Jun 21, 2018
It's the day NO ONE wants to come: time to say goodbye to the
nap!
Personally, I dreaded the nap drop but it's now turned into a
fun opportunity to watch my daughter increase her independent play
skills...and sometimes sneak off for midday dates just the 2 of
us!!
In this episode I'm talking through WHEN it's time to drop the
nap, HOW to do it, WHAT to do instead of napping and WHY you might
need to keep that nap.
>>Grab a FREE quick-guide photo for Quiet Times HERE<<
When To Drop The Nap:
- Typically between age 2.5 - 3.5 years old
Signs To Look For When Dropping The Nap:
- Fighting the nap 5/7 days for 2-3 weeks (crying, playing in the
crib, not settling for sleep)
- Taking a great nap but
taking hours to fall asleep at night (stalling tactics, not
settling for sleep, crying out or playing in crib)
- Waking very early in the morning (4-5am) and feeling ready to
start the day
How To Eliminate The Nap:
- Talk to your child about how they won't have to nap anymore:
"Hey ___! Guess what! You don't have to take a nap anymore!
Instead, every day after lunch you'll have quiet time where you can
____________ (read, draw, look at books, play-doh, pretend play,
etc)."
- Take it away! Cold turkey!
- It will take your child 4-6 weeks to adjust to being awake for
11-12 hours a day, so for the first few weeks you'll be offering an
early bedtime (5:30/6pm sounds crazy, but you'll realize they might
need it!!)
- Once they seem adjusted (better mood, able to keep normal
attitude throughout the evening) get them back on track to normal
bedtime.
- I suggest 7-8pm bedtime for children ages 2.5-5 years old
Quiet Time Activites:
- Be creative!!
- Have your child set a timer to mark the start and end of their
quiet time
- You'll find they cannot handle a pure hour at first, so start
small with 15-20 minutes and slowly build up to an hour
- Create a basket/bin with activities they love: play-doh,
drawing pads, markers, etc
- Allow them to play with that basket ONLY at Quiet Time and
re-fill with things as needed
- For the first few days/week you might need to guide your child
in what to do and how to have an independent quiet time
- DO NOT allow TV, tablets, phones, etc as these actually
stimulate the brain not restore it
- TV or games on a tablet are allows after the quiet time
- Grab a free photo-guide: "Quiet Time Expectations"
here!
Keeping The Nap:
- Every now and then I am in situations where we have to keep the
nap (daycare, parents work late and can't do 7pm bedtime, etc).
That's oaky! If your child is easily sleeping during the day, but
fighting bedtime, we can keep the nap and adjust
bedtime.
- If your child is sleeping during the day I would cap the nap to
no more than 2 hours and adjust bedtime between 8-9pm.
- Find the best bedtime for your child by starting at 8pm, and
adjusting 15 minutes later every few days until you find the best
place where they fall asleep within 10 minutes and sleep 9-10
hours.
SHARE your Quiet Time activities with me on Instagram!! Tag or send me a DM! @littlezsleep
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HERE!<<
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Music by: Chad Campbell