I've been wanting to go to the play group here for a while now, but keep forgetting.
Its across the road from me at DDs day care centre.
My problem is that it starts at 9.30am every Tuesday.
DS goes down for his morning nap at 9 - 9.30.
He's finally settling into a routine & I don't want to stuff it up, but I've had my gp, MCHN, & DD1s psycologist suggest I go as I don't really know anyone here & have a history of PND.
I'm feeling ok - much thanks to BB - & I'm really not sure its worth buggering up the routine we've got going atm.
I do have my SIL here, but she goes away often (is currently in Perth for a month) & other than BB I have noone.
Am I wierd to be happy with my pc day in, day out? Or should I go. I would like to, but more worried about DS getting unsettled again.
Last edited by Trillian; August 19th, 2008 at 11:44 AM.
: changing text colour - only Mods can post in purple
Definitely go. Don't worry if it is his nap time, Ashton always used to fall asleep at Playgroup cause it was time for his nap. He is nearly 2 and went to sleep last week in his pram. None of the other mums are going to care if you baby is asleep or not.
What you will find is that over time nap times change and playgroup times do aswell. Often they clash. Can you get you DD to have her nap in the pram for that day so you can just walk across when it it is time for playgroup to start? She can then just sleep in the pram till she is ready to wake. I used to do that with DD1 and I notice at our new playgroup, that is mixed age, there a many young ones sleeping in prams.
Yeah. Well if I'm up & remember next week I'll go.
DD is awake, its DS who's 5 months old that has a nap then.
He was a great sleeper til 10 weeks then a pita. He's just started settling down again & I'm worried it will stuff up all my hard work. lol.
He is difficult. He won't be rocked or fed to sleep & is really hard to get to sleep out of his cot. I've been strict on every nap being in his cot to get him sleeping better & out of our room.
Last edited by Astrolady; August 19th, 2008 at 12:44 PM.
I have the same problem with my ds.. he won't sleep ANYWHERE but his cot!, even my sister who has the same cot as me, i tried to put him in there but he jsut wouldn't have it.. in the end i was fed up with not going anywhere because ds needed to sleep so i just went out anyway with him in the pram.Now he is starting to learn he can sleep in his pram while we are out.. he may cry and whinge a fair bit, but he will eventually fall asleep and then when he awakes all is good again..
TBH, if it were me and it's only one time per week. I would be going hun. We go to a p/group which doesn't fit the best with sleep times, but we just work around it all and go cos it's not only good for Oskar, but good for me too. We both like to get out of the house for a while
Well, I'm going to differ in opinion and say that I would always put DD's sleep before anything else. She would never sleep in her pram and I felt it was important to keep her routine the same whenever possible as she wasn't a great sleeper either. I did have the option of quite a few different groups though, so I could shop around for a good time. It's up to you in the end - if you go, and are worried the whole time, it's not really going to do much for you. There's no harm in giving it a go though, it's not like you have to go back if it doesn't work for either of you.
I actually stopped going to playgroup for this reason, amongst others. For us, we had DDs preschool drop offs and pick ups clashing with nap times too so in the end, I decided to simplfy our days and it was the right choice for us.
Having said that, i am thinking about going back in the new year when DS will probably be down to one nap in the middle of the day which will make life a lot easier.
I say do whichever is better for you - if you think you'd stress too much about his sleep (and I truly understand this) then don't go. If you can tell yourself it's just once a week and you need to go out, then go.
i started playgroup this year with my 20mth old son. he just loves it. burns off some energy loves playing with the other kids and also it gets me out aswell. Id suggest going, its alot of fun for ur kid/s and also for u. dont worry abt his nap time, he can have a sleep if he wnats too.
I used to stress about this - then I got a "cocoon" thingy for Pip to sleep in, and could transfer that from the cot to the pram to the floor with no worries.
But having said that, now he doesn't fit in his cocoon, I'll wait until Pip's either very tired and hope the movement of the pram sets him to sleep, or I'll wait until he wakes to go out.
If its the adult company you're wanting, why not try some craft classes? Or library times?
I used to have the same problem. DS2 would always sleep in the mornings and this was when all the activities for DS1 were on - playgroup, library story time etc. Most of the time I'd go anyway, and he'd usually sleep in the sling the whole time anyway. Once he got a bit older he'd sleep in the sling for part of the time only, but mostly it would still work ok. It was only if he'd had a really disrupted time that I'd leave him to sleep and miss the activity. Both DS1 and I NEEDED to get out of the house so it was usually worth disturbing DS2's routine for it.
Thanks for starting this thread BJrose as I am going through the same thing ATM. DS sleep is the same time as playgroup. I went once & should go back but TBH I am not sure. I am lucky though as DS does sleep in his pram, he has to as we go to FIL place a lot & he still needs to sleep so I guess he got use to it.
Will you be taking both DD2 & DS with you or just DS??
If you do want to go you could try taking a sheet/blanket from his cot to lay in his pram so it smells familiar.
I am still undecided at the moment, I would like to know what you decide.
I go to a playgroup where all the babies are under 8 months old...it's quite funny because at some stage of the morning most of them are asleep, either in prams or in our arms, LOL. Gives us mums a good chance to talk though.
I would definitely go. You'll find that the company and the chance to talk 'shop' with other girls is really rewarding. and bubs will be fine going once a week, even if it's out of his routine. I found that joining my IRL mum's group was the best step to overcoming my PND, and i just love the opportunity of getting to know other mammas and papas and seeing our bubs growing up together and becoming mates.
If DD gets tired or grumpy i just pop her down in her pram for a quick snooze (or if that doesnt work i give her a quick booby to settle her lol!). and you might find (as we do!) that after playgroup they go home and snooze really well.
And one thing to remember is that although the other mums may look really calm and confident, they are also probably just as nervous! that's something we laugh about alot now together as in the beginning we were all petrified of each other and though everyone else was soo much more on top of things! LOL!
I had this same problem. DS wouldn't sleep anywhere but his cot which made life hard. I found playgroup was a good time for him to socialise and for me to meet some friends. I moved towns when DS was only 2months and i didn't know anyone, my lifesaver was playgroup- i've met some great friends there and TBH i think if i didn't go i would still be pretty friendless and isolated purely because its hard to meet new friends when you have little ones to look after as i'm sure you know.
Having said that, there were times that i had to put DS's sleeps first like when he's teething, having a growth spurt, changing nap times etc or anytime that he really needed his sleep to be undisturbed.
So i'd say definitely go and meet some new people, but just keep an open mind and be flexible as sometimes you might have to give it a miss. We have 9 mums that bring their bubs along to our playgroup and any given week someone will be missing but we're all understanding and know that sometimes its impossible to get out of the house.
Good luck
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Playgroup & morning nap
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