Update to Kanaan's Schedule

Well the time has come. The one nap schedule.

I was dreading it for so long. And there are still days where I miss that morning quiet time or that I count down the minutes until nap. But at the same time, we can do so much more! It seems like every kid friendly activity is between 9-11 in the morning and the one nap schedule makes it perfect for us to get out and about in the morning and find some fun activities! I am especially looking forward to the fall and all the fun fall themed activities we can do then! Its all about finding a new rhythm. A new routine.

As I talked about in my previous blog post about Kanaan's schedule here, we chose to follow (somewhat loosely) a babywise schedule. This still hasn't changed, and we followed the time table for when he would drop to one nap like they suggest. I was tempted (as I know a lot of people are) to drop to one nap at the first sight of nap struggle when Kanaan turned one. But I heeded the babywise advice and waited. Sure enough, his two nap schedule stayed as strong as ever all the way through his 15th month. Dropping that morning nap before babies are ready can cause for a lot of cranky days and bad nights.

I knew Kanaan was officially ready when he would sit in his crib and play (not cry) before his afternoon, and sometimes morning, naps for up to like an hour. Sometimes he would fall asleep, but that meant that he was waking up closer and closer to bedtime from his afternoon nap. We went on a trip to Kansas for a few days and I kept his two nap routine even though he was waking up from his second nap around 5. I was okay with it there because he would up later while visiting family so it was okay. But when we got home, it was time to transition.

That very next day, a Monday I woke him up at his usual time, 7:30. We went to the library and a park - anything to stay busy. And then we came back around 12:00 and he slept for about 2 and a half hours. When he woke up, we played a little bit more, ate dinner, and come 6:30/7 he was getting very tired. I knew these first couple days I might have to move bedtime up a little. I put him down at 7:30 (which his bedtime had been a little closer to 8:00). He slept all night and we did it again the next day, and the next.

EASIEST TRANSITION EVER! And now that he is used to it, its a breeze.

Here is his schedule in a nutshell-

Wakeup- 7:30 (sometimes he wakes up at 7)
I nurse him when he wakes up and we eat breakfast about 40 minutes after that. After that, we play at home, go to the zoo, the park, the library, meet up with friends, run to the store, really anything! I will usually give him a snack around 10 if he didn't eat that much for breakfast and we eat lunch about 11:30/12 depending on when I plan to put him down for a nap.

Nap- Anytime between 12-1 and sleeps for minimum of 2 hours, usually closer to 3.
When he wakes up from his nap, we usually read a book (or 12 books) and have a snack. I also like to use this time for any developmental activities and/or arts and crafts. We will sometimes run a few errands if we need anything for dinner or for the next day! We eat dinner when dad gets home around 5:30 and I'd be lying if that last hour wasn't a rough patch some days. This is usually when he gets some TV time if we hadn't watched anything while I was trying to get ready that morning.

Bedtime- Anytime between 7:30-8
And all the parents said AMEN. haha I am half kidding. I do think Aaron and I need that time to reconnect and unwind!

Anyways, being a stay at home mom can be hard, but I feel like having a schedule and a time to do things makes my days so much easier! And routines are beneficial for Kanaan too! Win, Win!