Argh! It's such a blankety-blank balancing act!

[PrettyCandles]

3yo ds2 still needs to nap most afternoons. But he's not ready to nap until about 2, and I have to be outside my front door by 2.55 if I'm to collect dd and ds1 from school on time. So he never gets as much sleep as he needs, and generally has a screaming tantrum on being woken up, and I'm almost always late collecting the others.

I used to scoop him up from the cot, roll him in blankets, and he would finish his nap in the buggy. But now he is just getting too big for me to manage to do that and my back is wrecked.

If he doesn't nap when he needs, then he is shattered and a miserable monster all evening. If we go anywhere after school by car or buggy he will fall asleep too late (he fell asleep at 5.30 onthe way to the schoolf air last week), have a tantrum on waking up, and be unable to go to bed for the night before 10pm.

I don't know how to keep everyone happy! It's so unfair on the older ones, too. They have the right to be a bit grumpy or want attention after school, but what they get is a screaming little brother, and a mummy who's already at the end of her tether by the time they see her.

why does he qneed to sleep at i2 - does he have an earlier nap or something - seems odd s- my 2.2 will go to sleep between 12 and 1.30 and has to be awake by 3 in order to sleep well that night.

Would he kick off if you put him to bed earlier than 2?

Partly it is that he is so hyped when he comes home from nursery that he can't settle down. He is often also hungry, even though he has had lunch at nursery. But even on days when I get him to walk and tire him out all morning, and then get home with him by noon, I'll be lucky if he gets to sleep before 1.30. At least on those days he will have had nearly enough sleep and will wake without tantruming.

Ds2 has never been a good sleeper. My other two OTOH were fantastic sleepers, napped when put in the bed, and just dropped or shortened their naps when they no longer needed the sleep. If ds2 isn't in the right frame of mind for sleep then boy oh boy does he kick off when I put him in the cot!