New Adventure Coming
7 years ago
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
For Real??
I am never going to understand kids! They always through me for a loop! As I am typing this, Carson is taking a nap (at least I think he is). He has not taken a nap for quite a while now, although we are still trying to get him to. The thing that is so crazy about him taking a nap today is that I put him down late b/c I thought FOR SURE he wouldn't sleep anyway and we have to go pick up the babysitter a little after 4 anyway. So, the ONE day that we actually have to leave the house is the day that he decides to fall asleep...I just don't get it!! I need to get a babysitter so I can leave for work and Dan won't be home b/c now he is commuting far for his new job. So, instead of naps lately, we have called it "quiet time" and hoped that he would fall asleep, but he usually doesn't. He fights it more and more these days and so now I'm not sure if it is even worth it. What do all of you guys do with your 3 year olds who don't want to nap. I need some sort of break? Any ideas? Also, we are trying a new "happy jar" where we put m&m's in a jar if Carson does something good or take them out if he is bad. I'm just trying to have something visual to show how he behaves. Do any of you have any suggestions in this area?? Carson is a pretty good kid, but I don't like his little attitude that he is developing. We've actually had some pretty good days recently, so maybe there is hope. I'm looking forward to our co-op preschool that we are starting soon. I think it will give good structure to our days.
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6 comments:
Ha. This always happens here too.
Curtis is 4 and doesn't think he needs a nap ( I beg to differ) but I do make him do quiet time in his room while his sister takes her afternoon nap (they have separate rooms so it is easier). I let him take whatever toy he wants in there and he usually goes willingly.
About the happy jar I have done a ton of sticker charts and so today I was trying to think of something different to do. I am thinking of giving him a penny every time he is polite and nice and when he gets 50 of them he can go get a doughnut at the store (his favorite treat). That way he learns the value of money too.
Good luck figuring out what works best for you. Thanks for the M&M jar suggestion. Maybe we will try that one after the pennies lose their effect.
We do quiet time. K-man is taking naps about half the time. The other days though, I still make him stay in his room. He is allowed to have books, but nothing else. It works for us! Good luck.
K, so I still make all 4 of my kids have quiet time (yes even my 6 year old). What I have found that works is I put on a Primary CD that I compiled of all the songs they are learning this year and I tell them that they have to stay in their rooms until the CD is over and then they can come out. For the most part it has worked wonders for me. They know their primary songs really well and they don't fight their quiet time very much at all (and I'm much more sane).
Mason is also transitioning from having a nap. Half the days he does, half the days he is in his room playing. Some days he'll stay up there for an hour playing, other times he comes down after 15 minutes and then cries when I try to put him back in his room. *Sigh* I'm not ready for this.
Also, love the jar idea for rewarding being polite and good. I need to do that with Mason! Somedays he can be such a little stinker!
we tried m&m's. it usually went like this.
kids "yeah i got an m&m, can we eat them now?"
mom "no guys, wait until after dinner, you have to earn them for the whole day first. Seth, stop hitting your brother, I'm taking some m&m's because of your choices."
Seth "Waaahhhh, don't take my m&m's.
Mom "we explained to you that there are consequences and you could lose them if you made bad choices, you chose to hit. i'm sorry."
Seth. "it's not fair." stomp stomp door slam.
i don't blame the m&m's, but i can't look at them the same way anymore! :) most of our conversations with seth go this way, so i should have expected it i guess.
the end of nap times is a hard transition for everyone i think. and it's so different, it depends on the kid. i do the same thing with quiet time, and i admit it's mostly for my own sanity, but it works! the only thing i let the kids have in their rooms are books, no toys, so they are allowed to read during quiet time. good luck! it will be crazy for you with the move and dan's new job, so the kids will need some time to adjust to that no matter what you put into place for consistency.
Hi Lynette! I'm a little behind on checking your blog, and so much has happened! Congrats to Dan on his new job! I checked out your house on the website, and it looked great and very clean too! (Good job!) About the naps (or lack thereof), does it make you feel any better that I didn't get many naps out of my kids at age 3 either? Somehow you survive it for a couple of years, and then you finally get your break when they go off to school!
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