On that note, let’s dive into my first day in the life post of 2020, shall we?
Morning
I was up before the sun on Monday morning and ready to get back into my usual weekday groove after two(ish) weeks of a more relaxed holiday-imposed schedule. It felt good to be able to slowly sip my coffee, eat a sweet potato muffin and ease into the day before the boys woke up. My 5 a.m. alarm gave me time to do my morning devotional and wrap up yesterday’s weekend recap blog post before Chase was up for the day.
Chase had himself mostly dressed before I came into his room around 7 a.m. and we settled into a chair to read two chapters from his latest Merlin Missions chapter book. The book was a gift from my mother-in-law for Chase for Christmas because we recently finished all of the Magic Tree House series and he was itching for more! I was afraid the Merlin Missions books would be too advanced however they read similarly to the Magic Tree House books but with a little additional length. (While we could often finish a Magic Tree House book in two-ish sittings, the Merlin Missions books take a bit longer in a good way!)
Eventually Ryder started making noise on the monitor and Chase, as usual, wanted brother “private time” so I let him climb into Ryder’s crib where the boys played for a bit while I changed into my gym clothes and got ready for the day. Eventually we all made our way downstairs for breakfast before heading out the door for preschool drop off. Though the boys stuck to cereal and bananas, I ended up making myself breakfast 2.0 to eat on the go which looked like oatmeal in a mug.
Yesterday’s combination included oats, almond milk, peanut butter, vanilla protein powder, crushed almonds and fresh berries.
We arrived at Chase’s school a few minutes early and spent a little time on the school playground before Chase headed into his classroom and Ryder and I made our way to the YMCA.
Once Ryder was settled in childcare, I took myself through a quick shoulder workout that looked like this:
The highlight of my workout was putting my new Bluetooth wireless earbuds to use!
They were a Christmas gift from my parents and I totally get why they have 24,000+ positive reviews on Amazon. I couldn’t stomach putting Apple earbuds on my Christmas list because they seem so pricey for something I could very easily lose and I can already say that my new pair of earbuds will be perfect for my workouts. They are comfortable, easy to charge, easy to pair with my phone and come with four different sizes of ear caps so you’re sure to get a good fit. I’m a BIG fan and loved the ability to finally do burpees and mountain climbers without a cord swinging around in front of me.
I was in and out of the gym in right around 40 minutes and spent some time in the gym lobby after I picked Ryder up from childcare because, like his big brother, Ryder loves the assortment of toys and books in our YMCA’s lobby and always wants to stop and play for a bit.
Ryder played and we both ate a packet of almond butter for a snack before leaving to run a few errands to the post office and UPS to return and mail various packages.
By the time we made it home, I was quite hungry and quickly threw some chicken thighs I had marinating in the fridge into the oven to bake while I took a shower. I closed off our bathroom so Ryder could play with toys while I showered and then I got dressed, threw my hair up into a bun and assembled lunch for the two of us.
Lunch for me looked like a bunch of Simple Mills crackers paired with a bowl of chicken thighs marinated in a new-to-me Asian marinade, leftover mashed sweet potato and chopped green beans.
We made it to preschool pickup right on time (not always an easy feat!) and Ryder high-tailed it into Chase’s school proving, yet again, just how ready he is for preschool. Soon enough, bud!
Chase chatted away about his day and was clearly psyched to be reunited with his teachers and classmates. Once we arrived back home, Chase and Ryder played for a bit while I straightened up around the kitchen and washed out Chase’s lunch box and all that jazz.
Eventually Ryder went down for his nap and Chase and I curled up with a snack on the couch to read more of his latest Merlin Missions book before his “quiet time.” Chase’s quiet time typically looks like playing alone with toys in his room or flipping through picture books for 45 minutes or so until he gets restless and asks to be done. While he played in his room, I made myself some Four Sigmatic hot cacao, cranked out some work on the computer and then spent the rest of the afternoon close to home with the boys.
We played in the backyard with Sadie and ran around outside before it was bath time. The boys were about halfway through their bath when our babysitter for the evening arrived.
After two of our favorite sitters both left for college last fall, we found ourselves on the lookout for a few great babysitters we could call on again and finally found two we love! Madison arrived in the early evening and after giving her the usual rundown of the boys’ bedtime routine, I headed out to meet up with Ryan and our couples small group. Ryan and I were in a small group together before through our church back when we lived in Ocala but it’s been years since we have been in a small group together. We’ve been meeting biweekly for the past two months or so with five other couples and typically get together for dinner followed by a discussion surrounding a short video we watch as a group. I forgot to snap a photo of the dinner spread from last night but we all filled our plates with chicken, pasta salad, butternut squash, garlic bread and cookies and cream cupcakes.
Last night’s discussion centered around the four stages of parenting which seemed dead-on to me and also really thought-provoking. Here are the stages in case you are interested:
- Discipline Years (0-5): Teaching kids there are consequences for their behaviors
- Training Years (5-12): Putting the why behind the what
- Coaching Years (12-18): Advising from the sidelines and moving toward connecting rather than correcting
- Friendship Years (18+): Enjoying one another’s company and processing life together
The video we watched is the first of a two-part series called Parent Unscripted by Andy and Sandra Stanley and lead to a really interesting discussion within our group. (The video is 12 minutes long and definitely worth a watch if this topic is of interest to you.) Ryan and I are clearly right in the middle of the discipline years and discipline is something we constantly work on with our boys. Watching this video and seeing the stages of parenting outlined in such a concise yet important way felt eye-opening and also encouraging. In the video, Andy and Sandra discussed the importance of progressing through the above stages with your children to avoid making the next stage increasingly difficult. (For example, a lack of discipline in the younger years will make the Coaching Years much more challenging.) We talked about our struggles related to parenting in our current stages and it was helpful to hear from parents in our group who are already in the next stages of life to hear what they would’ve done differently and also what they found to be helpful in the early years.
We also talked about the kind of atmosphere we want to have in our households (one key takeaway from the video was to “never freak out” over the good OR the bad for fear your children will stop opening up to you altogether) and I loved some of the ideas our group came up with to create strong relationships with our children and each other. (Note: The “never freak out” rule doesn’t mean you won’t freak out internally! It just encourages parents to try to temper your reaction in the moment your child is opening up to you so they feel comfortable coming to you about the really hard and sometimes shocking stuff without fear.) We also talked about our strong desire to raise kind children and I love the way one family in our group asks their children to say one kind thing they did for another person at the end of every day. To me, this seems to take the emphasis off personal accolades and achievements and puts it on helping others.
We made it home a little before 9 p.m. and chatted with Madison a bit before heading upstairs to get ready for bed. A very energetic Chase ended up popping out of his room to greet us which wasn’t all that shocking since the last time we had a babysitter in the evening he said he wanted to wait for us to arrive home. We tucked Chase in and then got ready for bed ourselves before chatting, reading and turning off the lights.
Now it’s time to do the whole weekday routine over again! I hope you all have a great Tuesday!
Questions of the Day
- If you have children, what stage of parenting are you currently in?
- Has one stage been more challenging than others?
- What is your current struggle in your stage of parenting?
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I have 5 and 3 year old boys so we are in the discipline stage and moving toward the next with our oldest. Right now, our biggest challenge is self-regulation with our big guy. He is sweet and sensitive but also gets hyped up easily. They play well together but it can go downhill FAST! And we all share two things at dinner each night: 1. Our favorite part of the day 2. Something we did kind or helpful for someone else. When my youngest does something kind during the day he’ll say, “I can share that at dinner!”
Love those two things, Amy!
We do this same exact thing at the dinner table! I LOVE it! Kindness is so, so important!!
What version of the Bible do you read and use?
I have the Life Application Study Bible and it’s perfect for me (aka someone who needs the Bible explained/broken down a bit so I can understand it).
Sounds like the perfect version for me too!
Thanks for sharing!
Oh man we are in the trenches of 0-5 stage! Our boys are 14 months and 2.5.
The biggest struggle is my oldest just not being nice and not sharing with his brother. It isn’t all day of everyday, but we have really struggled with him pushing, hitting and stealing toys for his younger brother. The pushing and hitting hit it’s all time peak about a month ago and after trying everything under the sun, we whipped out the wooden spoon. Well… that has worked.
If we catch him hitting or pushing the baby he gets a warning. If he does it again soon after (which dear lord he is so strong willed and ALWAYS does) he gets two spankings on the booty from Daddy with the wooden spoon. We don’t enjoy doing it, but it has really, really worked. I don’t know why, but it has made him think about what he did and he apologizes to the baby, me and my hubby several times after!
Hmmm… so you’re telling him not to hit his younger brother but then you’re hitting him? Sounds a little contradictory to me.
I can see your point, but it is working really well with our extremely strong willed toddler. Number one rule for us is we never, ever spank him with the spoon out of our own anger or frustration. We calmly tell him why he is in trouble and after we do it, we talk it out with him (which has been the only time he seems to truly listen to why he is in trouble), hug and he apologizes to his brother. Since we started with the spoon, he also will bring it up later in the day and say “I will be nice to brother. I am sorry.” He has drastically stopped bullying his brother since we started. I want to say we have only spanked him 3 times in the last month.
Obviously, I really hope we can end it soon but for now, it is working for our family.
I think spanking (even if the parent is calm) is one of those things that may work in the short term but studies are showing how much damage it can do in the long run. There are two things I would consider: firstly, adults take a long time to learn or change a behaviour, so it’s not really reasonable to expect that a child will learn quickly not to hit (or any other behaviour we don’t tolerate in society). It’s obviously important to set firm boundaries and make it clear that hitting isn’t acceptable, but actually hitting and lashing out are quite natural means of communication for a 2 year old. Secondly, most of parenting is about modelling appropriate behaviour, really, and as the previous commenter pointed this, spanking a toddler basically just demonstrates that when you don’t get your way, you hit. You might view it as being “effective” now, but I think in the long-run it sets up a dynamic where your children will fear you, and thus hide things from you out of fear of repercussion down the line. This “discipline” phase (I don’t love that terminology personally…I’d rather think of it as “foundation” stage) is really about setting up dynamics for the future of the relationship, and essentially what you’re reinforcing now is that when your child does something wrong, they are punished for it instead of being nurtured through it. Is it more important for your son to get things right immediately (at such a young age developmentally) or for him to feel that he’s safe to learn and grow and make mistakes in your house and that you’ll nurture him through that?
But if it’s working really well, Mrs. B, why the repeat actions as you state, “If he does it again soon after (which dear lord he is so strong willed and ALWAYS does) he gets two spankings on the booty from Daddy with the wooden spoon. ” we all get it can be frustrating, but…
The best info we received was to commit to at least 20 minutes per day per child, playing what they wanted to, on the floor, no phone, no tv, no kindle. Complete and focused attention on PLAY. Time to model behavior, role play if it fit, etc. The complete behavior change was impressive.
I will agree that we too limit screen time at our house and it made a difference. We also have started a daily “craft time” or more complex toy time that really stimulates him. We have one of those kitchen stands that we prop up next to the island. It has helped keep him busy and gives each of them “alone” time to be in their own little world if that makes sense.
This disciplining is literally a .5% glimpse of our lives as parents. We can read “studies” until the end of time but I know who we are as parents. I am incredibly nurturing and obsessed with boys almost to the point of it being disgusting. Our household is filled with love. My children never have and never will fear me or my husband.
I regret even commenting. This is what is wrong with mom blogs. All it takes is one detail on a disagreement of parenting style to chime off a debate.
Mrs. B – please don’t get discouraged. I disagree with the other commenters about the “studies” that are opposed to spanking. The Bible clearly states He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. (Prov. 13:24 KJV).
Again, spanking doesn’t work on every child and, of course, shouldn’t be the first form of discipline used. For instance, my 4.5 year old doesn’t even flinch at a spanking but if we put her in her room for alone time for being bad, she is distraught. Each child is sooo different!
However a spanking that is not given in rage can be an effective form of discipline.
you’re** a mom 😉
I’m really sorry that my comment sounded like I was suggesting that your household isn’t loving or nurturing….that wasn’t my intention, nor how I viewed what you were saying. As a child who was spanked, and as a parent of toddlers myself, I can actually totally understand the logic of your choices. I can also say, as the child of parents who were loving but used spanking as a form of discipline, it did lead to a complicated dynamic where I feared my parents. I still do, in some ways, and feel that I can’t be fully open with them, for fear of consequence. They are loving, generous, and kind people, but they certainly parented in a way that suggested that adherence to their rules was of the utmost importance, versus really understanding what it really was that was making me or my siblings act in the way we were (even if the reason – such as with hitting at age 2 – was simply down to developmental ability/age). I’m not suggesting that this will definitely be the case for you and your family, I’m simply sharing my experience in an area that I’ve thought deeply about as a parent and as an adult child (as I’m sure you have).
I also further think that its important that our worldviews are challenged. Debate is healthy, and honestly can be helpful even for drilling down and helping to reinforce what we believe. One thing I’m sure of though – I’m sure your a mom and your husband is a dad who is trying their best and doing what they feel is right for their kids. None of us will get it “right” all the time, especially during situations that are stressful or tricky. But I think its important to really reflect on why we’re parenting the way we are. I want you to know that I almost NEVER comment on blogs – of any type – but I feel that this topic is quite important.
As a final note, its interesting that the Bible was quoted in support of a spanking practice in another comment by someone else, as I work for a religious organization (a Christian religion that I don’t belong to) and was required to sign a waiver stating that I would not spank my own children during my time employed there (or any child!). This was down to theology of that religion based on scripture. Just something I wanted to share!
you’re** a mom 😉
There has to be another way besides spanking with a wooden spoon. When your child goes to preschool, if they mention it, CPS will be called I assure you.
While we can disagree on what is acceptable punishment for children, I do not believe you have done your research on this issue of corporal punishment. I work in the justice system and corporal punishment IS allowed in the state I live in (in the US), as well as several other states. A tap on the rear is allowed and excessive beating and bruising of course would be considered abuse and would be handled by authorities.
Telling someone that CPS will be called on them for popping their child’s bottom with a spoon is ridiculous.
My 41 year old husband still talks about getting hit with a belt by his dad. And at the school where I worked for nine years, if a 2.5 year old said they were being hit with a wooden spoon at home, they would call CPS. In my opinion, there is no reason to hit a 2.5 year old with a wooden spoon for any reason. Best of luck to you both and your kids.
Um, yeah, your little detail is what many now consider to be physical abuse. Gee, why would that spark a conversation?
You said yourself you don’t know why it “works.” Maybe take a good long think on that.
You’re using pain and fear as motivators. You can pat yourself on the back all you want for being such a “loving parent,” but it is scientific consensus now that spanking does real damage to children.
Stop being defensive and making excuses and rationalizations. You already know what you’re doing is wrong.
I would love to know Julie’s response to this. Definitely a heated debate here, and interesting Julie hasn’t chimed in! I definitely am in the camp of “peaceful parenting” and a huge Janet Lansbury fan. I’m appalled at this Mrs. B. lady and find it interesting she follows someone like Julie, who seems like a great and respectful towards her children kind of parent. I wish she’d chime in to this lady. :). Makes me sad for her children. Of course they’re not acting out – they’re acting out of fear. Julie, what’s your response?
Hi Laura, we do not spank in our house nor do I condone or support spanking of children. I have not done research into the effects of spanking children because it’s not something we ever considered in our house, however to me it would seem that spanking centers discipline around fear and when we’re constantly telling our boys hitting and physically hurting others is not okay, I can only imagine it would be really confusing for a young child to process this same action coming toward them from their parents.
Whew, I am so glad we’re on similar wavelengths in this matter. I appreciate you responding.
Ever think he brings it up again because he’s processing the fear he feels before/during/after you hit him? Fear does not equal respect. Poor baby.
My siblings, cousins, and I were spanked occasionally, and we are better for it. All of us are perfectly adjusted, successful adults, and many of us in healthy relationships or marriages depending on age. It’s ok for there to be a bit of fear of your parents, in my opinion, and spanking does not directly correlate to issues later down the road if used in an appropriate manner. Do what works for your family.
One thing I don’t understand about the way my parents parented and what you’re saying here – why would you ever want to either fear your parents or have your children fear you? I mean that sincerely…I don’t understand why. In any other relationship (at work, home, friends), it is widely agreed that if you are motivated to do anything out of fear, then that relationship is abusive. Its really not a healthy dynamic at all. I think actually that’s my biggest reaction/issue with spanking in general. I don’t think it teaches children anything beyond that they should *fear* their parents, and also *fear* consequences. My fundamental worldview about what motivates people (adults) is that it does not need to be out of fear of repercussions. I don’t want to treat people kindly, or not treat people badly, because I’m afraid that it might negatively impact me, and I don’t want my children growing up that way either. I want my children to come to me knowing that they can’t come to me with any mistake they make in life, even if I find it wildly disappointing or worse, out of fear or shame.
Grrrr – too early in the morning. In the final line I meant – I don’t want my children to hide mistakes they’ve made from me out of fear or shame, even if I find their choices wildly disappointing (or worse). And I definitely think that disciplining a child through fear leads to that kind of dynamic.
My brother and I were spanked growing up. But maybe only 5 times I can remember and it would only happen for really bad things. I wouldn’t condone using it as the only line of discipline and doing it on the regular. But I think it’s fine occasionally. My brother and I grew up perfectly okay and do not fear our parents or any other kind of relationship in any way. I respect my parents because they used it infrequently and would always sit down and talk to us about it. It was never a reactionary punishment…always thought out and discussed with a “why” behind it. It also helped that they used a paddle called “Buster” and as kids, we would “fear” Buster, not my parents. Never did they use their hand.
Sooo should I fear my husband? Would that be healthy? When I burn supper should he give me a little “pop” to discipline me? Children aren’t adults but they ARE humans and deserving of respect and dignity, and physical punishment certainly doesn’t allow for those things.
Wtf. You hit a toddler? That’s awful.
I would love recommendations on discipline resources. We have an 18-month-old and he’s definitely starting to test us. I have discovered that I’m a little too soft and feel such guilt if I have to get firm with him, but I know I need to be the parent. If you have any resources that you have referenced, please share. I’d love to hear your approach, although I know this is a hot button issue, so I also understand if you don’t want to share your discipline approach. Thanks!
Hi Jill!! I swear there is something about the 18 month age that brings out the need to begin REAL discipline. We’re definitely beginning to notice a need to discipline Ryder more (honestly our main focus with him now is getting him to understand “no” and praising him BIG time when he listens since that works well) but I’ve heard GREAT things about Janet Lansbury’s book No Bad Kids and want to read that one as well!
Her podcast unruffled is fabulous too. Just her voice is soothing and makes you want to do your best haha :
One of my favorite books of all time is “No Drama Discipline” by Dr. Dan Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson. It emphasizes “Connection before redirection” and is rooted in neuroscience. Discipline means teaching and it’s important that parents are teaching their kids how to respond to and manage “big” emotions (which is what toddler tantrums, aggression, spitting etc. are). All behavior is communication and its our job as parents to help children how to communicate peacefully and effectively. The authors also wrote a book called “The Whole Brain Child” which provides valuable insights about the stress response system in children and how to help them learn to self-regulate. As a child therapist, I highly recommend both books to the parents and also the staff that I work with. It will change the way you approach discipline and parenting!
Thank you for this recommendation! Sounds so so interesting!
I also second both of these books. They’re great and completely change the way you think about parenting.
We are in the Discipline Stage and MAN this has been a struggle. We have a 1.5 year old ( 2 in April) and he is in his pushing the limit stage. If we don’t give him what he wants or do what he asks he will throw himself and yell. When we ignore it he gets over it rather quick, however he still resorts to doing these little shenanigans time and time again. Any suggestions?
I just responded to Jill’s comment about and she has a kid about the same age — there’s something about that 1.5-2 year old age that is TOUGH because they’re learning, changing, growing and testing everything… and all of the sudden they want to be independent… but also not, ya know? It’s crazy and I feel you. Ryder will flail his entire body when I pick him up and he’s not ready to come inside, go into his car seat, etc. Sometimes it feels like one battle after the next. And I am on the same page with you with mostly ignoring the screaming/whining since that DOES seem to work most of the time. I remember the same thing happening with Chase and thankfully I think this really is one of those age-related struggles that they grow out of once they’re able to communicate more. I’ve also heard great things about Janet Lansbury’s book No Bad Kids which seems worth checking out, too!!
is Chase still in his crib? If not, I’d love to hear about the transition – we are weeks away from transitioning from crib to big kid bed and I’m so clueless!
Yes he is!! We clearly hung on to the crib for-ev-errrr and, honestly, the transition out of it has been really, really easy. He was clearly ready and the transition was prompted one day when he climbed out of his crib in the morning and got himself mostly dressed before coming downstairs in the morning. He was very proud of himself and then I told him it was time for a “big boy bed” since climbing out of a crib isn’t safe and he also did “such a good job” getting himself dressed (um his pants were on inside out but whatever — haha!). I feel like our experience probably isn’t very helpful though since Chase is so much older than most kids transitioning out of a crib! I wish I had more advice for you! My biggest advice actually came from blog readers who told me to keep Chase in the crib as long as possible as long as he wasn’t trying to get out and he slept well and I definitely took that to heart.
Kathie, we moved our son when he was about 2 1/2 because we were expecting baby #2 a few mo the later and wanted to have time to adjust. I would highly recommend getting a ready to wake alarm if your little one is old enough to understand the concept. (We have one from amazon with a puppy holding a ball that turns red for “stay in bed” and green when it’s ok to wake up.) Our biggest struggle at the beginning was that my son would wake up in the middle of the night thinking it was morning time (and asking for pancakes at 4am ?). The clock really helps and we even use it on vacations with his cousins so the kids know when they are allowed to come out of the room… otherwise they’re all out of bed at 5am!
I have just one right now and she’s almost a month older than Ryder (Born May 28). So we are in the Discipline State and it recently has become quite a doozy. This only happens to mama, she doesn’t seem to try to hit others or even dad, but when she gets frustrated she’ll hit me. I then tell her that she can’t hit others and that we have to be gentle and then she’ll cry and hug me. It’s quite a whirlwind of emotions!
Question about the headphones-how do regular ear buds (with the cord)usually fit your ears? I can’t wear the normal apple ones so I’m afraid to try a different pair. Yours look really cute and much more reasonably priced!
The normal ones usually work well for me but this new pair mentioned above definitely fit better since they come with alternate bud sizes you can change out to get a better fit!
I love the day in the life posts! I will absolutely be checking out this video on parenting stages! We are currently in two different stages. My stepdaughter is 12, 13 next month, and our son just turned 3. So navigating the different stages is quite interesting. We are raising children in two different decades. Absolutely nuts. We are seeing the same patterns of behavior and parenting techniques we used when our daughter was 3 so that is helpful to navigate. The one thing I always have to remind myself and my husband is every child is different and we have to remember that how we handled things with our daughter may not work with our son. The differences we are seeing with our son at age 3 versus when our daughter was 3 is just crazy. Higher energy, interests are different, patience, maturity. I think we all do the best we can and reading posts like this reassures me that we are not alone in this crazy, exhausting, beautiful role of parenting!
I have two boys – my oldest is almost 9 and my youngest just turned 4. My older son was a very early talker and seemed like a little man (with lots of opinions!) by 2.5. My youngest is still mostly nonverbal but has received speech services since age 2. So in addition to a five year age gap, the way we have had to parent our two boys has been quite different! Everyone always tells me that boys are typically harder until 10 and then girls are harder. Of course there are always exceptions! My mom said that my 5th and 6th grade years were really tough! Once I got 7th grade and became focused on grades, my behavior was fine. But then I was one of those very high stress perfectionists, which is tough too. I always tell my mom friends that every single one of our kids will go through struggles…not because we aren’t good parents, but because they are human. No one is perfect. In fact, as a former middle school teacher, I had 140 students per year for nine years, and the absolute BEST student I ever had was the first to get pregnant at 17.
Now that my oldest is close to being a teenager (and some days it feels like he’s already there!) I really like the ideas behind Creating Calm (Kirk Martin I believe is the creator). He has many resources and I loved attending one of his presentations.
I didn’t get a chance to chime in before but I would love more parenting content (the good, the bad, the ugly) and this post about the stages of parenting is great. I have a 20 month old and it’s amazing and so challenging too. Thanks for sharing!
Do you make the chicken thighs with the new Asian marinade the same as your marinade? Just curious
yes! i didn’t follow the rest of the recipe, only used the base of the recipe as a marinade and then baked them.
How long and at what temp did you cook them in the oven? The marinade you posted looks delicious but we don’t have an airfryer 🙂
Thanks!!
I have one 2-month old baby, and it is definitely a challenge! She’s so much fun and I love her so much, and we are working really hard on sleep around here.
Question for you- do you put Ryder down for a nap at the same time every day, or do you just wait until he’s tired?
Ryder generally naps at the same time Mon-Thurs bc he basically has to wait until after preschool pickup to go down (this looks like 1:30 for naps during the week usually) but on Fri-Sun he usually sleeps a little earlier (closer to 12:30) if we are home. Sleep with a little one can be so, so tricky!! Sending good wishes your way for more rest!