Keeping quiet time once nap is dropped

[Rosebud1302]

Hi all,

My son is 26 months now and I don't think it will be long until he drops his nap to be honest. Which is ok, but I was thinking of still implementing a quiet hour or so where he still goes up to his room with his books and quiet wooden type toys etc, to have some calmer time.

Does anyone else do this for their little one's once the nap has gone? I do feel he needs a bit of down time still as he is standard toddler active. But also gives me a little chance to unwind for an hour too (not going to lie about that being a reason because it is!)

Is this a weird thing to do? Anyone else find this works/doesn't work?

Yup, my sister in law does quiet time like that instead of a nap. She doesnt send him to his room to do it though. Its maybe looking a books, or sometimes just a bit of tv tbh. Just so her DS relaxes and rests for a bit.

Yes, I did with both DC. Made it clear they could play or ‘read’ quietly, but needed to stay in their room. They had a floor bed and weren’t in a cot st that point, so they could potter around. Worked well and we carried on having after lunch quiet time for years. I think it’s one reason why they’re such good readers now.

My daughter is the same age and starting to have days where the nap doesn’t happen. On those times though she just sits in her cot and chats/sings to herself and her teddies for an hour - it’s amazing! Her older sister would never in a million years have tolerated that happily. So I plan to keep putting her in her cot at same time until that changes, I suspect when she needs to go out of her cot. But even then I’d try for quiet time in her room, I think that’s healthy, and it’s healthy for us to want/get a break too!!

Mine love it. It gives us all a chance to breath and just be. The way I transition from nap to quiet time is so exactly as I would for usual nap time, but open the curtains and put some books up and say "wow, what a big boy/girl, you'll be so quiet for your big boy rest time. How fun!" Or something like that. I start them on about 20 mins and work up to 45. Works like a treat.

We tried it but DS was just confused and kept coming out of his room. My SIL puts her son to bed with his tablet for his quiet time, but we wanted to try and keep it screen free.

When my son first dropped his nap about 2 we used to sit on the sofa together after lunch under a blanket and watch a kids film. It was really nice cosy time together. Don’t think he would have got the concept of having to be alone in his room

We did this but with a TV programme or a film. Not sure I'd have trusted DC alone upstairs.

good luck! WOuldn't work leaving DS upstairs alone for that long, even now at 3.

We sometimes have a quiet cuddle and read books or a bit of time on his tablet but for us, that quiet time wouldn't happen

Are they in a cot or bed? DS is just over 2 - he still naps but it's getting shorter, but because he is still in his cot he is safe and is quite happy to chat to himself for up to an hour.

We tend to read books on the sofa or have a bit of cbeebies if I'm desperate. My DD wouldn't stay in her room for any length of time being quiet, especially not by herself!

100% yes! My two had a movie in a dark room after lunch til gone age 5. They sometimes even dropped off for a nap. I would have gone nuts without that break half way through the day. I may have taken a nap once or twice myself ;)

Thank you everyone for the responses - seems to vary a fair bit which is obviously understandable! I guess I can only try ey haha and see what happens. He is generally very good at laying in his cot in the morning when he wakes for a bit or if he doesn't nap straight away so I'm hopeful he may be ok with this but only time will tell I guess haha :)

Yep I successfully carried on quiet time after my boy dropped naps and we still do it now - he’s just started school so it’s only weekends now and he’s happy to play trains or read in his room etc for an hour.
I’m trying to remember how it started, I think I just gave him books and toys to look at in his cot rather than trying and failing to get him to nap for hours and left the monitor on so I knew what he was up to!

We always did this. ‘Take a book on your bed’ time.