Transitioning from nap to quiet time

[Mamabear04]

DD is 3yo next month and up until yesterday have been giving her a 30 min nap. She definitely still needs a rest during the day but is staying awake until close to 9pm so just going to have to bite the bullet and drop the nap. The problem is that she will not sit still and the more tired she gets the more fidgety she gets so watching TV or reading books isn't an option as she's up and down from the sofa. I think I need to put her in her bed or something (she still has the sides on her cot bed so would stay there).

I gues smy question is how do I do quiet time? Should I give her a couple of toys in with her in bed to keep her awake and to play with? Or just her comforter and curtains open?

I've always used audiobooks for quiet time, something suited to their age that they can lie down with and listen to and holds their interest enough to let them chill out for a bit.

@addler that's an absolutely brilliant idea! Do you have any recommendations of age appropriate audio books?

I got a cheap CD player from Argos and some story CDs (lots of very cheap ones in local charity shops) so she could choose and play them herself. With strict instructions about not touching the wire / plug and making sure they weren’t easily accessible behind a cupboard. I also made sure to model it for the first few days, so if she came out of her room she’d find me lying on my bed reading.

We still have an after lunch quiet read in the holidays if we’re at home, and it’s lovely!

You can often get familiar ones like Julia Donaldson and Eric Carle, they might be good to start with while she gets used to the idea, and then can move on to ones she might not know. There's a lovely Enid Blyton collection about animals I remember that was quite popular!