Please talk to me about quiet time vs. nap.

NCSW

Maddie is acting like she's trying to drop her only nap. (Ahhhh she's only 23 months and I work while she naps!)

She'll stay in bed (usually) for a loooong time, but just talks to herself and won't actually sleep. (Well, some days she sleeps and some she doesn't.)

I've heard some people talk about "quiet time" instead of nap time and if they fall asleep, great, if not, oh well. What do you tell the tyke. What are the typical "rules" of quiet time? 

NorcalLinds

At this point quiet time is when he has to stay in his room and in his bed. I think eventually this will evolove to him being able to bring a few quiet toys or books to his bed as he gets older. But for now, I don't want him having the stimulation, i hope he falls asleep!

Good Luck!

AvaLikeLava

My thoughts of quiet time involve the boys staying in their rooms, not making noise, but being able to have free reign of their room: either reading, playing with quiet toys. When they become older, this will mean also NO phone/computer/tv/game system/etc. time during this period. They can nap if they choose to, read, whatever, but it has to be quiet.

Right now this is utterly failing. Have you read my blog?

Mrs.K&C

AvaLikeLava:

My thoughts of quiet time involve the boys staying in their rooms, not making noise, but being able to have free reign of their room: either reading, playing with quiet toys. When they become older, this will mean also NO phone/computer/tv/game system/etc. time during this period. They can nap if they choose to, read, whatever, but it has to be quiet.

Right now this is utterly failing. Have you read my blog?

This would also be my idea of quiet time.

We are also failing miserably. 

Her naps have been hit or miss since she turned two. This from a child that religiously took her two naps a day until she was 15 months, then religiously took a 2-3 hour nap after that. 

She's now decided to religiously fight a nap and doesn't take one more than not. 

KellyMRocks

I think for now you're doing great. IF it needs to change, I would make quiet time be in her room, can look at books, play with toys, but would keep any overstimulating toys out of there.

G hasn't had a nap for a loooong time. I haven't done quiet time, but I am thinking it is a good idea...

quesarah

Aaron's naps have been inconsistent this past week or so and he's been doing the same thing.  Is there a 2 year old wakeful period we don't know about? Heh.  

GirlStylist

Quiet time has never worked for us. He doesn't get the rest he normally would, gets too excited to play in room etc. Then the next day when we try to nap he says " no quiet time ". Sooooo if he doesn't want to nap my rules are

1. Stay in bed

2. Talk or sing in a quiet/whisper voice.

If he follows those two things he always falls asleep.

Good luck, its so tough !

m&m818

We've done quiet time a few times here. This is what we do:

- Follow normal naptime routine

- if I hear her awake and not crying, I leave her be. Its pretty dark in her room during nap time and I keep the house pretty quiet, she usually falls asleep after playing for 20-30 minutes.

- If she tries to leave her room, the moment I hear her door open I say "go to bed Madelynn" in my mommy-means-business-voice, that usually results in her running back to her bed and staying there for a bit, and sometimes falling back asleep. This can happen a couple of times.

- If she calls for me, I go to her door to see what she's doing/needs. If she's in bed I may go over and tell her that I'm glad to see her in bed, but its time to go sleep and rub her back/belly for a bit. If she's just playing then I tell her she needs to go to bed and I'll see her after she goes to sleep and shut her door. 

 Maddy's room doesn't have a lot of noisy toys.  99% of the time she is playing with her babies and books and going back and forth to her bed. I do take the play stroller out of her room cause she likes to run that into walls. Its all a bit of trial and error I guess but most days the quiet time leads to a nap.