The new nap routine

I may have stumbled onto a new method to get Sawyer to nap.

Since he started preschool, I have worked hard to create a decent napping routine. As he's gotten older, though, his naptime has shifted later and later. But I strive to keep our rituals the same. We eat lunch. We brush teeth and change his diaper. Then we read two or three books, and then he must lie down with Dolphin.

Side note: Dolphin is a large stuffed animal --- almost as long as Sawyer --- that I bought just after he was born because ...

1. We called him Flipper in utero.
2. The school mascot where I did my student teaching while I was carrying Sawyer was fittingly a dolphin.
3. I love stuffed animals, and this one was so cute I had to buy it.

Anyway, Sawyer is willing to lie down some days. Other days, he fights it with every fiber of his being. (And the kid can cry for a LOOOONG time.)

This week, however, I've gotten three naps out of Sawyer without following any of our routines.

TUESDAY
Sawyer was still going strong, and I had to take a shower before work. So I turned on a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD and this is what I returned to.



FRIDAY
Same basic story. It was getting close to naptime, and I was desperate for a break after the long night of Sawyer being sick. I turned on the DVD, settled Sawyer on the couch under a blanket and turned off all the lights. Again, I returned to this scene (where I proceeded to nap with him until he woke up!).



SATURDAY
Today was a surprise. I was cleaning the kitchen, and as I often do to keep Sawyer busy while I'm cleaning, I let him play with Play-Doh in his high chair. We spent half an hour or so making snakes (which he constantly asks for) or Christmas trees (with a cookie cutter). I was munching on pretzels, and he asked for some (The kid MUST have a bite of whatever you're eating!).

I handed him some and he munched away while still rolling out snakes. A few minutes later, I asked if he wanted lunch and got no response. I looked over to find this.



Apparently, Play-Doh, pretzels and a warm kitchen are the right combination for napping. Much easier than listening to a crying boy fighting a nap!