Embracing the NNDs....help me with quiet time

[jessmum46]

Sigh.....so it would appear we are nap dropping in earnest, great timing (see ticker....) but in the last 7 days, 5 have been NNDs, one was a 30 min late catnap in the car and the only 'proper' nap was an early 1h15 at nursery on Weds.  I usually put her in bed for about 1.30pm at home, just plays or whines to get up for an hour or so, sometimes needing me to go in but sometimes not.  Mood in general really not bad, some NWs but short and easily settled.

In all honesty I don't quite have the energy to fight it or tweak at the moment!  So what would probably be better all round is to try for a hour's quiet time to at least give me a break for a few mins.  And give her the chance to nap if she needs.

So far I've given her a book to read in bed but that's not hugely exciting and doesn't always keep attention for an hour.  What else do your LOs do in quiet time?  Also not sure about leaving blinds closed to encourage sleep if needed, vs allowing enough light to see for a quiet activity?  I'm not keen on TV at this time as I'd prefer for her to be in her room, and am also likely if I'm honest to use TV quite a bit once new LO arrives, but any other ideas would be appreciated.

[Mom-of-boys]

I really wanted to keep up a "quiet" time when my DS1 dropped his nap, but he definitely finds it hard to play independently by himself in his own room.  But I've been trying to include more quiet activities in his day.  A few ideas I've seen are:
- coloring books
- sticker books
- puzzles
- felt boards/pages
- busy bags
- play dough
- sensory bins
- foam shapes to make patterns
- books
- listening to a relaxing cd

It would take a bit of work, but another idea would be to make special "quiet time" bins - one for every day of the week.  You could include a few different toys/activities in each one, and then it might keep her attention longer and she wouldn't get as bored with it when it changes every day. 

[nevinsmama]

Nevin went to quiet time a fair bit older than J has but I found it best to start small. Does she have a gro-clock or concept of a timer? What I did with Nevin around 3.5 was to put him on our bed with his selection of various toys ( great list from Mom-of-boys!) , some music and a timer set. He was not allowed off the bed or to talk to me if I came in the room at all and potty trips had to be brief and no nonsense. We started with 20 minutes and worked out way up to 2 hours and he did really well! Sometimes he would even go to sleep. Each time he "Followed the quiet time rules" he got to make and X on a chart and we did a little surprise every few days or a dab more ice cream or something after supper. I don't know if J would "get" this yet or not but my primary advice would be to be consistent about call-back nonsense, start small, and make a big fuss when expectations are met.
Hope you are feeling all right and J is excited to be a big sister!  

[jessmum46]

Great list thank you and great ideas also Maryn . She doesn't have a gro clock/timer as she's not really prone to EWs, at least not at the moment but I had been toying with the idea of getting a music CD for her.  Or maybe story tapes?  Though she might be a bit young for those at the moment.  She will generally manage 30-45 mins now without me going in, occasionally a bit longer which overall I think is pretty good really.  I might make it my 'job' this week to create a busy bag or similar and see how we go.