Nap Time and Church

I sometimes have to adjust my child's nap schedule. If we go the 11am service, she just takes a nap when we get home. This is later than when she normally would; however, it works.

My 15 mo. old is really tired when we come home and takes a super afternoon nap. He just misses morning naps on Sundays. We don't mind the extra break that afternoon.

Hi. My husband and I were church goers before we had children and were determined to continue attending once we had kids. Our attitude is that we put God first and family second. Our kids just had a slightly different schedule on Sundays. They napped after church. Good luck.

Our church, Lakepointe Town east in Mesquite offers 2 services, 930 and 1100. Our Rockwall campus offers the same excepts adds a Saturday evening service at 600, so that would be an option. BUT many of the babies sleep in the nursery at the TE campus and we have really good nursery volunteers, they are all moms of children who go through the same issues as you do. PLEASE don't skip church as a family b/c of a babies nap, it's too important to be there for the rest of the family and for your husband and for yourself. From experience I tell you your baby will adjust to the schedule for a few hours on Sunday morning. Good Luck.

God Bless,
G. M.

A.,
So glad you have found a church. It is important that you go to worship together. I would check into the nursery at the church. I have worked in the nursery at out church at times and the little ones usually don't have a hard time taking naps while there (especially after they get used to being there). If not, they will be ready for a nap after church.

We just adjusted our Sunday schedule and it worked great. We found that our little one fell asleep on the way home but wasn't cranky or upset b/c he loved all the activity of the nursery. And he really went to bed at night around his normal time -- maybe because he was tired from all the activity. :) It will be worth it to get plugged into a church. Our little boy LOVES to go to church now and play with this friends...and so it is very worth it for us.

my two girls have been going to church since they were six weeks old and they have always adjusted well. Now 2 and 10 months they take a good nap after we eat lunch. I've been amazed at how well they adapt. the best advice i was given when i started having kids was that they will be as flexible as you make them be. I hope you will find a solution so that you can continue in church as a family!

We are in the same boat. We go to church as a family and just do the best we can with my son's nap time. Some Sundays he gets a short nap and some Sundays he just goes to bed early because he didn't get one.

my hubby and I just make our daughters sunday schedule a little different from the others. She seems to do just fine the rest of the week, and I adjust bedtime accordingly on sunday nights if need be. I think being spiritually fed will help you in the long run. Plus with your twins being 15 months, they can adjust their nap time a little easier than younger ones!

Although I can completely understand you wanting your girls to have nap. I think it is more important to go to church... your girls will adjust. I have an 11 year old and a 19 month old. My little guy naps at church about 1/2 the time.. and when he doesn't nap.. he just naps when he gets home. Yesterday, he even made it through lunch and then napped. I encourage you to both go to church. God will bless you for it.

1) Our church has three services: 8:30am/ the one we go to
and two 11am services (1 contemporary and 1 traditional)

2)Our church provides nursery for children up to 3 yrs of age. Parents sign in their child and receive a pager so that they can be notified if they are needed back in the nursery.

3)Our church also offers "Children's Church and Godly Play". This is for 3yrs up to 2nd grade. The children go up front with the preacher for a brief lesson and then leave the sanctuary to attend their own special worship session.

I encourage you to find a church that meets your total family needs.

D.
SAHM of two:18 and 5. Home baker and candy maker. Married to the same wonderful man for almost 12 years.

I would just change their schedule for the rest of the week... Kids need to learn to be flexable, life is not always fitted to a schedule and the more flexable they are the better they are able to handle life's little bumps in the road. Plus they can probably take a nap in the nursery.

Good luck
A. J

This has been rough for us too, but as your girls get closer to 18 months you can push their nap time a little later (and you will probably have to because they'll start to get a little nap resistant). My daughter's nap now (she just turned 21 months)begins between 1:30 and 2, so we can make it to church and still go to lunch after if we don't play around too much.

You could try putting them to bed a bit later on Sat. night so they sleep in a bit, then maybe they won't need the nap so early. Are they still on a 2 nap schedule? It was fitting in 2 naps that was so hard for us.

You're not alone....sundays are difficult with little ones! Like the other mom, we rushed home after church and let them take their naps then. Normally, we would go to lunch with friends or family after church but we put our social life on hold so our girls could nap. Does the church that you attend have another worship time that doesn't conflict with their naptime? I really urge you to attend as a family and not go separately...believe me, it's really hard to do apart and besides, it's great to attend church as a couple to learn and discuss things together. Pray for God to give you and your husband peace about this situation...it will all work out and this stage doesn't last terribly long anyway!

Does the church have a childcare service available? If not, that may be something that you may want to consider.

hi A.
we too had the same issue and my son was doing 2 naps a day but at 16 months old, i started him at one nap a day at noon and he would sleep for 2-3 hrs. See if your church has an evening service around 5! Our church "the village" (www.thevillagechurch.net) has 2 evening services on sat, 2 on sunday and 2 sunday morning. It could actually be more...our church is growing at a rapid high!!! Anyway, you could either try another service if available or try switching to one nap a day!! good luck!!!
S.

Our daughter is 13 months and we just let her nap at church. If she is really tired she will nap there. If not, then it doesn't really hurt her to be off schedule for a day. We really feel like church is a family event and therefore we all attend.

I just change the schedule for the day. My son usually has a morning nap but wont sleep in the nursery at church most times. When we get home from church, have lunch, he then goes down for his first nap for the day. Since he didnt have his nap that morning, he goes down pretty easy.

Hi A.,

You should take the girls to church. They need to learn how to behave while in public. Being that they are only 15 months it's okay for them to nap in church. Does your church have a nursery? I would recommend using the nursery! No need for you all to miss out on a good sermon and many blessings!

If your church does not have a nursery, then sit at the back of the church and if you need to excuse yourself you are close to the door. :) Get the young girls in practice so when you do take them on a regular they will know what is expected of them.

Bre

I've dealt with this with both my boys, and I know it's frustrating but it doesn't last long; your girls will be on a one nap a day schedule before you know it, if not already. Basically, we just adapt on Sundays. Sometimes my 13mo. old misses his nap, and we just come home and put him down as soon as church is over and he sleeps then. We take him to the nursery, and sometimes he sleeps and sometimes he doesn't. I know it's challenging right now and you're concerned about messing up their routine, but I have always felt like developing their spiritual nature was more than worth disrupting my kids schedule for one day a week. YOu may think, what is my child getting at this age, but you would be amazed. Most nurseries at church offer some sort of little "class" for the babies as well where they sing some cute songs about God with little puppets, toys, etc. Both my boys at a very young age, like 6mo, would smile and anticipate a particular song they liked, or would immediately put the toy flower to their nose to smell it, etc. You'd be amazed at what they can start learning and absorbing at even such a young age!

We have the same problem with my 10 month old's nap time. We have a really small church too - so small that if we miss more than a couple weeks in a row, our priest personally calls to check on us! It's also painfully obvious that we never stay and socialize after the service. But we just do our best and manage through the worship and high tail it out at the end. She manages ok on Sundays though she usually isn't at her best. If you really like that church then go ahead and just do your best with it. Nap times don't last forever, but a perfect place to worship does.

I have worked in the nursery at our church for several years and many parents worry about nap time but I have observed that the kids are flexible and most can adjust nap time for one day a week. We have a few little ones who do get tired and we have a crib area where they can nap until mom or dad picks them up. I agree with some of the other post that church is family time so I would try all going together and see how it goes. Good Luck!

I know naptime is extremely important. I would just put them down for a nap when you get home from church. If you are only doing late naps once or twice per week, they should be able to keep to there usual schedule. Take care!

Wow, you got a lot of replies! Just wanted to say that we're really strict with my son's schedule (always have been) and try to plan our week around his naptime. His naptime was always 11:30-1:30, which was kinda convenient because it did ensure that I could have lunch with friends as long as they came to my house (ha). But we always went to church, which didn't get out til 12-12:15. It didn't hurt him to be up a little later once/week; I don't think he even noticed it, really, because there were little friends to play with and after church trying to leave there were people talking to him and stuff to look at. He began napping on the way home in the car, but as he got a little older he'd just go to bed when we got home. We don't hang out too much at church afterwards (but everyone understands that), but we do take a couple minutes to socialize or greet some friends. I just have his snack pre-prepared (cheesestick and pear slices or something), change his diaper, and lay him down and he's just fine. Once/week isn't a problem at all, and this comes from a big fan of schedules! :) (Besides, as others have mentioned, the older they get the later their naps will end up being, just naturally).

We just had a different schedule on Sundays. Kids would either take a short nap in the nursery (instead of a longer nap at home), or fall asleep in the car on the way home. Falling asleep in the car was nice because hubby and I could have a peaceful lunch together at home -- it was almost like a date!
As far as going out with friends after church, we simply started meeting up with folks later in the day. We'd either go to one another's houses to visit and let the kids play, or we'd meet at a park or local ice cream parlor after naps.

I would encourage you to go to church together. It is important for them to grow up seeing you both going. I am not sure about other churches but our church has a cry room that you can take them to and still hear the sermon just a little quieter and also see the pastor while he's preaching. It is a place where you and your husband could take them if needed. Or you could also see if they would nap in the nursery. It's good to get them adjusted to going.

Good luck and God Bless!

This may not help if you found a church that you like that doesn't have one, but our family goes to the Saturday night service at White's Chapel. It is very family friendly and they have child care available. The Saturday night service we go to is at 5:30 which worked with nap schedules when they were taking two naps and after my twin boys transitioned to one nap. For us Saturday night service has the added benefit of being more relaxing for me because when we try to get somewhere early in the day I always end up being more concerned about being late and rushing everyone and then I spend the first half of the service just trying to unwind from the morning's chaos.

Hi A.,

I know exactly what you are going through I have 3 boys and when we started going to church it didn't seem to fit into anyone's schedule or routine. You must lean on the reason you are attending church. Put God first and He will see to your needs. Begin to change their schedule completely. Don't try to be different on Sunday follow through M-S. In my personal experience it was much better for all of us and you are blessed because of it.

When my boys were little I would allow them to sleep during service. They are afterall babies and then you have more personal worship time.

Hope this helps. God bless you.

M.

When my youngest son who is now 24 months was that age and smaller, his nap time was usually at 10, church didnt let out until 12:30 sometimes. I would just try to make sure he got as much sleep as he could the night before, even putting him to bed earlier and letting him sleep in as late as he could in the morning. It was very important for all of us to go to church together as a family. He would just take his nap as soon as we got home. One day is not going to mess things up for the rest of the week. You and your husband need to talk about it and figure out if worshiping the Lord is more important than missing a nap.

hi A.,
my daughter is 12 months and she usually naps around 10 or 11am and then again in the afternoon, but our church doesn't get out until after noon. but on sundays she's pretty good about waiting until after church to nap, and then she just takes one long nap. she's usually so distracted by the other kids and all the different toys that she's fine to wait. then as soon as we get home i feed her and she lays down for her nap. although, if i know we're going out to lunch, i have the nursery worker feed her right before church is out and then she falls asleep in her car seat while we're driving to lunch. hope this helps!

Hey A.,

I think that you would see more benefits from changing their Sunday schedule to fit with church than anything else. My husband and I have spent years trying to work church into our schedules and a few years ago - we found the church that was the right fit for us. Now, we fit our schedules around God's plan for us....and oh, the difference. It is profound! Good luck with this!

S.

If the church has a nursery and you're taking them to that, then I would just have them either lay your girls down (if it's during naptime) or most likely your girls will adjust to the playtime over a period of weeks/months and get used to being up during that time. For us, in the beginning when our daughter was a baby the church had a "cry room" (at Denton Bible Church) where the parents could go in with their baby and other parents with babies were also in there. They had a tv setup so we could still watch the sermond and at the same time everyone understood if you had to step out or feed your baby, etc. And then even when she was 6 months we just laid out a blanket infront of us and brought a few quiet toys and she played while we listened. But when she was older, Sundays were just "off" and we just had to wing it. Now she's 2 years old, and it's fine!! Hang in there, switch off if you have to!!

hey A., we found the same issues going to church every sunday w/ both our kids.
i also work in nursery every few weeks and some of the babies struggle w/ this. but i have found that most kids are much more flexible than we give them credit for. a few times we've even gone out to eat after church. (my youngest is 14 mos) sometimes he'll take his 30 min nap in the car and that's it for the day! but we always get right back on schedule the next day. it's not worth it to us to skip church as a family. w/ my first (she's now 5) i thought she might melt away and die if she missed naps, but now as i have my second, and he's forced to be a bit more open to changed nap times, etc... i realize that they can get off their schedule at least once a week or even more if necessary. sleep for my kids is so very important to me - i've been called the sleep nazi before :o). but you do what is important to you and your husband and your kids will follow suit. it's important for them to see your convictions and what's important to you.
not sure if anything i said helps! but i sure hope someone responds w/ positive advice that you can use to raise your precious girls!

Does your church have an early service?? If you go to the early service you might be home by nap time. Your girls might really like playing in the nursery and be ok with napping a little later, you could just try and see, if it doesn't work then ya'll can trade off weeks. :)

A., You did not say where you lived, but The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson (75 Central and Renner, just 2 miles from George Bush) has a wonderful nursery for babies. They have babies napping all the time. They also have two worship services, 9:15 & 10:45. If you happen to live nearby, you are always welcome to go meet the minister of Joyland, Pennie Olivo. She would love to give you a tour and tell you all about their nursery. This is an awesome church for raising your children. There's so many great programs from birth to singlehood. This church is unlike any other that we have attended. It's big, but yet there's a sense of warmth like a small church when you get plugged in. You can read more about them at www.theheights.org. This is just a suggestion. We commute all the way from Wylie every Sunday because it's the perfect fit for our family.

The first thing I have to say is: You cannot always plan things around their schedule and sooner or later (I am surprised you haven't learned this already) that things happen that you have no control over and naps can't always take place at the exact same time.

Now, it is the same conflict for me, but I know my daughter loves to see and play with the other babies in the nursery. Since I stay home during the week it is something we look forward to for her to interact with other children. Because she loves to play so much she doesn't even notice she is tired till we get in the car and drive home. I don't mind this at all because when we all get home we both can take a nap. This does not effect her napping schedule and she goes to bed on time. Most churches offer nursery/sunday school. And if your daughters are just so desperately in need of a nap they can't wait an hour or two they can take a nap in the nursery if they have cribs/mats.
Going to church together is very important as you both can make new friends and join in church activities that center around family and have "Grown-Up Time." So please go to church together and don't worry about their nap.

I have had my kids in church starting at birth. They took there naps while we were there. At 4 month that started in the nursery. Our church has a great infant nursery. The workers just rock the babies and most sleep the entire time. We have always felt our children needed a good start in church, rather than a nap.

I have the same problem with my 14-month-old. I just go to church alone for the time being. His naps will change and then we can all start going as a family again. God understands!

I'm with the rest of the moms on this. With both my boys we just adjusted the Sunday schedule a little bit. My boys were also in the nursery at that age and if they fell asleep the nursery workers just put them in a crib for their nap. Does your church have a nursery that your girls could go into during services ? It might make it a little easier on you. I hope that you keep attending. It really makes a difference in my week when I miss church. Good luck !

Since church is such an important family activity, I would not recommend attending separately. I wold say find a church that offers a service time that does not conflict wiht naptime. For example, Compass Christian Church in Colleyville offers 3 services on Sunday and one on Saturday night. If you really love the church you've found, maybe you could adjust the girls' naptime on Sunday only.

Group worship is so important for building and sustaining faith. I am glad you're not letting this obstacle get in the way of you and your husband enjoying it together.

Blessings,

M.
"My son eats all his veggies now. Even the green ones!"
View my Mamasource profile to find out how we did it

feed/bath/make the twins comfortable and take them to church with you. they will probably sleep through services. that's what i did with my child... go to church at nap time. good luck.

I have been having the same problem. My 9 month old naps during worship time. He cries and cries until he is sick. Sometimes, I just don't go and my husband takes my son to church. Other times, I go but I check on my little one every 20-30 mins. One time, a nursery worker was rocking him outside of the room b/c he had been crying so hard. I went in and nursed him and he fell asleep. Sometimes, he just falls asleep, others he is miserable. The reason I stay home is b/c it is easier on all of us. Good Luck. He will only be little once and soon this will pass.

I am so glad you have found a church to attend. Our family just went every Sunday, no matter what time it was, and our children adjusted. We were so happy to go, knew it was the right thing to do, and our kids were happy in the classes for their age. Yours would be toddlers and have teachers that are wonderful to teach God's Word, have play time and other activities to teach them with while you attend your own Sunday School class for adults or worship service.
Then we had a quick lunch and naps. Help them look forward to it and be happy, and they will learn ,too. They will adjust soon. Life is all about God and why we are here, to serve him and teach our children to know Him and serve Him. So, go with your family and enjoy!
V. B.

I think it's important for the whole family to go to church together if possible, but if you can't always both go, don't stress too much!

I Don't know if you have two baby carriers (I'd recommend something with good back support since your girls are bigger--like ERGO baby or something) but my husband wears a baby bjorn so my son can nap in it on Sundays if he needs to. He is 1 and has been doing this since he stopped sleeping in his car seat. Best of luck and glad you found a church you like!