Hallelujah for Quiet Time every afternoon!!!! I seriously don’t know what I would do without it. I get my emails answered, make necessary phone calls, do a photo project, write a blog, start supper or even read sometimes!!!
As a mom of 4, I have stopped feeling guilty about taking that time and am embracing it as OK and necessary for my Mommy Morale. We are all refreshed and ready t0 play again after quiet time, Mommy included!
Even Saprina and Sophie take naps in the afternoon. I think they like the quiet time too! 🙂
We chose to do this from 12:30-2:30, so that most of the time, everyone is awake by the time we need to load up to get big sis from school.
On weekends, Destiny is required to lay down and read for an hour. We want our kids to love to read, plus this helps her meet her Book-It requirements for the month, and keeps her quiet while the others rest.
Tylan is almost 5 and rarely falls asleep anymore, but he still has to pick a spot and rest and looks at books. Sometimes it’s on the couch, across the foot of my bed, or under a chair. As long as he rests and reads, I am not picky on location! 🙂 He is required to lay 1 hour and then play quietly with cars the second hour until the other children wake up. During the first hour, if he comes out of his spot, I add 5 minutes to his reading time.
At 16 months old, Paxton still takes 2 naps a day. The key for him, is to only let him have an hour-long nap in the morning, so he’ll still go down at 12:30. I have to really watch my time because that hour goes fast!
There is a natural transition that we seen happen at our house from baby with two naps, to toddler with one nap…..
When we start to notice that our morning nappers are fighting their afternoon nap, we cut down the 2 hour morning nap. We do this until we find the right mix that still allows for a good afternoon nap: From 2 hours to an hour and a half, then an hour, then eventually 45 minutes, watching carefully which time frame still allows for a 2 hour afternoon nap.
Tylan kept his morning nap for a long time as a toddler, even just a 20 minute power nap helped us get through morning fussy time. It was perfect because it didn’t mess up afternoon nap schedule.
He’s not a toddler in this photo, but I liked this one. 🙂
Then there is little Miss Avery….who has decided she no longer needs naps every day.
That’s because she is so angelic…..
NOT!
She really does still need quite time or Crabitha comes out!!
When I was a mommy of 1, and Destiny was Avery’s age and transitioning out of afternoon naps, I fought tooth and nail to keep her sleeping every day. (She was a bear if she didn’t!) Being a mom of 4 has helped me to be a bit more laid back about this transition, so here are the rules:
~Avery may read books until she falls asleep.
~She may not come out of her room until I give her permission.
~Is she sleeps, she gets to stay up with the big kids. If she doesn’t she has to be the first one in bed. (WHICH SHE HATES!)
When I was making her lay there and try to sleep, she was not taking a nap at all anymore!
Now that I let her read, sleep is sneaking up on her, and she is napping 8 out of 10 times, then coming out cheerful and ready to play.
SCORE!
If you are looking to schedule your baby, which turns into scheduled toddlers and good sleepers, make sure you check out Baby Wise! We swear by it!
I had 2 Baby Wise babies, and 2 not:
~ Destiny slept all night long at 5 weeks, we scheduled her from the first day home from the hospital on.
~Tylan nursed every hour and a half, so I was unable to schedule him like I wanted until later, he slept all night at 5 months.
~Avery came into our family 17 months after Ty, I was exhausted and did not even try to schedule. She did not sleep all night until 9 months!!!!!! (I really thought I was going to die from lack of sleep! Seriously!)
~Then Pax came along and I was bound and determined to schedule him based on how tired I was with Avery’s non-schedule. Guess who slept all night at 7 weeks? Yup! My scheduled eat-play-sleep baby. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
I know it’s not for everyone, but I love schedules and anything that makes me feel organized, so this fits my style of parenting to a “T”!
Uh-oh, quiet time is over, and everyone is waking up, gotta run!
~T
4 little Fergusons 