Paving the Way So Naptime Can Be Quiet Time

As long as he isn't a climber I would put a baby gate in his doorway. That way you can hear him if he needs you but it limits him as to where he can go if he doesn't feel like sleeping. My boys have always had a few toys in their rooms that they can play with for when they need their own quiet time. They are old enough now that they don't need to go down for naps but they still find their way to their own rooms when they need to be away from each other.

My almost three year old still naps (in his crib). I think kids generally stop napping when they go to a bed cause there is nothing keeping them there. So the first issue is .... keep him in a crib as long as you can! Even if baby number two comes along!

One thing we do during the day is have "blanket time." My son loves it! I lay out a blanket on the floor and we do something together on it like puzzles, read books, toss card (from a deck of cards) into a laundry basket, pour large beans into cups, play quietly with any toy......

The rule is "on the blanket is YES and off the blanket is NO." So eventually and even sometimes now I can leave him to play on the blanket alone while I do something else in the same room. I remind him to stay on the blanket if he gets off.

The whole point is to get him to learn the self control and to obey my instructions. Then when it comes time to switch to a bed - the same principles apply. "Stay on your bed - if you need mamma you call for me but do not get off your bed."

You get the idea.

I think you are wise for thinking ahead. The best parents think ahead and have a plan and begin training for the next step. These are valuable days that you can be training him and setting him up for successful transitions.

Off topic but same idea: Potty training. Start now - not sitting on the toilet but start having him learn to pull his pants down. When you need to change his diaper have him pull his pants down, when it is time for a bath let him pull his pants down. He will have mastered it by the time he NEEDS to do it quickly.

THAT IS PLANNING AHEAD! And will make the whole transition much smoother.

Hi S.,
You are so lucky that he takes such nice naps- my first child never slept and I thought that I would go crazy! It doesn't sound like he will be giving up naps anytime soon, you may not have to worry about quiet time for quite some time.
I noticed that you are trying to green and I applaud you for that. I would like to recommend a new book just out, 'Green Goes with Everything" by Sloan Barnett. You really should read the chapter on Baby Products. This is available on Amazon for about $13. Very good information and should be read by everyone. I also have a lot of info about going green, so please send my a message, and I would be happy to share. I have a list of baby products that contain harmful chemicals and lots of websites for you to check out.
Go Blue/Think Green!
M.

Best way to do it is to put him to bed awake...maybe a few minutes before his naptime would actually begin. Give him a book even though he can't read it yet. He'll look at the pics and then sleep when he's ready. My boys still have quiet time even if they don't want naps...but it just sort of happened by making sure I determined when they go down/get up...not them!

~L.

S.,

My son stopped napping around the age of three, but we used a baby gate over his door to keep him in his room during quiet time, he was not a climber. I told him that even if he didn't need a nap, mommy did and that we both needed a bit of time away from each other to prepare us for the rest of the day.

My son is 6, almost 7, now and still needs a bit of quiet time away from everyone at the end of the school day. We sit together, eat a snack, and watch a 1/2-hour of tv. Then, if he doesn't have homework, he goes into his playroom and plays with his legos until it is time for him to do his chores.

I think it is a very good idea to start your son on some form of quiet time every day because he will need to learn how to listen to what his body needs and starting this routine early will help him to do that.

Good luck!

Some kids hate to be isolated in their room, so you might think about alternative places where that quiet time could occur. My just-turned-3 granddaughter takes her quiet time/sometimes naps in Mom's bed and that's made it far more positive for her.

My daughter is now almost 3 and naps are a thing of the past. As soon as she was potty trained we had to move her to a toddler bed so she could get up and use her potty seat in the middle of the night (that we kept in her room). Otherwise we were up two or three times a night taking her to the bathroom.

She sleeps with her door closed at night and we've never had many night time problems. Naps, however, are impossible. We live in a very small 2 bedroom house with no basement, so her bedroom is also where all her toys are. At naptime she would completely destroy her room, taking down all her toys, etc. and only really napped every other day or so. Made more work for me in the long run. So, we moved up bedtime to 8pm and I've just had to make do with no break during the day.

I guess that's a long-winded way of saying my only advice would be keep him in his crib as long as you can and don't leave many toys in his room to distract him.

S. -

I have two year old triplets who share a room, so naptime is often anything but quiet-time (although they eventually fall asleep).

Since they were about a year old, our bedtime routine involved reading a few stories to them in their room, then we would just leave the books with them (paperboard books, because they love tearing out pages) to look at in the light of their night light, if they wished.

I also just leave several books and soft, quiet toys in their room to play with either before they go to sleep or after they wake up. I don't worry if they are up walking around or playing, unless they are bothering one another or if someone gets hurt (they bounce on their beds like the fabled monkeys). There are days when one or all of them is/are up for a good two hours before they go to bed. And there have been days when one, two, or all of them didn't sleep a wink, but that is a rarity thankfully.

Just establish the routine now of not going into his room unless necessary and leaving him in there for at least an hour even if he doesn't sleep. And longer if he keeps himself busy even if he's not going to sleep.

Good Luck!
Dana

Hi S.,
I would say "cross that bridge when you come to it". Dont worry about it right now. You said he was sleeping for 2 hours so I would enjoy the quiet time and deal with it when it happens.
Chris

S.

I used to babysit and that's what the child would have to do. She eventually went to sleep. One time, I put a blanket on top of her crib like a "tent". She was asleep in no time.

The little girl I babysit now is 4 and she instantly falls asleep. She is a great sleeper.

T. V.

Hi S.,

I have a 5 year old and a soon to be 3 year old. I have always called nap time quiet time from the beginning. Everyday at quiet time they are allowed to get a few books and then they have to go into their rooms for 45 minutes to an hour. My 5 year old usually doesn't nap and if she does its for maybe a 1/2 hour. My soon to be 3 year old always falls a sleep during quiet time. Sometimes he does play with some of his toys that may be in his room which is fine as long as he is being quiet and staying in his room.

Good luck!!