How to bring in quiet time

[Blissfultiggy]

Just that really. My 2 year old has almost cut out naps altogether but my 1 year old still has an hour or so and I’d love to bring in quiet time. My 2 year old has got used to normal playtime while he naps so I’ve got no idea where to start to bring it in and change things up

any advice?

Tell the 2 year old “we’re going to have quiet time now”.

Books, art, fuzzy felt etc set up.

Don’t understand why that’s hard tbh?

She will only play with it for so long before she starts singing and running round. My brain needs a rest from the chaos and shouting just for half hour to have a coffee in peace

When my DS stopped napping we bought a rug in the shape of an animal and created a little quiet corner with books etc and would sit and read with him. When we said quiet time we would always go to the same spot so he knew it was calm down time.

Longer quiet time kicks in when they are about six in my experience. But it depends on dc. One does independent play very easily, the other needed me to be involved all the time.

TBH I think this is very child-dependent. At 2 I would think the proportion who will play quietly for a long time is very low. She may gradually extend how long she plays quietly for if you keep the habit and keep trying a range of activities but none of mine could be reliably kept quiet and entertained without my input til maybe 3/4 at earliest.

I'd think about whether it's peace or independence you want most - if you just want quiet you could read with her or do a slow activity like stickers or drawing, maybe magnatiles or something that you can help with and gradually she'll do it herself.

If you really just want time to yourself I'd say nothing wrong with her watching a nice kids show while you sit next to her or nearby and zone out a bit. Set an expectation that it's one or two episodes only, and it gives her a bit of downtime too.

Also (sorry having a string of random thoughts!) one thing I found helped at that age was to start off playing with them on whatever you are hoping will keep them busy. Get her engaged and then say you need to get a drink or whatever. Pop out or across to the sink and make your coffee (obviously needs the room /set up to be safe). Then wait nearby and hope she stays interested for a bit. When she wants you to engage again you can try to dip in and out as it were - help with something and then sit back again, or say you're taking the cup back to the sink.

This might not work as you’ve given up naps. But what we did was convert nap time (nappy change, sleeping bag, into cot bed, darkened room) into quiet time by doing nappy change, maybe comfier / fewer clothes, and saying ‘you don’t have to sleep, but you need to be quietly in your room’. We set the Groclock, so they could see how long they had left. There were books and toys in their room, and if they came out they’d see us reading or snoozing, not doing anything interesting.

We quite often found them sound asleep on top of a pile of books, if they’d had a busy day.

This is great advice and would have worked with one of mine but not all. Until my last child I secretly believed the idea of children who paid attention to Groclocks was a myth 😂

Basically this, you either do a quiet activity alongside her or pop CBeebies on for a bit.

No 2yo will play peacefully and have quiet time for two solid hours. Parents need a break. It wasn't difficult to understand at all what OP meant. She's at a difficult stage with them both.

Put TV on for a bit OP. Grab a coffee and cuddle in together ❤️

I used to sit and watch tv or read with mine but I generally had to be there also having quiet time and not be off doing other things. In the evening I used to say that the day for us is over and we need to relax. I’d talk to them about how it’s time for the owls and hedgehogs etc to come out and have their time doing things and time for children, puppies etc to snuggle down and let grown ups do their chores and go to bed so that the night time animals can have their turn at playing. Luckily it seemed to work but not until after I’d spent an hour discussing what various other animals were doing what and when 😆

Loved doing this, especially when they went through phases of liking stuff I liked too. Many happy watchings of The Gruffalo and Gruffalo's Child half asleep on sofa with a cosy toddler or preschooler ♥️

Other children might not be as gullible as mine. When I wanted quiet I would get out a large box of balls of wool. Give them their toys books etc and start putting the wool in the box. When they asked to help I would say “ oh I am not sure. Really this is a mummy only activity it has to be done very very slowly and neatly” amazing how the little blighters would take over and do the slow activity, you can pretty much give them any meaningless task if it is an adult only one! Another very handy one was giving them a duster, every low surface would be meticulously dusted while I enjoyed my coffee.

Yes, this is what I do and it does keep my child occupied for long enough to make and drink a cup of tea, get dishes done and dinner started. I dip in and out of play but really minimal intervention from me on the whole.

This is an idea, she loves her books

Reading & storytelling, make up stories with people they know & are familiar with.
Granny, grandad..baby sibling any pets etc.. make them funny. :)

Use photos if available.

I’m definitely not against any cartoons for her so I’m happy to have a little snuggle with her. It’s probably more quiet I need rather than expecting her to play on her own so this is a good idea. Thank you xx

I really wish we’d done that too, it might still be worth trying though

Thank you ❤️ I’m a stay at home mam and my husband works 7 days a week over the summer, combined with the dropping the nap I’m finding it a difficult couple of months. Thank you x

This is the only way I get quiet time from my 3yo!

He has so much energy! Even in bed when I tell him we need to lay quietly and go to sleep he says "okay mummy" shuts his eyes and then within 5 seconds he is telling me a story 🤣 he spends his evening bouncing around being a superhero 🫠

Sometimes I will just put his fave show on the TV, grab coffee and snacks so we can chill

😂 I love this idea

To be honest that was the time I used to let DD play/watch something on a screen. I’d give her the choice between playing quietly or a screen while saying very clearly I was sitting down to have a cup of tea. No guilt from me, I needed it.

You could try with a story CD, maybe? Something like ‘this is what big girls do while babies nap, babies can’t have big girl toys like this’. Then if she’s bored she can ignore it and play, and at the end she knows it’s time to come downstairs.

You will need to be very boring when she reappears too early. We used to also lie down on our beds with a book, to model the behaviour and because we like to read (or nap, for DH!).