Nap Update

So . . . screw it. I'm still putting Meg down for a nap most days. I just can't give it up, and she does not seem to mind her daytime sleep. She still needs it, honestly.

Meg skipped a nap Tuesday and Wednesday last week, which worked out to be just OK. I was hoping less napping would mean early bed times and better mornings . . . but it didn't really work out exactly like that.

Tuesdays are hard because Meg has preschool, lunch, then only about 90 minutes until dance class. I figured that was a good day to try out the skipped nap . . . just let her stay up and go to dance. Last week, that worked out fine. No nap on Tuesday, off to dance, early to bed. Then I thought Wednesday morning Meg would wake up all rested and feeling good from her early bed time . . . but she woke up in her usual semi-crabby mood. So we skipped a nap again on Wednesday. Why not try again? I figured. She fell asleep in the car on the way home from an afternoon of errand-running. And she was pretty crabby that evening. And she woke up as usual on Thursday, which -- as I have established -- is not very easily.

My plan didn't work. Or -- maybe it was doomed from the start because my little three-year-old still needs her naps. The rest of last week and all weekend, Meg got her naps.

Then today -- Tuesday again -- I goofed and let her nap. After last week, I had decided that it might be easier to let Meg skip naps on Tuesday to avoid having to wake her up for dance and face the sleepy monster she can become. But I thought dance was cancelled because they follow the local school holiday calendar . . . and today was a school holiday due to local elections. No school = no dance = Meg can nap . . . but that wasn't the case today. Turns out the studio only sticks to the school calendar for real holidays.

Too bad I didn't learn about this until I had already put Meg down for her nap. But thank goodness that another mom called to let me know or else Meg would have missed dance all together.

I had to wake Meg up about 1 hour into her nap in order to dress and depart for dance class. It was awful. Crying, whining, crying, more whining. When we arrived at the dance studio, another mom cheerfully asked her if she had tears on her face or if she had been splashed with water. It was that bad. Her twisted seat belt was enough to send her into a fit for the entire (5 min) ride to the studio, and the tears were flowing.

"Oh, those are tears . . . and lots of them," I replied to the friendly mom. With Meg's tear-stained grimace, I bet everyone in the place thought I'd drug my poor kid to dance against her will. I bet I looked like a pushy mom, forcing her kid into her leotard and tights for my own benefit.

Nope. Meg loves dance. Loves it. Just HATES missing sleep.

Like I said -- screw the whole nap debate. I don't have any more time to worry about it. What I learned from my little experiment is that Meg can deal without her nap, but it's not always a pretty sight. So, if we have to skip a nap, we'll survive. But if at all possible, let the kid sleep for a while mid-afternoon. Everyone is happier for it.

*Sigh* At least this means that afternoon naps are safe for little Kate for months to come.