AnchorMommy

The Magical Blanket/Tent

November 6, 2009 by Shannon

This week, I thought I FINALLY figured out the secret to a successful naptime. I have been delighting in my parenting genius. I have enjoyed the luxury of many an afternoon break, with zero crying sessions (which is quite a relief after last week’s Quiet Time Horrorfest). This solution is the greatest sleep-inducing strategy since my breastfeeding days. What is it, you ask?

The TENT.

And when I say tent, I just mean a blanket over Kellan’s head. I cannot believe it. I mean, really? All it takes is a properly placed blanket??? Well, it also takes a couple other things. I have to put lavender lotion on his hands. Oh, and I have to lie on the floor next to his bed with my wrist wedged uncomfortably between the rails so he can hold my hand. But that’s it. That’s all. This strategy has been WORKING LIKE A CHARM. Well, except for the day that he heard me answer a phone call and woke up after a teeny tiny cat nap of about 20 minutes. (Argh.) But the point is, he went to sleep with no struggle! I LOVE the magical blanket/tent!

Then yesterday happened.

I followed the new sleep strategy to the letter. I lotioned up Kellan’s little fingers with lavender, I covered him with a series of quilts, spread the magical blanket/tent over his head and wedged my wrist up between the bed rails. His fingers took hold of my hand (which was also coated in lavender lotion, just to double the sleep-inducing effects) and we settled in. Time to let the snoozing begin. That’s when the thrashing started. Kellan began flipping his head from side to side. Then he tried to pull up another quilt over his head. He started fiddling with my fingers. And finally, he started kicking the bed.

“Kellan, I’m going to leave the room if you don’t hold still. I can’t rest when you’re wiggling around like that.”

He stopped thrashing instantaneously, as if I had I threatened to take away one of his guitars. I thought, great — this might actually work after all.

Then the kicking started up again. So I got up, told him I had to leave the room to rest (in other words, read some blogs or check my email) and told him he needed to be still and quiet during Quiet Time.

As for the rest of “Quiet Time?” Not quiet. Not quiet at all. He got out of bed. He messed with his bedroom door. He started crying (not quite at the same volume as The Horrorfest, but plenty loud).

I am MAD at that blanket/tent. Stupid, worthless piece of fabric. I should have known. NONE of my magic naptime solutions last for long. Breastfeeding worked great, until I wasn’t breastfeeding him anymore. So I rocked Kellan to sleep everyday, until he started squirming around and insisting his feet weren’t covered even when they were. I even had great success with singing and telling him short stories for a while. When that stopped working, I left him in his bed alone a few times and he nodded off with no problem. That was fine, until the time I left him in there awake and he smeared the contents of his poopy diaper on his bedding. So you see why I’m hesitant to leave him in his room alone.

The kid gave up two naps a day at an early age, so maybe I need to just surrender to fate? Let him go all day without sleeping and suffer the potential wrath of his crankiness in the evenings???

No way. I will not go down without a fight. That stupid blanket/tent gets two more chances to redeem itself before I call for backup — a blackout curtain for the window. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, magical blanket/tent. After all, you are magic. So GET YOUR MAGICAL MOJO GOING for pete’s sake.

And if not for pete’s sake, at least for mine. I’ve got a lot of blog reading and email checking to do.