So my boys are going on like 2 weeks where they will not take a nap. They have taken a half hour to an hour nap like one or two of these days in the last two weeks but that is it..is this normal, they are only 2??!!! They no longer have there binki's anymore and that is where this all began. They don't sit in there and cry for there binki's, they just play, and cry because they want something dumb like ther blanket on them, or there pillow moved, etc. I wouldn't be so frustrated if they didn't cry, and if there room wasn't right next to Ava's for them to wake her up with all there loud talking , seriously, they scream at each other all the time, and they bounce in there cribs which hits the wall. On top of all this, Gavin has now learned to climb out of his crib!!! Help...any tips?!? We just took all the toys out of there room and moved them all downstairs, we feel like we have done everything. Oh and here's a kicker, we have had to resort to duck taping there diapers because they have been taking there pants and diapers off, and Gavin crapped in his crib last week! Seriously, this is supposed to be my "break time".
We are also going to be attempting to potty train over the break since there will be two of us. Any ideas or tips on this would be helpful as well, keep in mind we are potty training two!!!
About Me
- Jordan and Chandra Smith
- Jordan and I have been married for eight years and through out those years we have been pretty busy. I received my cosmetologist license and Jordan Graduated with his bachelors from BYU and recently finished his MBA at the University of Michigan. We met in NY and have lived in Utah, New Jersey, California, and Michigan and now back to UTah since we have been married. We adopted our three adorable children and are grateful for each one of them and the joy they bring into our lives. We were surprised to find out we were expecting our 4th child 10 days after little Ava came into our lives and another one 18 months later. We are enjoying life and all the jumps and turns it has given us along the way. We are excited for what ever life has coming our way next.
Our Family
Ayden
Gavin
Ava
Easton
Carter
9 comments:
btdt - is there a way you could give one a head start? Put one in 5 or 10 minutes before the other. Let him fall asleep then put the other one in. I'm assuming you can't separate them altogether?
Also - you can try and start reward charts. Easy to do, no $. Get a piece a paper, draw a bunch of boxes maybe 1 or 2 at first. If they fall asleep (or are quiet), jump up and down and let them put a sticker in a box. Draw a piece of candy or something small and silly at the bottom so that they'll know what they're going after. Once they catch on, you can increase the number of boxes.
Duck tape is the new norm. Everyone is doing it! lol
If the climbing out of the crib is excessive and you're concerned, you can buy a crib tent - probably can scour the net and get one second hand.
Don't give up on the naps! You need them and so do they! Mine are 3 1/2 now and don't nap, but we throw them into bed much earlier.
Which also reminds me - run 'em like crazy in the morning if you can. Little boys with lots of energy need to be WORN out! lol - that just means you're normally worn out, too!
Good luck, love! Praying for ya!
Hang on to those naps as long as you can, I feel like those are what helped all of us survive the day. I went through the same thing when mine were two. I think its an establishing independence/defiance kind of thing. Just keep trying every day. I separated my twins for awhile in different rooms, one was in their room the other was in my room in the pack n play and that seemed to help. I imagine finding their own space with the other two little ones might be limited though. I also layed down next to them to help settle them down. If they're still climbing out of the crib, you might just have to move to a toddler bed so they don't hurt themselves. They're going to get out whether you like it or not, might as well do it safely.
A friend of mine suggested wearing zip up pajamas backwards so they can't take off their clothes and diapers, that helped for a while. I HATE cleaning up poop, nothing worse.
Potty training....my kids were highly motivated by treats/prizes (even just a single jelly bean). I found that I had to be the one that told them it was time to go potty, I couldn't wait for them to just do it on their own at first. As long as I was on top of it, we avoided accidents. We tried jumping straight to underwear and it was a disaster. So we did pull-ups for a couple of weeks to get used to pulling down pants/pull-ups sitting on the toilet, etc. It was easier with two than I thought it would be. We had two potties right next to each other in the family room for awhile and made sure there was at least two potties in both bathrooms after that. If one didn't want to go, and the other one did, the one that went got highly praised we made a huge deal out of the treat that they got and that usually inspired the other one to try for a treat.
Good luck Chandra. There's no other way around it but to just get through it, but it won't last forever. Hang in there!!
Claire stopped napping at 2 and thats not totally unusual it just sucks. If she did nap she would be up until 11:30-12 so by her not napping she was in bed no later than 8. whatever works for you plus you have double the kids that I do. my advice on potty training is if they aren't wanting it don't force it cause it leaves everyone frustrated. Claire is potty trained now and i tried 3-4 times before, she was totally ready this time and i haven't even gone through a pack of pull-ups. do whatever works and be consistent cause if you give in they know you will. good luck. got the baby announcement, so cute! plus i saw your sister at a ward party, where does she live?
Stoppng in to let you know I'm praying for you and naptime today!! ;-)
So I was timid to seperate them, I knew there would be some crying, but I did it with out a fight and my kids are now sleeping!!! hopefully this is not a fluke!!
Oh Chandra, you're a champ! I like the separate sleeping arrangement suggested. I had four of my kids a year apart and they had to nap in separate rooms. As far as potty training goes, I found better success with my boys when they were older (2 1/2+) and also when it's spring/summer time they can just go around the house with some larger size underwear which makes it easier for them to manuever.
Your family is beautiful by the way. I miss you!
For potty training...I heard they sell these little targets you can put in the potty and they work like a charm. We tried training Max before he was ready and it didn't work. One thing I've learned is that the kid will let you know when they're ready otherwise it may backfire...so be careful.
I agree with some of the other comments...Max quit napping a few days in a row for a few weeks around two. I think growing and changing hormones effected his sleeping patterns...but he fell back into his napping again. And, if you took their comfort binkis away that could really be hard for them to find a way to calm themselves down. So, maybe introduce a new comfort object like a blankie or stuffed animal or something that they use for napping and sleeping. That may help.
love ya!
Glad they are napping again! I felt so bad when I read your post. Maya stopped napping around 2 1/2 and this was right after we took her paci away. She hasn't gone back to napping since. I miss it for sure!
As far as potty training goes... they may never be eager. It is just easier for them when they don't have to stop playing to go to the bathroom. Because of that, it might be hard to get them to cooperate but whatever you do, once you have started potty training don't go back. It will only give them the immpression that if they keep having accidents then they will get their diapers back. With Tayson I set a timer. We started with every half hour and as he got better we were able to move to an hour. But even when he was officially potty trained I still had to MAKE him go to the bathroom or he would have an accident because he didn't want to stop what he was doing. Also, you can take a little potty with you in the car when you go out and that way you can pull over anywhere if they decide they need to go.
Your my hero Chan! hang in there!
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