C and R don't nap regularly, and I don't expect them too. I read a lot of blogs, however, in which there is mention of rest time. I started asking the bloggers about their rest time and realized that it is something badly needed in my own house.
C and R are usually awake by 7:00 every morning, and after lunch they start to fall apart. The fighting and whining intensifies and I find myself getting angry and YELLING (shhh, don't tell) too often.
A few days ago, I told them we would have rest time after lunch. I explained that it was not a punishment but just time for them to enjoy alone in their rooms with books, toys, puzzles, or whatever. The only rule is that they have to spend the time alone and they have to be fairly quiet. On the first day, they went kicking and screaming and I was not optimistic. Rest time only lasted fifteen minutes.
Day two they asked if they would be having rest time again and then went willingly. I was ecstatic, but then they started to complain after only five minutes. I was almost ready to throw in the towel on rest time! When they realized I was not succumbing to the whining, however, they stopped and stayed in their rooms. The house was so peaceful, and they got the down time that they really need.
There was hardly any whining on day three and the entire hour of rest time passed uneventfully. It is now part of our routine.
We have only made it through three days, but each day is a bit easier. I'm sure there will be days that are difficult when no one wants to rest, or when we have to miss rest time but at least we have a plan to keep the grouchies to a minimum and keep Mommy sane! Rest time is working, and there is a lot less crying and yelling going on.
If you want to read a great post about rest time, click here and visit Teach Mama. Look around while you are there; she has a great blog with fantastic ideas for teaching your children and the most wonderful parenting tips and tricks! I want to implement all of her quick tricks in my house!
15 comments:
Rest time is a MUST in our house. Maddie gave up naps around Christmas this past year and our afternoons would be horrible. About once a week she ends up falling asleep during rest time and that is just fine with me!
I know I'm spoiled. Meghan still naps for THREE hours! Vacation was a bit hard with waking her up early, but she lived! I am certain by age 2 Evan won't be napping anymore, but I hope rest time will be my friend!
Oops...I wanted to tell you that the Children's Garden at Pinebrook was tiny!! Everything was really close together. All together it was probably the size of two rooms in my house (and they are just average sized rooms). No walking paths helped make it so they fit more into the small area.
Christy--
You are way too sweet! Thanks for the link love and I hope that rest times go better for you this week!
One thing I love about blogging is all of the amazing, smart, resourceful, and awesome women I've "met" out in cyberworld--you're definitely tops on my list! Thanks for all of YOUR incredible ideas--your learning trip to Philly still inspires me!
amy
that is great! :)
Oh yes. We call it "quiet time" and the timer was the key to success at our house. We set it for 1 hour. Older dd is allowed 1 time out of her room for potty. It's been a lifesaver for us! My girls each nap about 2-3 times a week now as a result of quiet time.
Rest time is my sanity saver on so many days!! Even my 9 year old has her "time" in her room or a quiet place in our home to read, play her DS:-) or something of the sort during this time. My 4 year old often falls asleep during this time a few days a week (making his "rest" time longer) and, of course, my 16 month old has a very long afternoon nap at this same time too. I make sure with each additional child that comes along (as I will with our new baby) I line up their naptimes to coordinate with the older kids nap/rest times too, so I definitely get "my" time in each afternoon:-)!!
LOVE rest time--so glad you are making it work for you:-)!!
Good for you! I do a quiet time as well, for one hour after lunch. My kids still don't really like it, but it's important to me, and I know it's beneficial to them as well!
We do a quiet time each day too. We call it room time. Each kid plays in there room by themselves for a certain amount of time. It gives them some quiet time and me a break!
Books on CD have been a great addition to my five year old's rest time. She is happy to lay down and listen to a Magic Treehouse book.
Oh yes, rest time is mandatory in our household. My girls are good sleepers, but without a nap... yikes!! Congrats on making it a part of your routine! That is not an easy task to accomplish, but it sounds like you did it beautifully!
My kids won't nap either. And they are impossible. How long is your rest time?
Ya, I'm all about that! Z should still be napping I think but he refuses and will do anything in his power to stay awake just so he won't sleep. So I started "quiet time" and a lot of the time he ends up napping! YES!
Great for you! Anna is still in her crib, and she naps about 4 days a week. She plays for 2 hours straight the other days talking to herself non-stop. Unfortunately, she is dead tired and not her normal self on no-nap days - today was especially hard. I am positive that we will be keeping her rest time (and our sanity) for as long as possible.
Rest time works in our house too...as long as pumpkin is not "tired" if she falls asleep bed time gets pushed back by 2-3 hrs...aghhh LOL NOTE: the balls are fun...just a lot of them to pick up :)
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