Nap Time Battle: A Fight worth Fighting

0

Nap time.  Glorious nap time.  You are the sanity to my day, the calm to my crazy, and the solitude that allows me to eat chocolate without sharing.  I would ask you to stay forever but I know that you must go…eventually.

When I set out to write this post I thought it would be great to include some ideas on what to do when your kids stop napping.  Then I realized that I honestly had no idea.  You see, my kids stopped napping  a year ago and I had all but given up on any kind of nap time all the while telling people, “it’s not a battle I want to fight” and “It’s just not worth it to me.”

I think back on that now and it’s clear to me that I was suffering from a temporary bout of the crazies.  Not a battle I want to fight?

If ever there is a battle worth fighting it is the nap time battle.

I don’t claim to have the answers but I happen to know a lovely bunch of ladies – my fellow contributors – who have some wisdom to offer on the subject.

I asked them for their best advice on what they did when their kids stopped napping and I’m happy to share it with you today.  (I have also included some of my favorite comments from our contributors in the thought bubbles below!)

Rochelle implements a quiet time at her house.  Her kids are all allowed to read but no toys are allowed during quiet time.  I love this idea!

Nap Time Battle: A Fight worth FightingIf you like the idea of quiet time with no toys but your kids are not reading yet, have no fear!  Tacheny introduced me to a fabulous idea; read along books for pre-readers!  I had never heard of these before and they are fabulous.  You can check them out at the library or find them online here.

When her daughter stopped napping, Katie “got all pinteresty” at first and made special quiet time boxes for each day.  The boxes didn’t work out as planned and now Katie provides a designated room for her daughter to play in during rest time.  She also puts an OK to Wake clock in the room which goes off when quiet time is over.

Nap Time Battle: A Fight worth FightingKatie occasionally lets her daughter play with small legos in the living room which keeps her focused for a long time.  Now that’s what I call a win!

After I combed through all of the helpful advice I began to implement rest time once again with my own kids.  My older one plays with legos in the living room, the middle one plays in his room (and usually falls asleep), and the baby actually takes a nap.  The reintroduction of rest time was not welcomed with open arms by my kids but it also wasn’t rejected as vehemently as I thought it might be.  No matter though, because it is working and everyone is better for it.

Hallelujah!

If you have magical tips and tricks to get your children to nap or rest, I’d love to hear them.  Don’t be shy now, we could all use a little help!