Remember this post where I was boo-hoo-ing over the end of naps for Lil’ CB?

I take it allllll back.

Because you know what? Life without naps has actually been kind of…lovely.

No, seriously!

After fighting tooth and nail trying to get Lil’ CB to take a nap and then having him stay awake until 10pm, I decided to let him go without a nap and see what happened. Well, we pushed through what would be nap time, hanging out in Lil’ CB’s room with him looking at books and playing quietly with his toys while I read. All was well, and it was actually a lot more peaceful than the usual Lil’ CB-jumps-in-his-bed and I-repeatedly-yell- “go-to-sleep” action that usually took place during nap time.

Things started to get a little rough between 4-6pm — lots of whining, tired irrationality, etc. but, after dinner at 6 and a bath afterwards, we started our bedtime routine and Lil’ CB was out like a light at 7:05pm, a mere 5 minutes after we put him down. Awesome sauce. And *gasp* Mr. Cowboy and I had nearly 4 hours of down time together (read: he surfed the interwebs, I read) before we went to bed ourselves! It was so nice and really restful, as opposed to the hour or so we’d get after trying to wrangle Lil’ CB into his bed and continually convincing him to stop jumping and shouting for 2 hours.

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So we tried it again the next day, and the day after that, and for 3 more days afterwards. After nearly a week of being napless (and often trudging through those difficult afternoon hours), we noticed that Lil’ CB was sleeping SO much better at night (not to mention sleeping MORE hours altogether) and overall, our days were more peaceful.

At that point, we instituted “quiet time.” I let Lil’ CB pick several books to bring to his bed and told him he could read them or lay down, but that he had to stay quiet and in his room until I came to get him. I expected a fight or at least to come back to mass destruction in his room, but amazingly, he did SO well. For a little over an hour, Lil’ CB read books quietly and played with his stuffed animals, and when I came to get him, he was as happy as a clam and so proud of himself! He managed to get some rest and we were able to have a great afternoon together. So, quiet time continued and continued well!

I think, to some degree, that not enforcing naps made Lil’ CB happier and he was willing and able to enjoy an hour or more of time alone knowing he didn’t have to sleep. I kept the monitor on so I could see and hear him, but I also got to have my hour (or more!) to get things done or, let’s be honest, sit and watch bad reality TV. And after an hour of rest, we were recharged and ready to enjoy the rest of our day together.

While it was a little hard to let go of the longer mid-day break (for both of us), it is nice to not be bound by nap time when we’re out and about…and though sometimes the napless-ness has affected our evening plans and how late we can be out, Lil’ CB has been sleeping an average of 12-13 hours each night, giving him at least an hour more of sleep than when we was sleeping for 2 hours at nap and 9 hours at night.

Now, there have definitely been days when Lil’ CB has fallen asleep during quiet time (and he giggles when I wake him later saying, “Ooops! I fell asleep!”) or when he’s fallen asleep in the car if we were driving during his former nap window, and we’ve let him sleep for about an hour during those times. Which then brought about the falling asleep at 9:30-10pm-ish. So, in a crazy way, naps have almost become unwanted (I know!) because of the way they affect his sleep schedule at night.

I can’t believe that I’ve been converted, but really, friends, I see the light! Because when it’s 10:30pm and your kid’s been asleep for 3 and a half hours and will likely stay asleep for another 9, it really is rather awesome saucy.

See? Even Lil’ CB himself is raisin’ the roof at this whole fast-asleep-by-7pm deal!

So, from one momma to another, if your child is starting to show signs of nap-resistance, embrace it. It’s really not that bad. (Even though I pouted and whined and met this new stage with much kicking and screaming!)  And, if you want, I promise to hold your hand through the transition.