Post by unaveragejane on Jan 25, 2015 9:26:07 GMT -5
We're at the point where I would like to get out and about sometimes when L needs to nap. Church and library story times happen during his first morning nap time. The problem is I can't get him to sleep away from home except for in a moving stroller or car. If there are people talking around us, he will not go to sleep, even in a carrier. Last Sunday we got to church right before he was due for a nap. He ate and dozed a little on the boob, but as soon as he heard a baby crying, he was wide awake. He does not care to be held by strangers, so I kept him with me and sat in the back row of the sanctuary until he got so tired that he was fussing. When we got home and got him to sleep, it was a good 2.5 hours past when he normally naps.
So do you just plan for your kid to miss morning nap when you go to church, story time, etc? Is there a trick I'm missing? And slightly related, at what age did you start leaving your LO in the nursery?
I have been in this same situation for the last 8 months with DS2. Church is right during his morning nap and he is a mess if we miss that nap. I don't have any advise, we just don't get to go to church very often because of it. I miss having that time to worship with our friends and family.
It's definitely easier for me to get M to nap when we're out walking without much distraction, but I've found that by putting the hood up and doing lots of swaying and bouncing in the carrier, I can usually get her to sleep without much fuss in other places. I look silly, but whatevs. It's good exercise. She also loves being around people so if we're going somewhere with lots of action, I give her good opportunity to sleep (hood up, well fed, clean diaper, etc), but don't worry about it if she doesn't as she'll likely fall asleep on the way home (but she's unlikely to fuss if she's people watching).
We just do whatever we would normally do (church, library, playgroup, whatever) and F just tags along regardless of nap time. At church specifically I will nurse if he's hungry and often that will put him to sleep. If there's too much distraction that he won't sleep I'll stand up and hold him near the window to look out or I'll quietly walk/bounce in the back until he falls asleep. I know not all places are cool with people wandering around during the service but we have a very kid/baby heavy church so it's just kinda expected.
As far as when I start leaving them in the nursery, I was actually just thinking about this today. usually when I'm sure they will not have to eat during the service at all is when I start leaving them. F is still so sporadic that I'm never quite sure if he will want to eat or not,so I haven't left him yet.I also usually wait till they're a little bit mobile. Only because we have a lot of kids in the nursery and I don't like to make one of the nursery workers have to sit and hold my kid the whole time. Not that they wouldn't happily snuggle him for a good hour and a halfor come get me if it was too much, I just hate to make them lose an extra set of hands.
Oh and like maple said, we have used the tula at church quite a bit. I was using it primarily so that people wouldn't touch him during flu season, but it also helped cut down on distractions. Until about a month ago when he decided that he HATES being I a carrier anyway.
Oh and like maple said, we have used the tula at church quite a bit. I was using it primarily so that people wouldn't touch him during flu season, but it also helped cut down on distractions. Until about a month ago when he decided that he HATES being I a carrier anyway.
That makes me sad. I don't know how I would survive without my Boba.
Luckily our service is late and short, so for a while he napped before we went. It's just over an hour, so I make sure to nurse right before we go. I dumped N in the nursery at 4 weeks. I had been volunteering through my pregnancy so I knew all the ladies and they were really looking forward to him. I handed them the infant seat with him asleep in it and he slept the whole time for at least the first month. They have good enough ratios that it's no big deal for one of them to hold him the whole time, and that happened for a while when he would need to nap during the service (they didn't want to give him back). Now, he's so distractable that I can barely get him to nurse. He's generally happy to stay up as long as interesting things are going on and he'll just pass out in a carrier while D has some playground time after, or definitely in the car on the way home. On those days, it does end up being abou t2 hours later than he should have napped, but it seems to work out by the end of the day.
Post by rrrrrachel on Jan 25, 2015 12:48:49 GMT -5
This is really hard for me at this stage. We're past when he'll sleep in he carrier but still need morning nap. Our only churc service is at 11 which is the only thing I hate about our church. We miss church a lot with kids this age, or my husband goes with my daughter and I stay home with the baby.
At this age, I just do whatever. if his nap is late, then he'll still go to sleep eventually, or there will be another nap later. It's V's 1 nap I hate messing around with. ..if that gets cut short or he misses it all together, he is so crabby later.
Our church doesn't have a nursery, and even if it did I don't think DH would want the boys in it. He likes getting them used to mass, and staying in the pews as a family.
If g is getting tired when we're out, either letting him chill out in his carseat or wearing him calms him down.of course, that's with his paci, which L doesn't take, right?
Post by unaveragejane on Jan 25, 2015 21:34:14 GMT -5
Yeah, L is not a paci fan. I even tried three back to back today just to see if he had changed his mind. Nope. I wish there was some kind of pacifier recycling center. Such a waste to toss them!
Ack, I still let L nap whenever she wants, but this is good info so when she is on a schedule to keep church nursery time in mind. I missed being able to focus on the sermon so I've been leaving her in the nursery for a month already (with a bottle of EBM they've never had to give). We go to a small church though where she's the only baby so "nursery" is anyone under preschool age, and the women in the church fight over who gets to hold her each week LOL.
Because I've totally given up on even trying to go to church. Because E is a freaking nightmare who can't sit down or be quiet for literally not even 30 seconds. I spend the whole time in the cry room, where everyone just lets their kids run rampant and scream and play. So I don't actually hear any of mass. And MH isn't even religious, so he's sitting alone in the pews getting pissed that we aren't even having family time or anything. But if he goes in the cry room he just gets even more pissed and packs up the girls and goes home. So I gave up. And that's what I'm teaching my kids.
Post by unaveragejane on Jan 26, 2015 9:24:39 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing that, MK! And thanks to all for helping me not feel so alone in this quandary. I am definitely going to step up my efforts to get to church. N loves it, and even if I miss most of the sermon, it's nice to be around grown-ups for a change!
Thank you for sharing that, MK! And thanks to all for helping me not feel so alone in this quandary. I am definitely going to step up my efforts to get to church. N loves it, and even if I miss most of the sermon, it's nice to be around grown-ups for a change!
Obv it's different with a baby, but at this point some days I go to church just so someone else can handle my kids for an hour or so. No joke.
I have it easy at church it seems. MH goes every week, and it's the same church that MIL, SIL and her girls go to as well. So it's possible I may have multiple sets of extra hands.
Our pastor has also made it a point to say during mass that he loves hearing babies cry during mass because that means that parents are making an effort to bring their small kids, and pass on their faith. When my boys start acting up, I don't think I've ever gotten a dirty look. There are a fair number of parents with small children as well who I'm sure understand. And the older parishioners just give my boys smiles. If there were someone to give a look, I don't think I would care at this point. If someone were to say something to me, I would probably just shoot some snark back at them now.
If it's important to you, then try to go. It's not always easy, and I honestly don't remember the last time I remembered what on earth the readings were. It'll get easier.... eventually.
I know. That's one of my quirks... things that should be encouraging often make me feel bad about myself. I think it's because of my low self esteem.
Jane - I'm pretty sure I would cry if I tried to take them to church by myself. E is getting bigger and is doing a lot better in most places. But she is just not capable of being still or quiet. She honestly just cannot do it. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that. (Our church doesn't offer a nursery. Maybe in the new place.)
I know. That's one of my quirks... things that should be encouraging often make me feel bad about myself. I think it's because of my low self esteem.
Jane - I'm pretty sure I would cry if I tried to take them to church by myself. E is getting bigger and is doing a lot better in most places. But she is just not capable of being still or quiet. She honestly just cannot do it. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that. (Our church doesn't offer a nursery. Maybe in the new place.)
I know. That's one of my quirks... things that should be encouraging often make me feel bad about myself. I think it's because of my low self esteem.
Jane - I'm pretty sure I would cry if I tried to take them to church by myself. E is getting bigger and is doing a lot better in most places. But she is just not capable of being still or quiet. She honestly just cannot do it. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that. (Our church doesn't offer a nursery. Maybe in the new place.)
I know that church for us would be a totally different ballgame if we didn't have children's church and nursery. Sundays are one of the most stressful mornings of the week for us, and we all enjoy going to church-mh probably most of all. But the timing throws everyone off. I can't imagine if I had to do it alone, or there wasn't a place with age-appropriate stuff for my kids to do for the time we're there.
Because of my DHs work schedule I go alone with the boys to church most of the time (when DS2 has already napped or I desperately feel the need to go). We go to a very small country church that is very welcoming to little kids but doesn't have a nursery. It is very challenging sometime, even though my ILs and my parents go to the same church. My boys make noise during the service but I try to keep them as quiet as possible. We have activity bags that they only get at church, they are all quiet toys and some clean snacks.
I know it can be embarrassing when they act up but I am always have someone from the older generation tell me they are so thrilled to see the boys there and the noise is part of a healthy church. My boys are the 4th generation of DHs family to go to our church so I also get a lot of stories of FIL & DH when they were this age.
Post by chickypoo2468 on Jan 26, 2015 11:56:55 GMT -5
Ug. I go without D more often than with him bc of work too, but if I didn't have somewhere to put the kids and had to keep them with me I would probably be staying home too.
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