Today is the Day...

Today is the Day that I am going to lose my mind.

Owen will not take a nap. He hasn't napped at all for the last two days. I don't know what to do with him. He doesn't seem sick. I don't think he's cutting new teeth. He is sleeping well at night. I don't know what the problem is but I am going crazy. He has whined all day BECAUSE HE'S TIRED. He's cried in the bed, he's cried in my lap, he's cried while playing and eating.

I'm at my wits end. If it's time to transition to one nap a day that's fine with me BUT WE HAVE TO TAKE A NAP!

Hi Loulou,

I'm sorry to hear that Owen won't take a nap. I have been thru a few days like that, but nothing recent. The last time I had a BIG issue with napping was before Audrey turned 10 months old, she wouldn't nap for an ENTIRE MONTH!!!!! This was right before I went back to work, it was the toughest month of my life, but turns out at the time she was cutting her two top teeth and also I had weaned her off her pacifier just before she stopped napping altogether. Audrey has been on 1 nap since probably a year or so old. She goes to bed at 7pm and she's up at about 5:50am and goes down for a nap at 9:30am. At her babysitters she goes down for a nap around 11:30am. Anyways she'll nap anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending how she's feeling.

Anyways I know I'm not much help, but I can honestly say I FEEL your need to nap too and knowing it's your only chance. Hope he gets back into a routine hun! (((Lou lou)))

You know, on these type of days, as my last resort, I give Jayden a dose of tylenol. I rationalize it by saying that maybe she has some type of ache/pain that I can't see, and that the tylenol will make her feel better. And 9.9 times out of 10, she'll wake up feeling outstanding for having a nice long nap, and her nap schedule can get back on track. I know some may say they don't like to give their children medicine if they can help it, but it's what I do every once in awhile.

Thanks girls!
I know that there must be some good reason for it. I guess just because it doesn't appear that they are teething or sick doesn't mean they can't be. I always feel bad about being huffy with him too - especially if the next day he's running fever or something KWIM?!!!

I put him in the bed with me at 5:30 and he slept for about 30 minutes and then I put him to bed at 8:30. I'm praying that we have a better day tomorrow.

Gutter, you know what, I just started trying to wean him off the bottle. I wonder if that had him all unsettled today?
Cherry, I thought about giving him Tylenol too but decided not too. Maybe I should have.

Thanks again for listening and feeling my pain!

I just started trying to give Lucy a llittle milk with her bottle to begin the switch over. Just 2 oz with 4 oz of formula. She got a very sour stomach (we think) for some reason and it had her up and crying alot the last few days too. I stopped the milk on Sunday, and she had a normal nap/sleep cycle yesterday.

Have you noticed him passing gas or anything? She also burped a couple times and it was very sour smelling. I also think it may be tied in with teething somehow too. A little mylecon seemed to settle things down when she got really upset. She has a runny nose too the last day or two, so maybe a cold? Dang I wish they could talk.


Isn't that terrible when you get so frustrated, and then you realize it is because they hurt, and they can't help it. I hate that feeling.

If it happends again, does he fall asleep in the car? Maybe you could go for a drive if he won't nap...

It's possible it could be bottle withdrawal...Hope he's napping for you today!

Tiff - Thanks! I wish you were closer too! I would certainly take you up on that offer! Or even better - our hubbies could watch the kids and we could BOTH get a pedicure!!!!!! lol!

DM - Owen's been on whole milk for about two months and I haven't noticed any stomach issues. I DO think it's possible it could be teeth related. I hope Lucy's tummy troubles were just a fluke and not a problem with the whole milk. Good luck with that!!!!!

Gutter - I gave him a sippy cup yesterday morning with milk in it and he cried until I switched it to a bottle. He took it in a sippy cup in the evening but I gave him a bottle at 8pm.

I also woke up today with a headache and sore throat. So, he probably has a variety of minor problems that just made yesterday plain awful! He slept 13.5 hours so I'm hoping today will be better.

Thanks for the advice and for just listening! It always make me feel better!

OK. Day Four of No Napping:

I am sick. I have a runny nose and a sore throat so I guess Owen HAS been feeling under the weather. He seems perfectly fine today. I decided to go back to our old routine of 3 bottles a day to see if this will help. He woke up at 8:30 and exactly two hours later he started whining, rubbing his eyes and bumping in to things so I picked him and took him to his room.
We rocked and snuggled for a few minutes like usual and then I laid him in his bed like usual and shut the door. Before I even got to the living room he was screaming. I let him cry for an hour and then, after speaking to my mother and her making me feel guilty for leaving him, I went and got him. He knows I'm upset because he's playing with his toys across the room from me. (He's usually under my feet or beside me all day).

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I'm hoping that MAYBE once he starts walking that will help us burn some extra energy and he'll start sleeping again. My mother insists that my youngest brother quit napping at 1 so she's not very sympathetic to the situation. But y'all, we can't go anywhere or do anything because he acts like a fool in public because he's exhausted. Not to mention the fact that I'm mentally worn out. I need a few minutes of quiet during the day and I don't think that that's asking for too much. I can not take care of him for 12-14 hours straight with no break.

I realize there is no perfect advice and I'm not even looking for suggestions anymore. I just needed to vent to someone without being made to feel guilty.

thanks