my son is 3 and 4 months and i think he's getting ready to go without an afternoon nap. several days this week he has gone in for his nap but when i check in with him, he's awake, which went on for just over an hour and a half before i told him he could get up. he will stay in bed and sing, read books, or play with his stuffed animals. i'm just wondering if it may be time to just have "quiet time" for him in his room and was looking for suggestions on activities to provide him with and how to make this transition. though he may be ready to give up his nap, i still would love a small amount of downtime during the day...
My daughter is doing the same thing. I still have her in her room with books and her new barbie doll. I tell her that i need mommy time and she need adeline time. When the timer goes off then she can come down stairs. This work very well for her. Good luck
Sometimes just having that time of "nothing" is a good thing for children. It allows them to use their imagination, lets them decompress by allowing them to sing or chat to themselves, and also is a good time to explore books on their own. If he's staying in his bed, and isn't complaining, I wouldn't change a thing. On days that he still needs a nap, he'll eventually snooze, and during the time he doesn't need a nap, it provides both you and him that time to relax. Books on CD are a wonderful thing to add to a rest time, and I often used them in my preschool class during rest time for those little people not able to sleep. He doesn't even need to have the book in-hand to enjoy them...often times, chapter books read on CD are a fabulous way to inspire them to want to rest, in order to hear what's coming next in the story. Just hearing the language of the story is not only soothing, but also builds language/literacy development. For short stories, you can record them all on one CD so that you're not having to go into his room to change them when the story is over. There are also relaxation CD's for children, as well as wonderful children's music and poetry/nursery rhymes that are a nice way to keep things interesting, yet soothing. Hope that helps! :o)
well i think your son answered your own question. he's giving u your quiet time, think about it. he's staying in his room and not bothering u, which is a good thing. as for activities he's already doing activities himself. no transition needed if u ask me. kids are cool that way. instead of him napping he's actually being quiet and doing his own activites, so as i see it u don't need to change a thing.
It sounds like you already have quiet time! Keep going with what your son has come up with on his own and add something if or when he needs/wants something different. My oldest was never able to have quiet time on his own (still cannot and he's almost 13, just his personality) but my youngeest (8) still will play quietly on his own when he needs a break from all the commotion. He will read, color, do a puzzle or play with legos, etc. Enjoy the bit of quiet for yourself!
I would continue to do what you're doing. Your son is already doing what you think he is ready for: having quiet rest time in his room. There might be some days that he surprises you and falls asleep. But even if he just rests, reads, sings, etc., he is still getting down time. Keep up the good work!
I agree with other respondants -- just keep doing what you're doing until it somehow becomes a problem. Also, my older son (now almost 4) looked ready to give up naps for a week several months ago -- he went from taking 3- to 4-hour afternoon naps to lying awake for an hour and then announcing that he was all done napping. I just kept putting him down and telling him that he at least needed to rest. Much to my relief, the next week he resumed napping. Now once in a while he only rests, but he usually falls asleep. So I wouldn't necessarily draw any long-term conclusions after just one week.
My two oldest stopped taking a nap at 2. I preferred they sleep at night than during the day anyways and when bedtime because a struggle I cut out the nap. As they get older less sleep is needed. So as long as he's getting the needed amount of sleep for his age at night he really doesn't need a nap. However, it sounds like he's already found a constructive way to spend his "naptime" that doesn't always mean sleep. So if you still want that down time then I think you're on the right path already. Instead of saying it's nap time just start calling it quiet time and let him pick out a few books or quiet toys to do in his room. I'm assuming his room is completely child proof. So it would be a safe area for him to be in. And for your own piece of mind make sure the activity he does in his room is not crayons or markers (unless it's the wonder stuff that can't color on anything else) then you are right there. No need to transition. Looks like he did it for you. Give it an hour for you to do whatever it is you need to do and go get him. Keep a baby monitor though so you can keep an ear on him. It's good for him to figure out ways to entertain himself too.
Hi S., i found a couple of children's cd's (about 1 hr. long) and i put one on for my son to listen to in his room. he knows he can come out when his cd ends but not until then. he's allowed to play quietly or look at books in his room. if he's really tired he'll fall asleep during that time but otherwise he just comes down when his music stops. good luck!
I totally agree with the 2 previous responses. Every child is different, and if your son does not "need" a nap, it should not be forced. However, "Quiet Time" is beneficial to you both! I love the idea of listening to stories on CDs!
