And can it be?
Jonah has always been a soother boy. [If you aren't familiar with the word soother, then interchange with pacifier, fooler, nuk, or paci.] For a long time he has insisted on having two - one for his mouth, and one to play with in his hands.
The last few days has been difficult for Jonah because he has had a cold, and has been unable to really suck his soother well. He uses it to help go to sleep [and he only uses his soother when he's in bed or trying to sleep in the car] so getting to sleep has been harder for him.
The last three days Jonah has not taken a nap. He has just been jumping out of bed and playing. Nothing we have done has been able to keep him in bed. And you can't MAKE a child sleep. Or MAKE them stay in bed for that matter. This could have to do with a whole combination of things going on - an exciting visit with Krista & Bob, we bought a big boy bed (and he can escape his playpen no problem), plus the fact that he's cutting his two-year molars, and has a cold. Anyway, on the days he hasn't napped, he has gone to bed at 6pm and gotten 12-13 hours of sleep. So, technically, he's getting the right amount of sleep still. It's just all consolidated. I'm not totally sure I like the idea of no nap, and I'm hoping that eventually we'll work him back into a later bedtime and a nap in the day again. But in the meantime, it has helped us out on the soother front.
We started telling him that if he doesn't nap, it means he's a big boy, and big boys don't need soothers. He got the final threat today - "No nap today, no soother tonight!" He opted out of the nap.
So after stories tonight, I asked him, "Jonah, did you nap today?" He immediately and nervously piered into his playpen and began protesting. He KNEW what was coming. He told me that he was a little boy. I reminded him of how proud of him we would be in the morning, put him in bed, and left. He only cried for a little while and then fell fast asleep!
WOW - we're so proud of him!
Ironically, I always figured that the day I took his soothers away, would be the day he stopped napping.
But nap, you are not yet gone forever... we WILL get you back...
The last few days has been difficult for Jonah because he has had a cold, and has been unable to really suck his soother well. He uses it to help go to sleep [and he only uses his soother when he's in bed or trying to sleep in the car] so getting to sleep has been harder for him.
The last three days Jonah has not taken a nap. He has just been jumping out of bed and playing. Nothing we have done has been able to keep him in bed. And you can't MAKE a child sleep. Or MAKE them stay in bed for that matter. This could have to do with a whole combination of things going on - an exciting visit with Krista & Bob, we bought a big boy bed (and he can escape his playpen no problem), plus the fact that he's cutting his two-year molars, and has a cold. Anyway, on the days he hasn't napped, he has gone to bed at 6pm and gotten 12-13 hours of sleep. So, technically, he's getting the right amount of sleep still. It's just all consolidated. I'm not totally sure I like the idea of no nap, and I'm hoping that eventually we'll work him back into a later bedtime and a nap in the day again. But in the meantime, it has helped us out on the soother front.
We started telling him that if he doesn't nap, it means he's a big boy, and big boys don't need soothers. He got the final threat today - "No nap today, no soother tonight!" He opted out of the nap.
So after stories tonight, I asked him, "Jonah, did you nap today?" He immediately and nervously piered into his playpen and began protesting. He KNEW what was coming. He told me that he was a little boy. I reminded him of how proud of him we would be in the morning, put him in bed, and left. He only cried for a little while and then fell fast asleep!
WOW - we're so proud of him!
Ironically, I always figured that the day I took his soothers away, would be the day he stopped napping.
But nap, you are not yet gone forever... we WILL get you back...
posted by Sherri Lavender at
8:52 PM
7 Comments:
yay, he slept without his soother!!
good luck with trying to get him to nap again!!!!! *ha ha!*
By
kathryn, At
9:31 PM
Thanks! We're also a little worried about the night -- how often is he going to wake up and want it back to go to sleep? And how early will he get up?!?! Time will tell...
By
Sherri Lavender, At
9:56 PM
Maybe he'll start talking in his sleep to pacify himself! We could put him to bed with Miles and they could have great conversations together in their sleep!
Yeah, I'm talking nonsense and need some sleep myself.
Don't forget to let us know how it turns out! Good luck!
By
Tracy, At
10:50 PM
It is so good he went without it for the night. Good luck and hopefully it is gone forever.
Sherri, my parent would through it in the garbage, hide it, take it to my dads office and my youngest brother would still find the darn old sucky as he called it. I think he was 5 when it was gone forever.
Now telling this story is not to scare you but make you laugh cause eventually my parents took it and had it bronzed and at the age of 30 something he still has his sucky.
I also do not ever remember hearing of a child like my brother he just would not let it go.
Yeh Jonah he is such a big boy hope he feels better soon.
Lex
By
Anonymous, At
4:44 PM
wonder if he'll start sucking his thumb? I used to suck on my third and fourth fingers together. . don't know which hand. I remember doing that. strange, eh?
By
kathryn, At
7:12 PM
Yeah, I'm a little worried he might start sucking his thumb... I sucked my thumb for a long time! Oh well - I don't think it hurt me!
Here's the update... He woke up around 10pm last night and cried, but only for a couple of minutes. We heard him say a bunch of things in the night too - like, at one point, he suddenly yelled "I want my soother!" but then there was complete silence. He didn't nap again today, but I managed to keep him in his playpen for almost 30 minutes for a quiet time.
He received a lot of congratuations today, but going to bed tonight he cried a little and told me he's little. He's not crying now, but every now and then he says he wants his soother or does a short cry. Oh well, hopefully he'll be asleep soon.
By
Sherri Lavender, At
7:27 PM
After about 15 minutes of off and on complaining and crying Jonah went to sleep. No severe tantrums or screaming though, so overall, it's going a lot better than I ever expected it would!
By
Sherri Lavender, At
8:45 PM
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