Have you ever written a comment on a blog or a message board and thought “This could be a post.” I. Do. This. All. the. Time. You know what is funny? When I actually sit down to write a post or an article, I sometimes have the worst writer’s block. But, let me leave a comment and I am a writing machine!
I posted this comment over at a new site — City Mommy DC. A mom on the site needed advice about napping. I obliged. After 3 kids and 14 years, I have advice to give!
I had three different experiences with naptime.
Child #1 and #2 needed to nap as I freelanced form home. With Child #3 I used naptime to get household tasks done or used the computer.
Child #1 was a supreme nappper. She had a late bedtime ~9:30 p.m. as my husband worked late. She started fighting her nap when Child #2 was born. I got her back napping until about 3.5 yrs. Nap became quiet time. I switched her bedtime to when the baby went to sleep ~7:30 p.m. I did my freelance work in the evenings.
Child #1 watched a short DVD every day. I needed her to be quiet so that Child #2 could sleep plus I could get work done. Due to Child #1 fidgety-ness and Child #2’s early bedtime ~7:30 p.m., child #2 started fighting, then quit napping at 2 yrs. I never succeeded in getting Child #2 to do quiet time. I found crafts, activities, and movies to while away the afternoons while I worked. She would read books for about 20 minutes, but I needed her to be occupied for at least an hour while I edited/returned phone calls. By time the kids were 5 and 3 I quit freelancing as it was too hard to manage kids during the day AND work during quiet time and after kids went to bed.
Child #3 was a great napper. Around 2.5 he was strong enough to hoist himself out of the crib. I fought the good fight but I was too worried about leaving him in his room unattended. I let him play quietly in familyroom. He and I joined playgroups, did classes, visited the library, and he watched a little TV.
Wish I had a tried and true method…but each kid is different as you know!
