While to many people it might seem ideal to have your baby take two naps a day, it can also cramp you style a little bit. And, by style, I don’t mean your actual style, but I mean that it can make outside activities, playdates, errands, and chores a little bit difficult.
I have said before that I love schedules. But, when babies take two naps a day, that makes the schedule very tight. You have a couple of hours to run errands or do outside activities in the morning, a couple in the afternoon, and then a few in the evening. If I could lay down a take a nap every time baby did, it might seem enjoyable to have a baby that sleeps so much, but I rarely nap when baby does. Now, being a mother of three, who has time to nap?
Sometimes, you have to choose whether to let that schedule go a little bit in favor of an activity. Sometimes it works out well, and other times it does not. But, that is the beauty of a baby, nothing is ever that predictable.
Now that my baby is approaching 1 year, I have noticed that he can go for longer stretches at a time without napping. While he still seems to want two naps a day, I can see that one day we will finally get there where he takes a long afternoon nap instead of two short naps. Another thing that makes the napping difficult in my house is that I feel like we have to be quiet as little mice when he naps. All of my kids are light sleepers, and with an old creaky house like mine, we have to tread lightly. So, not a lot of chores can get done when the baby is sleeping. I’m always left wondering…what can I do to be productive while baby sleeps?
And, let’s not forget a social life. It is hard to have one during the day when the baby is taking two naps a day. I have found that even all of my other Mom friends have different schedules for their kids. So, it is next to impossible to schedule playdates between babies and toddlers that all have different needs.
While two naps can be great for my own baby free time, I look forward to the day when he takes just one nap a day. I know it is right around the corner. Then, I will probably miss those two naps a day!