The terrible two’s can wreak havoc on your life. Not only do toddler’s behavior and needs change during this tough stage – but often their sleep patterns do as well. Our sweet almost 2 1/2 year old went through a teething stage a few months ago and didn’t nap for weeks. I was so broken up about it…I actually penned a eulogy to naptime for Mom It Forward. How can a mom live without naptime?!
Luckily for us though, Emy’s molars came in and her nap returned 4-5 days a week. But what do we do on the days she doesn’t nap? Oh I still get at least an hour of serenity…here are a few tricks for keeping your toddlers safe, quiet and in their beds!
Bye Bye Naptime, Hello Rest Time
Yep, you read that right. Both of our girls have rest time every day. During the summer it’s at 1:00pm. They have their morning activity, a nice lunch, and then they hit the hay. Or they play. Our two year old will sleep most days, but on the days she won’t Emy is required stay in her bed and rest. Sometimes I’ll go in and give her books, but I tell her she needs quiet time. If she does nap however, I limit it to two hours. Otherwise, she’ll be up all night!
Our 5 year old has plenty of toys to occupy herself, and an hour of independent play time is wonderful for her imagination!
My Tot Clock
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| Naptime blue set from 1:00-3:00pm. |
If your child isn’t in a crib (we moved Emy at age 2 to a big girl bed) and leaves the bed frequently, you may need to invest in a My Tot Clock. No this isn’t a sponsored post…I just love ours! The color changes for different times of the day; it’s blue when your child needs to stay in bed, and turns yellow at the end of naptime, or in the morning at wake up time. This is especially helpful at 5:30am.
We gave both our girls My Tot Clocks on their second birthdays – this product literally saved our lives! If you are still having a hard time keeping your little one contained, try a sticker chart.
Traci Gleeson, a sleep consultant for Dream Team Baby recommends, “Tell your child for every morning they are quiet until the clock turns yellow, or stay in bed at naptime, they will get a sticker. Six stickers (or however many you deem) for the week equals a reward. Some kids respond well to the sticker charts – but if it doesn’t work then move to consequences. Make sure it’s a realistic consequence though, a cancelled trip to the park, or no TV…something you will follow through with!”
Honestly, the sticker chart is the bomb. We use it for morning rituals on school days, and for potty training.
Don’t Give Up
If your toddler does start to resist naptime, don’t give up too soon! A child isn’t fully ready to give up their nap completely unless they consistently drop their nap for seven straight days. And if they do decide to stay awake and try to test your sanity, remember early bedtime. Our girls are on a 7:30pm bedtime, and if our toddler doesn’t nap she goes to bed between 6:30-7:00pm.
Adjusting to new ages and stages can be difficult for any parent, but just remember…this too shall pass! Your child is perfectly fine for an hour alone – especially if it keeps mommy and daddy healthy, happy and refreshed!
(I’m praying for another year!)
My oldest gave up napping when she was three. That was sad! And that’s why her baby brother joined us. He’s going to be two in June. He still takes monster naps but he’s been teething fiercely lately and it’s been making him stay up so late. I keep wondering if I should tweak napping or cut them short, which feels unnatural, but he can be up singing in his crib for HOURS!
We were able to stretch nap time out until my son was four, then it became rest time. Now if we have a busy weekend day we do a movie and relaxation in the afternoon. I miss those naps when he would go in his room and sleep. I would get so much done!
I know Jenny – it’s so hard. But by that age they are capable of playing independently for an hour.
Our oldest gave up his naps at 2 1/2, just one month before our second was born! Yikes! He’s 5 1/2 now and we do quiet time every day where he stays in his room for an hour, while little brother takes a nap. It’s a must for me…this mama needs a little bit of time to just sit and stare at the wall! 🙂
Yes Jessica! Totally agree! Sounds like our kids are the same ages..we need to commiserate…I mean chat!
Love the tot clock! I think I would even give it to my 9 yr old who gets up way early even on days we have nowhere to be 🙂
I have never seen the tot clock and that will work SO much better than the stupid stickers I stuck on my kids’ clock – one sticker near the number seven, the other near the twelve, told them they can’t get up until the small hand points to the star sticker and the long hand points to the heart sticker. Worked well for my older kid, not so much for the one who’s still small and is like, “what’s a seven?”
Love your tips and tricks, as usual!
I don’t normally rave about products – but that clock saved my sanity…and mornings!
I’m sorry but I am so focused on the bedding! Recently one of my children moved out and I’m turning his room into a grandchildren’s room. This bedding looks like what I’ve been looking for. I LOVE the My Tot Clock. I may need to invest in one for here at the house. My grandkids get up unusually early and then I have no time to get everything prepared before they wake.
Sigh. I can’t say when the napping will end: Scotty will be three in September, and all I know is that he is ‘ol faithful when it comes to naps and naps every single day — at the same time — for a solid two hours…which is nothing short of bliss for this mama. (I’ve even got the timing down to such a science that Kennedy naps at the exact same time.)
I know this will all end soon, but for right now, I’m lovin’ it…
You are a lucky mama…enjoy it!
I love these sweet photos! We also have “quiet time” at 1PM every day. It lasts an hour (I set a timer), and they have to stay in their rooms until the timer beeps. I’ve started making little “art kits” that they can take to their rooms and play with, and that REALLY helps because it’s kind of a novelty and I change them up. I’m going to make some fun themed ones for the summer, and they can pick which one they want each day.
Umm..tell me more about these art kits please?!
“Rest time” is a sanity-saver for me. I so look forward to that quiet time – and I’m pretty sure we keep it going more for me than for my daughter! lol!
I will have to keep this in mind for when my little one gets older! I wish she were old enough for one of those clocks, especially since she’s been waking up around 5:00 am almost every morning ready to start the day. I really like the idea of nap time as rest time if they aren’t sleeping. Stopping by from Mommy Monday Blog hop.
MY almost 3 year old is fighting naps! I am terribly sad about it! We still do “rest time” though. Low lights and a calming movie or show.
Bunny gave up his nap time at 3 and Bee seems to be trying to give hers up, but she plays so hard and is not very nice when she skips it, I hope it lasts for at least another year. I don’t know if she’ll do “rest time”. She hates to take a nap and it’s been forced on her since birth! Thanks for sharing with <a href=”http://www.100lbcountdown.com/tag/creative-style/>Creative Style</a>!
Came over from Saturday Sharefest and following you now. Love the Tot Clock!
We are right there in the weird nap stage with a 1.5 year old. I am exhausted…but it’s teeth. Praying for a return to normal sleep.
Marie @ In Our Happy Place
Good tips. The clock is neat.
My kids were champion nappers. I think my youngest napped clear into first grade and will still grab a few Z’s if he can and he’s in High School! My Mom was brilliant though. Before they had fancy products like this clock (which I think is brilliant!) she would set a timer and tell them they had to lay quietly and watch the timer until it went off. Then after they were asleep, she would sneak in and shut off the timer. Worked like a charm!
Lawd. She’s stopped napping at home during her early threes, though I occasionally get notes back from pre-school that she’ll sleep there. But often she does just ‘rest’. That clock looks AMAZING. I’ve also seen something like that which you can set and explain when to get up on WEEKENDS. 🙂
ooooh weee did I need to read this post. I’m strugglin’ at my house, with a toddler and infant. Sassy toddler would love to give up her nap, but oh my word. She’s a raving lunatic if she does. We’re still at two naps per day if I can swing it. It’s just hard, getting them both down at the same time. Otherwise, I’m constantly in the rocking chair. 😉
Thank you for linking up with The Thoughtful Spot. I’ll be featuring this post tomorrow!
We did something similar with our kids. It helped them to rest and recharge without feeling like babies. It worked well for everyone, Mommy included.
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
Oh my goodness! That is the cutest idea! I pinned it to our Bloggers Brags Weekly Pinterest Party Pinterest Board. Thanks for sharing another awesome post with us!