DING DING! Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the premier event where two great pastimes battle it out, who will win in the end? You be the judge!
Not really a battle, but I did want to discuss something that has been going on at my house. For a while, I hadn’t been able to get my toddlers to sleep without a battle of some sort. The call it the “Big Nap!” and to me, that sounds a little morbid. Either way, my kids love to sing, visit each other, play with toys, and visit the potty several times. This is both at nap time and at bedtime.
Now I know that my toddlers need naps, but naps shouldn’t be stressful, or what is the point. I don’t ever want to take a nap even when I am exhausted, especially if my significant other points out that I need one. So, I have implemented a new verbiage for them. “Quiet Time.” During this time, the house needs to be quiet, for a good 2 hours. The rules of this quiet time are as follows:
- They are not allowed to leave their beds.
- They are not allowed to sing or make other noises that might disrupt others.
- They can read, play quietly with a soft toy or just lay there.
In a perfect world, this will be the soothing tone of the quiet time frame. I know that if I am fighting with one to go to sleep, they will disrupt the other, however, if I allow them to lay quietly, there is no reason for them to yell out or be noisy. I even make my oldest use this time to be creative, read or be on her tablet. But this is promoting the idea that everyone needs time to themselves where they can relax and be calm.
Most of the time, my youngest goes to sleep without any problems. Shortly after the 100th trip to the bathroom, my second youngest follows suit, but sometimes, she does sleep. Instead, she looks at books, or discovers new toys or just lays there quietly. This time is amazing for me as well. When I am the only adult in the house, even the tv gets turned off. My kids know when I am home with them alone that quiet time is important. I give them praise and snacks when they wake up and even sneak in snuggle times before the other wakes.
I hope to still keep this quiet time, long after the needs for naps are there. Who am I kidding? Even I still need naps sometimes, but they have to be on my own accord. I believe in my heart that great things come from those who take the time to listen.
Do you have nap time or quiet time in your home? What do you usually do while this is going on? Let me know in the comments below!