[Crafty Mama]

Is your toddler on a sleep schedule?
We finally got Emma on a schedule a few months ago, and it has been heavenly ever since. She gets up around 8, goes down for a nap after lunch, and as long as I make sure she's up by 2, she goes down without a fight at 8. It's so much easier to get her to bed when she's on a schedule, and I gota say, with this big belly, I HATE trying to fight her to sleep. She kicks my belly and I can barely lean forward to keep a hold on her.
The only problem I'm having is KEEPING her on a schedule. If we go out at an odd time and she falls asleep in the car, she won't go to bed until way late. DH's parents don't seem to understand this at all, and it's an hour drive to their house. So whenever we go over there, we have to make sure to leave by 6 or else she'll fall asleep in the car, and won't go to bed at night. I usually end up sitting in the back seat with her to keep her awake! DH's mom keeps suggesting things like taking away her nap or putting her down later and later. I really don't get why she keeps saying this, since we don't have a problem with the schedule she's on! Sorry it doesn't work with your schedule! The few times I've forced Emma to skip her nap, she's fallen asleep during dinner and bath time (I believe I have videos of this on my FB, it's worth a laugh, lol).
It's so annoying when people keep suggesting things to change about her routine. Every once in a while I'll complain about how late Emma was up because I let her nap late or something, and people see it as an opening to tell me just what I need to be doing. My routine works for me when I stick to it, but thanks for the unsolicited advice! And just because you took away your toddlers nap and it worked so well, it doesn't mean I need to. I know my child, and I know what works for her! Haha, I think it's the preggo hormones, but that has seriously been getting on my nerves lately!
So do you have a routine? Does all hell break lose if you stray from it?

[Nykoal]

The girls have been on a sleep routine since 6 weeks old. It gets tweaked as they get older. Both girls go down for the night around 7pm (somedays as early as 6pm) and wake up at 7pm. They go down for a nap after lunch around 12:30pm and wake up between 2:30pm-3pm. If they sleep longer it just puts bedtime off by around an hour.

I also have a bedtime routine that we follow every night. After dinner they get a bath and a story, then it's bedtime. They can't tell time buy they can tell routine and know after story and bathtime it's time for bed. I find when they get hyper at night it's because they're overtired not awake.

We stray from the routine when we're out visiting family & friends. On those nights when we get home late we dress them in their pj's before we leave and they fall asleep in the vehicle on the 30 min drive home. Then we carry then to bed and put them straight to bed (don't turn on any lights and keep it quiet). Sometimes I have to nurse Maddie before I put her down, but they usually either stay asleep or go back to sleep with minimal disturbance.

At the end you do what you have to do. Each child is different. I cringe when I think of the day when my girls no longer nap. That's mama's time and I LOVE nap time!!!

[MarieJ]

We've had the same routine since Easter:
twins in bed by 6pm, up and out at 8am--some waking and wall kicking during the night, but they play and self settle
they nap 90 mins just before or after lunch

I can play with their schedules, and they'll still go to sleep at 6pm-its a good break for us all

[Melissa1983]

Micah has been on a schedule since about 9 months. He goes to bed at 8 and usually wakes around 7. He takes one nap either right before or right after lunch. It's usually between 1-2 hrs. We do occasionally have to let him stay up if we're away from home and he adjusts right back to his normal schedule just fine.

[ShannonMVT]

We have a very loose schedule. Wakeup around 7:00 a.m., naptime starts around 12:00-1:00 and lasts for an hour and a half usually. Bedtime in theory at 8:00, but this does get variable b/c my husband is in charge of bath and jammies and he isn't as strict about schedules.

I do resent it when others expect me to drastically change our schedule to suit them. I know my in-laws have ALWAYS wanted Matthew to stay up later so that we can do things like go to dinner with them. So I feel like I am constantly having to fight them AND my Dh about wanting Matthew to have an earlier bedtime.

Sometimes Matthew wakes in the night and plays for an hour or two, so that causes a change in schedule...I let him sleep in the next morning if he will!

And I will probably jinx this...but he's been STTN for the past week or so. Or at least self soothing when he wakes. I night weaned him several weeks ago and I was surprised at how well he took it, he actually lets me rock him to calm him down and now he knows that he doesn't get milk at nighttime.

[Hailee&Nevansmommy]

Nevan goes to bed between 730 and 830 every night and has for the past year or so, and gets up at 8 - 830. the thing is... my routine is bath, read, sing lullibyes and lay down with him till hes sleeping now trying to break that habit will be fun. lol

his naps are only one hr in the day... at 12 - 1 or 130.

Yes, we have a routine. He wakes between 5-6am and then night time we lay him down at 7pm. Nap time can change by an hour or 2, depending on what we're doing. I try my best to plan activities around his nap because if he doesn't sleep, he's a bear! We're headed to Disney this weekend so we'll see how THAT goes haha.

If there are afternoon plans (like tomorrow is our Thanksgiving meal mid afternoon during normal nap time) then I put him to bed a little earlier for nap. Or if he naps later in the day, I can allow him to go to bed at 8ish but not before I take him outside or try to wear him out. For car rides and falling asleep, I try to plan that around naps too.

To keep Emma awake in the car, can you give her a snack? Something that isn't too messy and she eats well so the threat of choking is low (I have the mirror back there so I can monitor him). Or how about toys that are just for the car? We put a few books in the backseat and never take them out so they seem special.

[wclark602002]

routine we do the same tings every night but i dont think it counts...lol...it consist of her telling me over and over that she wants to go to bed around 8:30 then we go around 9.she nurses then plays then nurses to sleep then 1-2 hours later its nurse again..then just keep repeating til i get up in the am around 5:30-6.so i think i could say yeah but i aint happy with it..lol