Ditching Nap Time
1 out of my 3 kids currently naps. I'm a little sad about it to be honest. But now we've transitioned into quiet time! Because mama needs it. And the kids need a break from each other as well. ;) Win win for everyone!
We usually do quiet time after lunch time each day. Between 12:30pm and 1pm. It usually lasts for about an hour. Sometimes I try and milk it for a little bit longer!
A few things that have helped us:
Each kid goes to their own room. I know this isn't possible for everyone, but if you can, try and have a seperate space for each kid.
Snacks. I buy a big box of the fruit leather snacks from Costco and everyone gets one to take with them to their rooms. I love these because they don't make a mess! So I don't have to worry about crumbs all over in their beds.
A timer. This is the one we have. I set it for an hour and tell the kids that they can come out once they hear the timer. https://amzn.to/3EI2E7O
Our Yoto Players. These have been so nice for us! We started out with one, but I soon bought another. Both kids love listening to them during quiet time. They each have their own headphones and cards to listen to.
What exactly is a Yoto Player? It's a screen free audio book player! You can buy audio book cards that fit into the player and the kids listen to them. No ads or anything weird! Just listening to books or music. You can also buy the Make Your Own cards and make your own! We've recorded some of us reading books as well as put a playlist together of different church songs that they've been learning.
We have the Yoto Mini and it's the perfect size to carry around and listen to. We even take them in the car sometimes when we go on road trips. (Aka to go visit our grandparents) Haha.
Another thing we do is the Yoto Club. Basically you get to pick out 2 audio books for $10 per month. You also get 10% off anything else you want to buy plus free shipping! It's something you can do for a few months to build your collection! It's been well worth the money to us!
Here is a link to the Yoto players. You can get 10% off on your first Yoto purchase if you use this link! https://prz.io/2jPbGP2HE
Another option is CD audiobooks to listen to. Our library didn't have much of a selection, but yours might! You'll just need to buy a CD player. We tried going that route last year and lets just say that the CD player didn't last long before it broke. But you might have better luck than us! Haha
So that's pretty much how we do quiet time! My 6 year old does it very well. My 3 year old is still learning and still comes out a few times. But I just redirect him to his room each time.
Hopefully this has been helpful! Let me know what you do for quiet time in the comments!
Love, Cine