Or because I was never heavily scheduled did my kids develop without the need to be? I know that it does create laughs and more some times though. I mean the Christmas party is on a Friday at 10 AM for goodness sakes. Because there are some people who need to be home for nap time, no matter what. And I've been asked several times to move afternoon playground meetups to 10/11 instead of 12/1 start time. Of course then there are those who couldn't miss a morning nap... That is because your kids obviously slept when they were tired. Mine didn't. Not as an infant. And if you want to say it was chicken and the egg, then let me tell you about my DS, the very first after DS was born - so he was 12 hours old - he was up for 4 hours straight at the hospital. He was obviously tired, exhausted really, but he would not sleep. He wasn't hungry, wasn't really that cranky at first. He just REFUSED to shut his eyes and miss anything. That year of my life was HELL and to think that someone thinks that maybe I did something to cause it, BULLSHIT. It started day zero in the F#$%ing hospital. I think you should thank your lucky stars that your kids COULD go with the flow, because some kids can't.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Nov 19, 2014 9:43:13 GMT -5
I did think having the Christmas Party at 10 am was silly and said so, so that could be judgement. And maybe you are right and it's impossible to just state what one did without it seeming like judgement ![](http://syonidv.hodginsmedia.com/vsmileys/idunno.gif) I certainly wasn't trying to judge in those passages you quoted. I don't think needing a schedule is inherently bad. I think it must be extremely limiting in some cases to have to be so strictly adhering to one. I did wonder if a schedule were actually necessary from birth? Or if introducing one makes one dependent on it? I also wondered if people had to do a lot of rearranging for their kids schedules because having to nap at a specific time and place, or go to bed at 6-7, it's a little foreign to me. It's just not something I would have even consider or known existed had I not heard from friends that's how they do it. So I'm not sure under what circumstances it arises?The issue came to me because, 1) I couldn't remember ever being as psyched out by the idea of a kid traveling/going to a wedding as G is and 2) I just had a moms meeting last week where the conversation went 'C Party is at 10 am? '... 'I had to accommodate people who needed to be home for naps' and two or three moms rolled their eyes and did a giggle, because this has come up before and their kids just go where they go and nap where they are if need be. Talking as someone who had one child with major sleep issues and a second child who was moderate sleep issues, from my experience talking with LOTS of new moms on birth boards, baby sleep boards, etc, I think the vast majority of parents who have a rigid schedule are because their kids need a rigid schedule. Most parents don't want to sleep train or be tracking how long their baby has been up to the minute to make sure they don't get overtired. It is a hassle, it isn't fun, but when your baby isn't sleeping (at all), you do what you have to do. You don't have the luxury of saying well he can just nap late, because you know a botched nap means that nighttime is going to be hell. That your 3 night wakings will end up being 10. You know that your precious 3 hours of sleep in a row will be less than 1. And bedtime late, Oh hell no. That 30 minutes late - means not falling asleep within 30 minutes, it means extra nightwakings. So what you might think as silly to a mom in the trenches with a poor sleeping baby it may be the only thing holding her sanity together.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 9:44:47 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't believe in sacrifice. I do believe in prioritizing my children above my own needs, but in my personal case being in a specific place and time for a nap apparently wasn't a need for my children, so no need to prioritize it. The problem I see with more than one kid is prioritizing the needs of all the kids at different ages. I can tell you most 9-10 yr olds don't need to be home every afternoon for nap time. And they did not sign up to sacrifice for the others. So, I think the limitations of a strict schedule could be challenging if you have other children. Not undoable, but certainly challenging. This one is fun for me with one that is 12 and one 4. The 12 year old has swim practice until 7pm 3 nights a week, scouts that are often until 8:30 on Monday nights plus all their community service stuff, and just a slew of things that make getting home early hard (we're 20 minutes from town as it is). I am lucky that he is the kind that I can lay down and say, "time for bed" and he zonks out and while he doesn't nap anymore, when he did, he was ok when he missed.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Nov 19, 2014 9:47:12 GMT -5
And yet again the passive judgement that if it wasn't done the same way, it must have been done the wrong way, lol. My kids weren't massive break down balls of screams and tears because they were sleep deprived ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png) . They were occasionally overstimulated (son mostly) but that was as likely to, more likely to come from day care activity or a holiday family get together than an afternoon at the park. We dealt with issues as and if they arose. We just aren't really routine people I guess. We sleep when we are tired, eat when we are hungry. Take our activity and down time as it comes. And if we went to the playground on a Friday afternoon, no one had a problem. And if we took the kids grocery shopping after the drive in occasionally, no one lost it. Im just not sure of chicken or egg? Do my kids just not need to be heavily scheduled? Or because I was never heavily scheduled did my kids develop without the need to be? I know that it does create laughs and more some times though. I mean the Christmas party is on a Friday at 10 AM for goodness sakes. Because there are some people who need to be home for nap time, no matter what. And I've been asked several times to move afternoon playground meetups to 10/11 instead of 12/1 start time. Of course then there are those who couldn't miss a morning nap... That is because your kids obviously slept when they were tired. Mine didn't. Not as an infant. And if you want to say it was chicken and the egg, then let me tell you about my DS, the very first after DS was born - so he was 12 hours old - he was up for 4 hours straight at the hospital. He was obviously tired, exhausted really, but he would not sleep. He wasn't hungry, wasn't really that cranky at first. He just REFUSED to shut his eyes and miss anything. That year of my life was HELL and to think that someone thinks that maybe I did something to cause it, BULLSHIT. It started day zero in the F#$%ing hospital. I think you should thank your lucky stars that your kids COULD go with the flow, because some kids can't. Your DS was like that because you drank coffee/ate sushi/didn't read to the kid in utero when you were pregnant. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/tongue.png)
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Nov 19, 2014 9:49:04 GMT -5
I didn't schedule weekends around nap time and don't remember problems. I have one friend that for 2 years scheduled her entire life around her child - weekends/evenings - it gets old hearing oh I can't do that, it's nap time. also, how are you guys getting your kids to sleep at 6 or 7 pm - I was barely getting home from work at that time and once the kids got older they had practice until 7 or so? Well most of us talking about 6pm or 7pm bedtimes are talking about babies and toddlers. I'm a sleep Nazi with my kids and DS (at almost 5) hasn't napped in 2 years and he's in bed around 8pm. So not unreasonable by most people's accounts. 6pm bedtime BLOWS. But if it meant that my baby was actually sleeping more than 2 hour stretches at a time at night, I did it. I was often just getting home, but DH would have the kiddo ready for bed and I would change and nurse the baby and off to bed they went.
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Nov 19, 2014 9:53:46 GMT -5
I don't know whether it's a chicken or the egg thing, honestly. Multiple people have commented on how much DD likes her routine - especially naps. So, for the most part, we schedule around her naps. She also goes to bed at 6:30 because she needs 12 hours of sleep and I have to drop her off and be at work by 8. Is this my ideal? No, but it works for her so we make it work. But on holidays, travel, etc., things will get screwed up and that's fine. If she doesn't nap so we can stay somewhere occassionally, that's fine. But I've started letting my parents take care of her for several days at a time and they don't really respect her schedule - then by day 3 they're like "We skipped naps the last two days and kept her at a music festival till 10pm. On an unrelated note, she just won't stop crying and we don't know what's wrong." At that point, I pretty much just shake my head.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Nov 19, 2014 9:54:17 GMT -5
I didn't schedule weekends around nap time and don't remember problems. I have one friend that for 2 years scheduled her entire life around her child - weekends/evenings - it gets old hearing oh I can't do that, it's nap time. also, how are you guys getting your kids to sleep at 6 or 7 pm - I was barely getting home from work at that time and once the kids got older they had practice until 7 or so? I have kids that need that 10-12 hours of sleep most nights. So I do put a priority on getting them into bed at a (to me) reasonable time.
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Nov 19, 2014 10:00:57 GMT -5
I did think having the Christmas Party at 10 am was silly and said so, so that could be judgement. And maybe you are right and it's impossible to just state what one did without it seeming like judgement ![](http://syonidv.hodginsmedia.com/vsmileys/idunno.gif) I certainly wasn't trying to judge in those passages you quoted. I don't think needing a schedule is inherently bad. I think it must be extremely limiting in some cases to have to be so strictly adhering to one. I did wonder if a schedule were actually necessary from birth? Or if introducing one makes one dependent on it? I also wondered if people had to do a lot of rearranging for their kids schedules because having to nap at a specific time and place, or go to bed at 6-7, it's a little foreign to me. It's just not something I would have even consider or known existed had I not heard from friends that's how they do it. So I'm not sure under what circumstances it arises? The issue came to me because, 1) I couldn't remember ever being as psyched out by the idea of a kid traveling/going to a wedding as G is and 2) I just had a moms meeting last week where the conversation went 'C Party is at 10 am? '... 'I had to accommodate people who needed to be home for naps' and two or three moms rolled their eyes and did a giggle, because this has come up before and their kids just go where they go and nap where they are if need be. Once kids start to nap only once a day (which happens quickly), then 12pm is probably the worst time to have a party for most parents with toddlers. Anytime there are playdates arranged between us and our friends, it's either at 9am or 3:30 or so (if they have toddlers that nap). This is so commonplace that even people that don't have kids realize that mid-day is usually the time that kids nap. It sounds like you guys are just having some fun at their expense so you can feel superior to them.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Nov 19, 2014 10:01:21 GMT -5
I don't know whether it's a chicken or the egg thing, honestly. Multiple people have commented on how much DD likes her routine - especially naps. So, for the most part, we schedule around her naps. She also goes to bed at 6:30 because she needs 12 hours of sleep and I have to drop her off and be at work by 8. Is this my ideal? No, but it works for her so we make it work. But on holidays, travel, etc., things will get screwed up and that's fine. If she doesn't nap so we can stay somewhere occassionally, that's fine. But I've started letting my parents take care of her for several days at a time and they don't really respect her schedule - then by day 3 they're like "We skipped naps the last two days and kept her at a music festival till 10pm. On an unrelated note, she just won't stop crying and we don't know what's wrong." At that point, I pretty much just shake my head. Yeah, Keira really liked her routine too. At 6, she's branching out more but both of our kids like knowing what happens next. Or what's going to happen tomorrow. Friday and Sat. nights we get a lot of questions about "what are we doing tomorrow/where are we going" Cabe had a meltdown earlier this year when DH told him we were staying home on Sat. and Sat. am he asked me and I said grocery shopping. Ever since then, if we don't know, we tell them that. They roll with changes better if we verbalize "I don't know/I'm not sure/we're running lots of errands"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 10:07:39 GMT -5
I didn't schedule weekends around nap time and don't remember problems. I have one friend that for 2 years scheduled her entire life around her child - weekends/evenings - it gets old hearing oh I can't do that, it's nap time. also, how are you guys getting your kids to sleep at 6 or 7 pm - I was barely getting home from work at that time and once the kids got older they had practice until 7 or so? Well most of us talking about 6pm or 7pm bedtimes are talking about babies and toddlers. I'm a sleep Nazi with my kids and DS (at almost 5) hasn't napped in 2 years and he's in bed around 8pm. So not unreasonable by most people's accounts. 6pm bedtime BLOWS. But if it meant that my baby was actually sleeping more than 2 hour stretches at a time at night, I did it. I was often just getting home, but DH would have the kiddo ready for bed and I would change and nurse the baby and off to bed they went. yeah but when DD was 7 (DS2 was 2) and she had swim practice until 7 pm at night so we weren't getting home from the pool until 7:30 then snacks, etc. and we still had to get up at 7 so I could get to work. same thing with soccer, softball, etc. again, I was one adult with 3 kids so the youngest had to adapt to the oldest's schedule. 2 parent families have more options.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Nov 19, 2014 10:10:49 GMT -5
My kid (4 months old) can pretty much nap anywhere, but she will not tolerate being held by someone other than me when she is tired. If grandparents come over when she is tired, she will not let them hold her. She will sit on my lap and sometimes smile at them, but otherwise, other people are not tolerated when she is tired. We adhere to a strict bedtime - we don't allow visitors after 6 because 6:30 starts bath and bedtime routine and she is out by 7/7:15. That means the grandparents usually only see her on the weekends. I am already worried about Thanksgiving because 1. she takes a three-hour nap in the late morning/early afternoon every day (11-2 or 12-3, etc.) and lunch is at 12. 2. She doesn't like random people holding her and there were will a lot of DH's relatives there that want to hold her. 3. She likes to sit quietly and play - not have people be up in her face all the time and MIL doesn't seem to grasp that, so that will be a battle.
So my Thanksgiving will probably be eat (if I'm lucky), try to explain to everyone why my baby doesn't want you to hold her, and then go disappear into a bedroom for 3 hours while baby naps. Actually, that doesn't sound that bad. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/wink.png) My opinion (not that you probably care) is that I would probably try to get to where you are going early (if you are going for the day) and try to get her down for a nap in a pack-n-play before lunch. Then you can enjoy your meal without having to worry about her. Hopefully she'll nap through the majority of commotion. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/wink.png)
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Nov 19, 2014 10:12:42 GMT -5
We're routine people, not schedule people. Our routine is basically eat, get kids wore out, eat, nap/rest/sleep for the night. Rinse and repeat. I like it because we can pretty much adjust the routine to make any scheduling things that pop up work. If we have an 11:30 outing, we start on the getting kids wore out earlier and with a little more emphasis than we normally would to push nap time earlier. My kids have started and ended naps in car seats and strollers easily. Even with my 2nd who is not a great sleeper, she is pretty good about naps, and laying down if she is tired.
I do get frustrated with childless friends/family who repeatedly change plans last minute in ways that interrupt our planned routine. I'm not asking that people bend over backwards to accomodate us, but it isn't as easy to change plans with kids as they seem to think it is.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Nov 19, 2014 10:21:32 GMT -5
Well most of us talking about 6pm or 7pm bedtimes are talking about babies and toddlers. I'm a sleep Nazi with my kids and DS (at almost 5) hasn't napped in 2 years and he's in bed around 8pm. So not unreasonable by most people's accounts. 6pm bedtime BLOWS. But if it meant that my baby was actually sleeping more than 2 hour stretches at a time at night, I did it. I was often just getting home, but DH would have the kiddo ready for bed and I would change and nurse the baby and off to bed they went. yeah but when DD was 7 (DS2 was 2) and she had swim practice until 7 pm at night so we weren't getting home from the pool until 7:30 then snacks, etc. and we still had to get up at 7 so I could get to work. same thing with soccer, softball, etc. again, I was one adult with 3 kids so the youngest had to adapt to the oldest's schedule. 2 parent families have more options. But you are still talking about a 2 year old and not an infant. For my kids, by 2 they were more adaptable, even at 1.5, a later bedtime wasn't going to cause issues like it did the first year. So, your 2 year old was still getting 10-11 hours of sleep at night. That is all my kids ever sleep at night. There are things the first year with DD that couldn't be helped - like picking DH having to pick up DS from preschool regardless of her nap time. There she had to be flexible/nap in the car. But other than that- if other things could be helped, we did them The first couple months, MIL would come over to watch DD rather than DH take her to Kindermusik with him and DS. Anyway, IME there is just a big difference between how sleep deprivation effects a 2 year old vs a 6 month old. At least with my kids.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Nov 19, 2014 10:22:44 GMT -5
Well most of us talking about 6pm or 7pm bedtimes are talking about babies and toddlers. I'm a sleep Nazi with my kids and DS (at almost 5) hasn't napped in 2 years and he's in bed around 8pm. So not unreasonable by most people's accounts. 6pm bedtime BLOWS. But if it meant that my baby was actually sleeping more than 2 hour stretches at a time at night, I did it. I was often just getting home, but DH would have the kiddo ready for bed and I would change and nurse the baby and off to bed they went. yeah but when DD was 7 (DS2 was 2) and she had swim practice until 7 pm at night so we weren't getting home from the pool until 7:30 then snacks, etc. and we still had to get up at 7 so I could get to work. same thing with soccer, softball, etc. again, I was one adult with 3 kids so the youngest had to adapt to the oldest's schedule. 2 parent families have more options. Mine are 18 months apart and we're just starting to do sports after discussing it for a couple of years. So I guess that's another advantage to having them fairly close together.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Nov 19, 2014 10:25:55 GMT -5
yeah but when DD was 7 (DS2 was 2) and she had swim practice until 7 pm at night so we weren't getting home from the pool until 7:30 then snacks, etc. and we still had to get up at 7 so I could get to work. same thing with soccer, softball, etc. again, I was one adult with 3 kids so the youngest had to adapt to the oldest's schedule. 2 parent families have more options. But you are still talking about a 2 year old and not an infant. For my kids, by 2 they were more adaptable, even at 1.5, a later bedtime wasn't going to cause issues like it did the first year. So, your 2 year old was still getting 10-11 hours of sleep at night. That is all my kids ever sleep at night. There are things the first year with DD that couldn't be helped - like picking DH having to pick up DS from preschool regardless of her nap time. There she had to be flexible/nap in the car. But other than that- if other things could be helped, we did them The first couple months, MIL would come over to watch DD rather than DH take her to Kindermusik with him and DS. Anyway, IME there is just a big difference between how sleep deprivation effects a 2 year old vs a 6 month old. At least with my kids. We've got a dad picking up his son (1st grader) and bringing a really sleepy toddler along. Often the toddler is sleeping on Dad's shoulder because nap time got screwed up and the kid didn't fall asleep until he was in the car on the way to pick up the 1st grader. I think they're in nap time hell right now - having to leave the house at a certain time to pick up the older kid, no matter where the younger one is in the nap. He's talked some about having bedtime issues with the younger one but I don't think they have many options right now.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 10:34:02 GMT -5
I really envy parents who's kids can sleep anywhere. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png) One of the moms brought her three year old in to pick up her son in DS' class the other day. Kid fell asleep in the car, stayed asleep while mom took her out of the carseat, and was still sleeping through our twenty minute conversation. I wanted to snap a photo for DH. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/grin.png) That's my kid. On the nights we're not getting home until later (after 7:30), he normally falls asleep on the drive home and I just undress him and throw him in bed when we get home. He actually gets to sleep earlier on those days because we get to skip all the bedtime ritual stuff. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/tongue.png)
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Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
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Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 19, 2014 10:40:30 GMT -5
I really envy parents who's kids can sleep anywhere. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png) One of the moms brought her three year old in to pick up her son in DS' class the other day. Kid fell asleep in the car, stayed asleep while mom took her out of the carseat, and was still sleeping through our twenty minute conversation. I wanted to snap a photo for DH. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/grin.png) I've seen that too, at the grocery store. I find it amazing. I wonder if part of my problem is that my kids are so stinking heavy that I can't not jostle them when trying to get them out of the car and when carrying them.
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Deleted
Joined: Jul 1, 2024 3:54:47 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 10:40:42 GMT -5
I am struggling a lot more juggling the 7th graders schedule than I ever did with either of them when they were little. I'm leaving work a lot to run him here and there, sitting in town in the van watching Disney movies and eating fast food in the van with younger son while he's at scout meetings and swimming, scrambling to get things together for weekend camping/hunting trips. I think he was way easier when he was 2!
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raeoflyte
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 15:43:53 GMT -5
Posts: 14,769
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Post by raeoflyte on Nov 19, 2014 10:41:21 GMT -5
I really envy parents who's kids can sleep anywhere. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png) One of the moms brought her three year old in to pick up her son in DS' class the other day. Kid fell asleep in the car, stayed asleep while mom took her out of the carseat, and was still sleeping through our twenty minute conversation. I wanted to snap a photo for DH. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/grin.png) That's my kid. On the nights we're not getting home until later (after 7:30), he normally falls asleep on the drive home and I just undress him and throw him in bed when we get home. He actually gets to sleep earlier on those days because we get to skip all the bedtime ritual stuff. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/tongue.png) My oldest can now walk from the front door to the couch and still sleep for the rest of his nap. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png)
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Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
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Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 19, 2014 10:45:59 GMT -5
That's my kid. On the nights we're not getting home until later (after 7:30), he normally falls asleep on the drive home and I just undress him and throw him in bed when we get home. He actually gets to sleep earlier on those days because we get to skip all the bedtime ritual stuff. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/tongue.png) My oldest can now walk from the front door to the couch and still sleep for the rest of his nap. ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png) ![](http://images.proboards.com/new/shocked.gif) Wow. My oldest would do that and promptly start whining and crying, and then stay up for a few more hours.
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Pants
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 19:26:44 GMT -5
Posts: 7,579
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Post by Pants on Nov 19, 2014 10:53:22 GMT -5
DD wakes up as soon as the car stops. Every time. Without fail. Grrrr.
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giramomma
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 11:25:27 GMT -5
Posts: 21,598
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Post by giramomma on Nov 19, 2014 10:57:07 GMT -5
I didn't schedule weekends around nap time and don't remember problems. I have one friend that for 2 years scheduled her entire life around her child - weekends/evenings - it gets old hearing oh I can't do that, it's nap time. also, how are you guys getting your kids to sleep at 6 or 7 pm - I was barely getting home from work at that time and once the kids got older they had practice until 7 or so?I have a spouse that works part time. The afternoon schedule goes: Kids get picked up after school at 2:30 on early release or 3:30 on normal days. They play on playground as long as it's not -44 out. They are usually at home at 4. DD1 has gymnastics on early release day. It starts at 4 and goes until 5:15. DH has all the kids DD2 plays, and DS does his homework and then screen time. Home, dinner, chill time for DD1, bed. DD1 also has swimming at 4 later in the week. Either I leave work early to take her or DH takes her. Today, for example our schedule is: I drop kids off at school and daycare. DH is in work by 6 am DH works his 8 hours. Then will go to school, pick up DD1, take her to swimming, pick up DD2 from daycare, and then come home and feed them. They will be home around 5. I got into work late (9:30). I'll work until 2:30. Go and pick up DS from school, bring him home, practice, and help over see homework. I can continue to work a bit. He also has to have a light meal and get ready for BB practice. DS gets picked up for BB practice at 4:445. At 5 pm, I run to help a student pick out an instrument of her very own. Then, I will go and pick DS up from practice, drive his friend home. I'll be home at 7. Also should be able to get in a little more work in the down time. Then at 7, I'll quick say goodnight to DD1, snuggle/wind down with DD2. Maybe even eat dinner. DS will shower by himself and get ready for bed, pack his lunch, etc. DD2 gets stories at about 7:45-8pm. I read to her, tuck her in bed. DH usually tucks DS into bed. Then I work more to make up the hours I missed during the day. On the days I teach, I try to get in the office by 7 am. If I can't do that, I'm working longer days on the days I don't teach. So tomorrow: I'm up at 5, in work by 7, leave at 2:30, get home at three. I have a half hour to clean two bathrooms and spot check our house. Then I teach from 3:30-4:30. At 4:30 I have a 15 minute break and give DD1 a a bath. Then I teach from 4:45-7. give or take. If I have any extra time in there (sometimes students are a little late, etc), DD1 reads to me for 10-15 minutes to get her reading requirement in. Then I give DD2 a bath, and get her settled in. We won't ask DS to shower. Then I catch up with DS, eat, and put DD2 down for the night. I just thank my lucky stars I also don't have to do the grocery shopping or laundry at 8:30 or 9pm at night. DD1 has gymnastics in the morning on one of DH's days off. We can't swing gymnastics for at least the next session. So she and DH are doing a parent child music class. There's open gym on Friday. And since all of the other parents in her preschool class have a full time SAHM, they are really pushing for lots of playdates. Last week Friday I was up at 5, in work at 7. Worked until 1:30. Volunteered in DD1s classroom from 2-3. Volunteered at girl scout meeting from 3:15-4:15. Then DD1 and I went shopping for things for her friend birthday party. Got home around 5:30. Ate dinner, she read to me for 20 minutes, watched a bit of tv and was in bed.
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Deleted
Joined: Jul 1, 2024 3:54:47 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 11:00:20 GMT -5
DD wakes up as soon as the car stops. Every time. Without fail. Grrrr. My kid is almost 50 pounds and I royally messed up my back recently. I WISH he would wake up, at least long enough to get out on his own, but I have to wrench him out of the van and lug him up the steps into the house.
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