Today is the day for Lazy Mom Tip #35!
Are you excited?
Because I am!
I love our Lazy Mom Tips and today is a good one!
Well, at least it is if you like nap time at your house!!!
Because today I wanted to share with you how to get your kids to "nap" even after they've outgrown it.
Yes. When my kids each stopped taking naps it was a sad, sad day. I know a lot of you aren't there yet, but you just wait because it will happen. And it's a sad, sad day when it does.
So what's a lazy mom to do when nap times dry up?!
Well I'll tell you.
Enter Lazy Mom Tip #35....
FOF Time!
huh?
FOF Time stands for "Feet Off Floor" time!
It's a little something we picked up at our state's Kids Camp that my husband runs every summer. FOF Time is a time when the kids (at camp and at my house) have to go to their rooms and get on their beds and have Feet Off Floor Time.
The kids can read books, play quietly with toys or whatever they want, as long as they stay in their beds (and keep their feet off the floor!)
Now I know what you're thinking.... this will never work for me! My kids will never stay in their beds!
But listen to me!
My kids are 5, 7 and 8 and IT. WORKS.
One of the reasons I think it works is because there is no "nap" word anywhere in FOF Time. If you drop the word nap and call it something cool, it will work. It makes them feel like a "big kid" and stuff.
And my kids don't really nap during FOF Time (although occasionally one does drop off to sleep) but FOF Time isn't really about them. It's more about giving me some ME time!
Our FOF Time lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour at our house and it gives me some down time so that I can face the late afternoon/evening with my sanity intact.
And my kids like it! *gasp!*
It's true! They actually like FOF Time.
So if you're kids are nearing the sad, sad day of dropping their naps all together, then don't break the habit of afternoon down time! Simply call it FOF Time and keep them in the habit of it! For younger kids you may need to set a timer in their room and tell them not to get out of their bed until it goes off. Or if you're kids really won't stay in their beds, then put a baby gate in the door jam and let them have "room time" instead.
At any rate, it gives us lazy moms the time WE need so that we can be better moms the rest of the day!
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Have a Lazy Mom Tip to share? Send it to me and it may be posted here for all the lazy world to see!
Okay, we had this when I was a kid, and I'm telling you it does work!! We all knew, stay in your room, (I guess it wasn't exactly, but we had our own rooms so it was easy to just do that) play quietly, read, or if you want to nap, you may! We called it "quiet time." I don't know what my mom did during that time. Clean? Cook? Nap? Relax? Take a shower?
ReplyDeleteLove this. I try to call it rest time and that doesn't work. Going to try FOF!
ReplyDeleteIm giving this a shot. My 3rd old has boycotted naps and since I have him and my 7 month old who still gets up to eat 3 times a night, Im one worn out mama.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!
FABulous idea!!!!! Little Man #2 is nearing that time...though I'm praying we have another 6 months or so left for naps. I think that'll be stretchin' it though. THANK YOU!
ReplyDelete