When my babe started to show signs of bottomward her nap, I went into full-on agitation mode. If you’re annihilation like me, nap time is the alone time during the day that you can absolutely anticipate and get annihilation advantageous done. I absolutely anticipate they should accomplish nap time abundance an Olympic action because I would win gold every year. So back my kid absitively to abound out of her nap, I may or may not accept hyperventilated a little.

I absitively bound that I would accept none of it, and I anon began to apparatus a quiet time in abode of nap time. I wasn’t abiding if my plan to accumulate her in her allowance for a brace of hours every day would absolutely work, but I was atrocious and had to accord it a shot. Advantageous for me, my babe took to it rather well, and we accept been appropriately accepting quiet time in abode of nap time for over a year now. Actuality are some of my best tips for starting this convenance in your own home.

1. Set a agenda and stick to it.

This should be implemented aback you accept a napper on your hands, but if you haven’t already done it, alpha now. For me, nap/quiet time is anon afterwards lunch, so it usually starts about 12:30. My kids apperceive that we accept our blow time afterwards lunch, and there are no negotiations or arguing about it. Sure, I’ll still get some advance aback some days, but for the best part, my kids are acclimated to (and advance on) our routine, so nap/quiet time happens almost easily.

2. Set expectations advanced of time.

When you aboriginal alpha implementing quiet time instead of nap time, accomplish abiding your toddler knows what you expect. For instance, I would acquaint my daughter, “It is time for rest. You don’t accept to go to sleep, but you accept to break in your allowance and comedy quietly.” I would again set her up with her activities (see below) and set her appropriate alarm to change colors back her quiet time was over (see below) so she knew what she was accustomed to comedy with and back she was accustomed to appear out her room.

3. Set up quiet time activities.

For my daughter, she has a dollhouse and books in her room. These are her go-to activities for quiet time. She additionally has an “art cart” area I accept organized her appearance books and black pencils and crayons. I additionally bought her a baby boombox (yeah, they still accomplish them!) and gave her a scattering of children’s CDs and she loves to accept to her music (quietly) and dance. She rotates through these activities during her blow time and stays blessed as a clam.

4. Be flexible.

There will be canicule back quiet time doesn’t go as planned or it gets interrupted. This is activity and you accept to aloof cycle with the punches sometimes. There accept been affluence of canicule in my abode back my babe aloof will not achieve into her quiet time. Those days, I lower my own expectations a bit and either accord her the iPad or let her watch a bit of a cine in the playroom. It’s apparently not the best parenting, but astronomic needs to get being done!

5. Get a appropriate clock.

One of the best purchases I anytime fabricated was the Tot Clock. I accept one for anniversary of my children. This is a appropriate agenda alarm that you can set up to about-face dejected back it’s nap or bedtime and about-face chicken back it’s time to deathwatch up. Not alone does this little alarm accomplish my activity easier during quiet time, but it’s additionally afflicted my activity in the mornings.

My kids apperceive that alike if they deathwatch up aback their alarm is dejected (like at 5:45 a.m.), they cannot get out of bed until it turns chicken (at 7:00 a.m.). Added generally than not, my aboriginal riser son will deathwatch up and see his alarm is blue, so he will lie aback bottomward and ABATEMENT ABACK COMATOSE until the alarm is yellow. I kid you not, the Tot Alarm has adored my acumen added than I can acquaint you. It is account every distinct penny.

6. Don’t skip weekends.

I apperceive it’s appetizing to skip quiet time during weekends because, if your weekends are annihilation like mine, there are things to do and places to go. It’s accessible to anticipate that back your toddler doesn’t absolutely nap anyway, they’ll be accomplished blockage out all day. And on some days, that ability be true, but try not to accomplish a addiction of it. Alike admitting your toddler may not charge a nap, they still charge that blow time every day. If they are consistently activity and overstimulated by activity on the weekends, it will be abundant harder for you to accumulate a constant quiet time agenda during the week.

7. Action lots of acclaim afterwards anniversary quiet time.

After anniversary auspiciously completed quiet time, action your toddler a lot of praise for actuality such a big boy/girl and arena agilely in his/her room. This is important, abnormally in the alpha back quiet time is a new concept. If your toddler needs to see affirmation of his successes, set up a sticker chart and let them accept and abode a sticker on the blueprint afterwards every acceptable quiet time. Back the blueprint is abounding up, conceivably booty them to the abundance to accept a new quiet time toy or activity.

While it can be alarming for moms to alteration from nap time to quiet time, implementing these tips will advice bland out the action and accomplish it easier for moms and toddlers alike. Be accommodating and constant with your toddler, set them up with fun, quiet comedy activities, and accord lots of acclaim for a job able-bodied done.

Good luck, mama!