To ask if this is a bad idea

[EST0106]

So DD 2.10 has always been a good sleeper, 7-7 plus 2 hour nap after lunchtime. She seems to be dropping her nap which is really bad timing as I am due number two tomorrow! The problem is if she doesn't nap she is miserable, irrational and basically bedtime is a nightmare. I have spent an hour trying to get her to nap today but no joy. She still naps at nursery on the two days she goes, and occasionally at home. I selfishly want her to nap or play quietly in her room but she just crys and comes out of her room constantly. I can't go through this when I have a newborn. Would it be shite parenting to put a film on for an hour after lunch and snuggle up on the sofa rather than even trying? Is it normal to have a period of no naps but seriously overtired child? What do you do for some 'quiet time' ?Oh why oh why does this have to happen now!!

The TV is your friend.
My son used to call the TV " Terry" so it was known as Uncle Terry the babysitter in our house.
Be good to yourself and do whatever you need to to survive with your sanity intact

We did an hours quiet time of telly and cuddles when dd dropped her nap. She needed to rest but not to sleep.

Don't worry one tiny bit.

No it wouldn't be wrong. You have to do what works for you, and yes it is normal to have no naps. However I have noticed as I get older that the urge for a nap has returned at work between 2 and 4 in the afternoon.

Toddlers need down time too, if they won't nap a bit of TV will help them relax, good luck with the new arrival

Not wrong at all. My son has just turned one and is getting closer to dropping his nap by the looks of it but he will snuggle and have cuddles on my chest while the tv is on ... he just has no interest in baby tv and loves adverts :/

Definitely do what you need to stay sane and happy! :D

oh god yes, go for it

In my experience little ones always seem to drop their nap before they actually are ready to iyswim

a bit of telly quiet time will be a godsend to you

Congratulations on number two

jsut put on cbeebies or educational DVD. eg letters and numbers - not an issue at all

my son learned to read and learned numbers from watching these

www.amazon.co.uk/Postman-Pats-ABC-And-123/dp/B000CDINN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396273629&sr=8-1&keywords=postman+pat+abc

www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Men-Great-Alphabet-Hunt/dp/B000CDINNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396273650&sr=8-1&keywords=mr+men+abc

sesame street ones etcetcetc

nursery rhymes

www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Learn-Colors-Shapes-Counting/dp/B00008R9KS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396273778&sr=8-1&keywords=counting+dvd

Nothing wrong with that at all. Do what you need to do

She's getting of an age where a 2 hour nap is reasonably unusual, especially when she may be starting a pre school setting soon?

Don't feel bad at all

Are you saying that up to now she has never watched TV and now you are afraid that an hour of telly a day is bad parenting? That sounds a bit PFB to me.

If you're really loathe to use telly, I used to put audio story CDs on when DS was dropping his nap and get him to lie in his cot in the dark. He could listen to them for ages quite happily.

It would be a really good idea to put the TV on for an hour. Go for it!

oh, I remember this, it filled me with horror, dropping the nap! I used to either spend the time lying in my bed with DD reading stories which was nice, or she'd watch a film wrapped up on the sofa. Nothing wrong with that - I just made sure she didn't watch too much TV the rest of the time.

Once you've got over it, it's actually very handy not being tied to the nap. But awful when you're going through the process!

Oh, and she napped at nursery for quite a while after dropping at home - I think that's quite common. Eventually we had to tell nursery to stop her nap as her bedtime became awful if she'd slept.

My two were never tremendous nappers - they dropped them quite young too, so we always had a bit of quiet time after lunch. Bit of TV, or an audiobook - it's really fine. But find something you like too! I heavily leant on DD for Totoro or Alice in Wonderland rather than Numtums for example. I know, mean Mummy. DD was just turned 2 when DS was born and you must do whatever gets you through.

Best of luck!

Thanks for your responses. Jessie, she does watch TV, it's just that up until I went on mat leave a few weeks ago it was minimal, now it seems more and more and I feel a bit guilty! I guess I was just worried that putting TV on is a bit like letting her have her own way but at this stage I think I'm past caring!! She's asleep now, huge black circles under her eyes, but had a massive tantrum about going upstairs for bath, full on screaming rage. Luckily DH just got in from work so helped wrestle her through bath. Don't think we dealt with it well but that's another thread!

I like the idea of audio books, I have got some, maybe we could snuggle up together and listen to them. Sounds bliss! X