Thursday, 14 August 2008
-
Nap Time, Blessed Nap Time
Shhh.... it's quiet. The silence is music to my ears. It's one of my favorite times of the day for multiple reasons. It's nap time and both kids are sleeping. Don't get me wrong -- I love my children and truly enjoy spending time with them. When I hear them stirring in the morning, a smile brightens my face. They light up my day and are the focus of my life. However, when nap time comes and both of them are sleeping, a feeling of peace floods over me when I close the last bedroom door. It's me time. Uninterrupted time to get the house back in order, eat lunch without "sharing" with my two year-old, and it is my time to work (I work part time from home. I'm the assistant to the HR Director at a locally based corporation). I enjoy my job and it's a nice break in the middle of my day to make phone calls, return emails, and work on whatever project is top of the moment. This time of day is also my time to regroup and reset my mind for the last half of the day. Once the kids wake up, I have some brief time to spend with them before it's time to get supper going, hubby comes home, and the evening is in full swing. Before we know it, it's bed time and the day is over. Nap time is what breaks up the business of the morning and the family time of the evening.I am thankful that my 2 1/2 year old has always been a good napper, and still is. It isn't unusual for him to still take a 2.5- 3 hr nap each afternoon. My 6 month old is beginning to get a bit more predictable, but every time I think I have her figured out, she switches around again. Right now she takes a 1.5 hr. morning nap, 2 hr. afternoon nap and a 45-minute or so early evening nap. I am thinking that the evening nap is soon going to melt away and she'll be down to 2 naps. I'm just hoping that her afternoon nap still coincides with my son's!
I'm already dreading the day when my oldest doesn't take naps any more. A good friend of mine who has 4 small children has instituted "room time" for her older children. While the younger ones nap, the older ones, (3ish and older) have their room time. It is free time for them to do what they want, but it must be quiet and it must be in their rooms for a determined amount of time (they don't have electronics of any kind in their rooms, so no movies, computers, etc). She has often spoken to me of the benefits of this for their family. It gives the older ones a "break" from their siblings and has cut down on sibling rivalry - they come out of their rooms looking forward to playing with each other again. Her children often choose to lay down and rest for a little bit. They practice their reading or workbooks that she offers to them. It has really enhanced their creativity. When they're required to stay in their rooms and be limited to what is in there, they end up really being creative with their time. She'll come in to elaborate barbie "houses" that are made with various objects (shoes for beds, etc). She sets an alarm in each of their rooms, and she is surprised that often when the alarm goes off, signifying end of room time, they often want to continue playing in there anyway, or one child will join in the other's room, etc. It still allows her the afternoons to complete housework, etc. It creates a peaceful and quiet house for a few hours a day, which I think is so lacking in our busy society. I really like this idea, and I want to try it when R starts to transition out of naps.
When did your kids stop taking naps? Have you ever used something like "room time" for an older child?
-
recommend
- recs 0
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to momaroo's Momaroo Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in momaroo's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (7)
My daughter (18 months) just cut down to 1 nap a day last month. It's been hard because I used the 2 naps to prepare/cook meals, and getting in some "me" time if possible. My sister is a Kindergarten teacher (for whole-day Kindergarten) and they have quiet times when the kids lay on their mats. Even if they don't have a nap, the rest awhile, and maybe read a book quietly toward the end of the quiet time.
"Room time" is such a good idea. I think I'll do that when I have kids. We would do something like that for a Sunday "quiet time."
I know how you feel. I stay home with my 3 kids, ages 3, 2, and 3 months. I absolutely LOVE naptime, and it is a very necessary part of the day. Mommy needs some quiet time to regroup, and be ready to go for the rest of the day/evening. Sadly, my 3 year old just pretty much quit taking naps. He may take 1 or 2 naps a week, when the lack of sleep catches up with him, but mostly no naps for him anymore. :( I'm having a hard time getting him to comply with some quiet time. He shares a room with his little brother who is napping, so if he stays in there, he gets restless and noisy, waking up the 2 year old too early. I have a playroom he can go in, maybe I should try getting a timer like your friend does and see if I can keep him in the playroom doing something quiet for 30 minutes or so. It is definitely a much needed break for me.
well I guess I am lucky but my 6 1/2 year old still take a rest as he calls it becasue it is to big for naps! It is only for maybe 1 hour but it is something, my 5 1/2 takes about 1 1/2 hour the 4 year old takes as long as you will allow him to sleep, and my 1 1/2 year old only takes one nap a day but it is a good three hours and all of the nap or rest at the same time, often the older ones have quiet play in the toy room in the basement or coloring time at the table so I can do some things or rest myself but when I ask them (or tell them is more like it) that it is rest time then they head up to beds and listen to stories and crash out, I love my children but some days look forward to those precious few moments that its just me--sometimes I stay up late just to have no noise for a few minutes :)
My older two both stopped taking naps somewhere between 3 and 4 (usually, right when I had their younger sibling). Ever since having my second, I have use the 'room time' thing and I have always loved it. In my opinion, sleepy or not, everybody needs some down time during the day. It is the hardest during the summer when my oldest is home from school because he is the one of mine who has the most trouble entertaining himself.
I love that idea of "room time!" How great that it's working out so nicely for her kids, too...
My 6 month old is nowhere near having a set nap schedule. He basically takes a series of 30-45 minute naps all day long (I think about 4-5 in all). So I get short breaks throughout the day. At least now he's falling asleep for naps by himself... before then it was exhausting going through the process of getting him to go to sleep so many times a day... especially when getting him to sleep often took about as long as the actual nap would!
It seems my little one is having a hard time napping these days she is turning 2 on the 6th of this month and I am wondering if she is ready to give up on the nap all together. Just can't figure out why she would go from 3 hours to none at all. I need nap time I crave for it like coffee I have to have it or I go crazy! I have been putting her down at her usual time and let her cry for a bit just to get a few moments to breath!