Toddler Tales: Car Seat Napper

Today's tale is a cautionary tale for the unsuspecting parent!  Please learn a lesson from my misadventure with a car seat napper!

It was a cold winter Wednesday night, the first night back at AWANA for the big kids.  The parents were tired from working all day and decided a date night was a good idea...after all the kids are occupied we could go to dinner...then we remembered we have a toddler...oh well, he can just go with us.  HA...mistake number one!

We took the kids to church and then we went to Chipotle... mm...yummy in  a burrito bowl with lime chips on the side.  The toddler did pretty well, and the restaurant was pretty empty since it was a Wednesday night so we survived the dinner portion of the evening!  Yeah us!  Then we looked at the clock...only 7:10 pm we still have an hour before we need to pick the big kids up...what do we do now?  Well, the husband had received Kohl's cash back from a recent gift card excursion for work clothes and he had graciously determined that I could use it so we decided since we're out lets go to Kohl's and see what I could find.  Mistake number two!

We get to Kohl s and get the toddler situated in one of those stroller carts.  The husband and toddler start walking around and I check out the ladies department to see if I can find something I like for the price I needed.  I find a purple v neck shirt that will work well for work and I lament at not having more to spend but know I need to stay on budget.   But I still have left over money and with Kohl's cash there is no change and I want to use all of it if possible!  The husband mentions that there are some frames on clearance so I go check them out!  

I am looking at frames and by this point the toddler is well being a toddler.  He doesn't want to sit in the stroller anymore he wants to PUSH the stroller.  And he doesn't do it well.  The husband gets stressed out by situations like this and I am still trying to shop!  A disaster is looming...but hooray!  I find a frame for 3 dollars that has a J on it and would go with our decor!  We head to check out...we try to trick the toddler into thinking he is pushing but anytime we touch the cart he screams...a meltdown is imminent...either from the toddler or the husband.  We get to check out.. the husband and toddler put the cart back and I go pay...score one for me only $1.08 out of pocket!  Wahoo!  I love not spending much!  The toddler is now full on cranky, tired and wanting his own way.  It takes an additional 5 minutes to leave the store but we finally make it to the car...and drive away taking the long way trying to kill more time...you guessed it...mistake number three!

Driving around causes the toddler to fall asleep in the car.  Now smart parents would head home and put him to bed...we didn't do that...we went and waited at church and then the lesson went over so by the time everyone is in the car and heading home the toddler has had a 30 minute nap in the car and is raring to go and play not go to bed.  

11:30 I FINALLY get him to his bed and fast asleep!  I'm beyond tired at this point and just praying he sleeps well...which he does and let me tell you 5:55 when the alarm goes off is much to early when you are used to going to bed around 9:30 or 10 and you don't get to bed till closer to midnight...so parents don't make our same mistakes, stick to your bedtime nighttime routines and don't let your toddler nap at night in the car!