Terrible twos?

[twinmum]

Has anyone got any ideas please!

I have a an almost 2.5 year old, who has decided that she doesn't need her lunchtime nap any more. Unfortunately this goes against what i think she needs! As a result of this she is HORRIBLE from about 4pm onwards. Bath time normally ends up with her having a major tantrum as she is over tired (even if we do it early), and the end of the day is just not a nice time in our house any more.

After her lunch we sit in front of cbeebies for a bit of down time but invariably she gets up and runs off to play.

I can't take her out for a walk as i have 10month old twins too who have a good sleep in their cots.

Has any one experienced anything similar or does anyone have any suggestions of things i can try.

From a purely selfish point, it would be wonderful to have an hour without children (or with one child hapily engaged in a low maintenace activity) in the middle of the day as we are quite full on from 6am until 7pm otherwise.

thanks

[Fuschia]

I don't know I'm afraid (congrats on the twins, btw, I have a 6 yo and 16m twins.. do you go to the twins club?)

But I did find these useful ideas:

http://www.askmoxie.org/2006/02/qa_2yearold_pro.html

[twinmum]

Thanks for the article. Very interesting

Don't go to twins club. Went a couple of times before Christmas but found it a bit hard to get to - and with the added joy of a rampaging toddler to deal with too, was more stressful than beneficial sadly! Do you go?

Daughter's lack of nap time has coincided with the boys being a lot more mobile. She gets so annoyed with them when they try and "join in" with her gamesetc. Boys now standing and requiring a lot more of my attention (so they don't get concussion) and i think all theses things are linked. Suspect lack of sleep may have something to do with the fact that she has 2 hours to follow me around with out being bothered by her brothers.

Am truly hoping that it will all calm down again when the boys are a bit more stable. Poor daughter has done so well being the big sister - i have to remind myself that she is not quite 2.5 so still a baby too really. Just 20 months between them all.

Did you find it hard work when your 2 were trying to get mobile?

[Fuschia]

Yes, it all got harder when they started to roll/crawl/ walk! But my big one is at school.

I guess she doesn't want to miss her time alone with you... and it's hard to get out of the house and wear her out I'm sure. I do go to twins club, though my work days are changing in the Autumn and I won't be able to any more.

[Fuschia]

She might just be at the stage where she is naturally dropping her nap..

how about: all go for a drive

Try to get someone to take her for a walk/drive

You and her get into your bed/watch tv

Put her in the bath for 30 mins while you sit neatby and recharge your batteries

Get a special toy, something lie elc's little fold up kitchen, for her to play with just at baby nap time

[Mellors]

I feel your pain, there is the same gap between mine, although my older one is now 2 years 9 months.

The 3 months or so from dropping his nap at about 2.5 until a couple of weeks ago have been hell for the same reasons as you.

He just seems to have grown out of the horrors a little bit though - has a little bit more stamina to get through to bed time (although often asks if he can go to bed at about 6pm! I let him go at 6.30 if he is dropping). I try to get him to lie on the sofa and watch TV for a little while after lunch (Nick Jumior seems to work better than Beebies). I also give him a snack or two in the afternoon to keep his blood sugar up - if he gets hungry he is just intolerable. If I get deperate I kick him out in the back garden for a while to calm down. All of which probably makes me a bad mother, but you gotta do what you've gotta do!

Hang on in there - it will get better soon, I promise!

PS I have no idea how you do it with twins, I only have the one younger one and its driven me mental.

[Pickle]

Bizarrely I have exactly the opposite situation happening in my house at the moment. 17 months between my two... my 2.5 year old son asks to go to bed at around 12.30pm and would happily sleep all afternoon if I let him. 13.5 month old daughter thinks lunchtime sleep is for babies (obviously babies younger than a year) and at the moment we're lucky if she's quiet for 15 mins before screaming blue murder until I get her up. God only knows what she'll be like at 2, she already tantrums with the best of them!

[Fuschia]

Pickle and Twinmum obviously need to do a swap!

[BQC]

Hi Twinmum - I have a 3yrd old boy and twins who are 11months (boys again!), I've found it hard to get to the twins club as well but have met a few great twin mums locally and we have a splinter group that tries to meet on a Thurs/Friday each week either in Peckham Rye or Dulwich Park. There are 2 others as well as myself who have twins and an older sibling so we feel your pain. Send me a pm with your mob no and I'll let you know when we meet next x

[twinmum]

Thanks for all the positive vibes! Perhaps i should have posted earlier as the little lady passed out on the sofa before her lunch and hasn't moved a muscle since! Yippeeee. I think she must have known that i was talking about her.....

It's typical though isn't it, you long for them to sleep and then when they do you wander around thinking "what shall i do", thus wasting a perfectly good opportunity to get a few things done. Anyway, i am thankful she is asleep, and we may well be on for a pleasant afternoon.

Thanks again

[legalbeagle]

Twinmum - maybe the sofa is the answer? My daughter refused to go up to her bed to sleep from about 2.5, but she still snoozes most days on the sofa at about 2.30 (she is nearly 4!). I would get her some milk, a blanket, a fav teddy, and cuddle up with her to settle her down and she'd soon drop off. I think the idea of going up to bed and "missing out" used to really annoy her, whereas the sofa is near me and her toys and doesn't feel like she has to stop what she is doing to go to bed. Might be worth persisting since she has taken to the sofa of her own choice?