Poopy-naps

[newmamalizzy]

DD (22 months) has always been a difficult napper, and now we have this ridiculous new issue:  She ALWAYS poops while she's supposed to be going to sleep.  I generally have her stay in her bed for an hour at naptime, regardless of whether or not she falls asleep.  Some days she falls asleep right away; other days she play-play-plays, sings, spouts out every word she knows, and 45 minutes into this tirade, she poops.  I clean it up, and occasionally she'll fall right asleep.  Most of the time, the nap is a no-go.  OR she makes it through the whole hour, and 10 minutes later - poops.  It happens regardless of whether she's already pooped that day, so waiting for her to poop before doing the nap doesn't really help.  I've tried sitting her on the potty before her nap, but we haven't really worked on pottying much yet, so that doesn't work either.  ARGH.  Any ideas?

P.S. Had to rush this post because DD woke up from her nap after sleeping for 20 minutes.  And then she pooped.  And didn't go back to sleep. 

[lovepickles]

I think kids poop when they need to poop and sleep when they need to sleep. It sounds like your expectations on her schedule need to be adjusted rather than her behavior. Poop and sleep are pretty basic bodily functions that can be encouraged, but not scheduled.

My daughter turned 2 last month and sometimes she won't sleep at night or before a nap if she needs to poop. So I let her take her time and just go slower with our bedtime/naptime routine. Today she was about an hour and a half late for her nap to fall asleep because she was REALLY into playing with her box of cotton swabs and playing with daddy's shoes. So it took her longer to get up the interest in brushing her teeth and changing her diaper prior to her nap.  Last night she started doing her poop dance so we delayed the bath until it was all over. No big deal although she didn't really fall asleep until 10. That is just the way it goes. We do our best but sometimes a kid has got to poop, you know?

I would suggest is to follow your child's internal clock when it comes to sleep and bowel movements. Stop watching the clock for naptime and just look at her level of responsiveness and see what she needs rather than what you think she should be doing. Also you might want to look into areas where you might be able to take a break without her sleeping so you can both be happy. It sounds like you need a bit of relaxation worked into your day without the stress of worrying whether or not your daughter poops or sleeps. I can understand how quickly that can become an obsession since my life revolves around my daughter's eating sleeping and pooping ... but if you take a step back you might find alternatives like fingerpainting in the bathtub while you read a magazine or coloring in a high chair while you read facebook on your laptop. Or sesame street while you unload the dishwasher... just look for some low stress options that will satisfy you both and not revolve around a strict schedule. You don't have to be perfect.

[newmamalizzy]

Well, the problem is that my daughter is chronically overtired, with constant dark rings under her eyes.  We've been trying hard to get her more sleep, because she has that overtired=wired thing, AND night terrors when she's overtired.  We actually have pretty chill days lately, but the hour of quiet time doesn't really help her get rested.

[organicviolin]

Have you read healthy sleep habits healthy child by dr weissbluth? covers sleep from newborn through teenage years. It's our bible! Not sure about the pooping thing, just know that it happens here too. It is what it is.

[JudiAU]

Have you considered started potty learning? A lot of kids have the desire to poop around that time of day. Some time on the potty before nap might allow her to poop and then nap more easily, especially since you know she often needs to at that time. I don't really think this is a sleep issue.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Ok, so this may sound totally bizarre and off the wall, but have you considered cutting her nap altogether?

I only suggest it because my DS was having the same problem with being chronically overtired, to the point that our days were miserable, our nights were worse, and he never ever got caught up. We cut the naps completely, and now he sleeps 11-12 hours at night, and it's hard, restful sleep, and our days are a million times better. It sounds counterintuitive, but it worked soooo well, I'm soooo glad we cut the naps. His daycare teachers didn't think it would work, but they were even surprised.

My ds is 3, so he's a bit older, but it would be worth a try. You could also try keeping her from napping for a few days while you get her to get a few really good nights sleep, and then see if adding the nap back in works.