Sometimes we're en route home for a nap and Henry will fall asleep in the car. The car nap (even if for just 5 minutes) translates into: get home; I put him in the crib; he sleeps for an hour; he wakes up and screams for 30 min to an hour; and then sleeps for 2 hours. It's challenging. Of course, ideally we would be home before he's tired, but life is too short to be completely and totally wed to an exact time table. The trick is preventing him from falling asleep in the car. Unfortunately, singing, yelling, reaching back every 5 minutes, etc. doesn't work - AND it translates into reckless driving.
Last week, I found something that did work! I handed him my iPhone, which is something he never gets to touch otherwise. He randomly turned on the ipod app, and we listened to an assortment of Jay Z, Eminem and kids songs. He held the iPhone as if he was watching a show on it and he stayed up the entire 15 minute ride home. Eureka! Now I open up the Cars Memory game (free app), and he'll play with it for 10-15 minutes, which is usually all I need to get him home for his nap. If I need more than that, I try using a combination of cars, books, iPhone, singing, shouting, etc. After the "safe driving" class I had to take for my new job, I've resolved to be a less distracted driver. No more iPhone checking while driving...I hope you'll all join me in my crusade to stop cell phone talking and texting while driving. ARGH!
OMG, we go through the same thing!!! I am singing, screaming talking just to keep my son up on the ride home too - I will try giving him my iphone - but his problem is that he drops everything and then he cries for someone to pick it up.
ReplyDeleteWhen he does end up napping in the car and takes a shorter nap in the crib, I let him, however it does make for a very cranky afternoon. What do you tend to do in these situations with Henry? After he cries in the crib, does he always go back down for another nap?
Sonia
If Henry wakes up in the middle of his nap in the crib (after being transferred from the car), we do the cry it out method and he usually goes back to sleep. Of course, some days I don't have it in me to make him cry for an hour, but usually after an hour of crying he does go back down. My lenience usually depends on how long he's slept and what time he wakes up. If he's still crying around the usual end time of his nap, I'll get him. If he's had a combined 1 1/2 hours of sleep in car and crib, I'll deem that enough.
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