Nap time at office with no cribs

So I am in need of some suggestions for my LOs that will help them nap at my work. My husband and I have a photography studio, so we are extremely lucky I can take my kids with me. I have the largest office in our studio so there is a large play area for them to roam all day long. They usually need two naps, but on busy days they take only the morning nap. I don't head to work usually until they wake up from their morning nap, so when we get there they play, then we eat lunch, play some more, and by the time they are tired in the afternoon, it's almost time to go home. Most days we are there in the afternoon and they do need a nap, so I sit them in the old car seats- my DD still uses the rear facing car seat in the car because she is so petite! I turn off the lights and close the blinds to provide as much darkness as possible. There's a small tv in the room, so I turn down the volume real low and turn on a fan for white noise. They relax in their seat with their sippy cup and very shortly after they are out! They love being cradled in the seat and reclined, just like us in a recliner!

I used to be able to put them in their individual pack n play, but now they just scream to get out, so that doesn't work anymore. Since they are getting older I would like to transition them to sleeping on mats, like a daycare, but I know nothing about daycares or how nap time works for them. Just wondering how to transition them to quiet time and have them know it's time to lay on their mat and actually stay there. It's like they want a small confined space where they can melt away. My MIL thought a little tent might work, so they know where to go when they are tired and need a nap. Any ideas?

 

I don't know if it would work, but my DS still loves his boppy pillow. It's usually in his crib even. That might have the same cradle effect and help them relax. My DS has napped with his boppy on the floor before too.

Good luck!

 

I think the tent idea is a good one. My two still sleep with their boppy as well, so that might be worth a try. Good luck!

 

I was actually going to suggest a tent as well. They do have one's specific for a toddler/infant to sleep in, but a regular tent (if that's cheaper) would probably work too. Either way, it may give them a space they can focus on sleeping when they are inside, and both tent options have zippers so you can actually keep them inside so they can't escape when you need them to rest.

I hope you do find something that works out for you.

 

When I worked in a daycare and we had to transition the toddlers from sleeping in cribs to sleeping on mats the way we did it was to sit next to them (between two mats). Then we could pat/rub their backs and make sure they didn't get up or mess around (pretty cruicial, especially in the beginning). Some children didn't need to have their backs patted at all and some started off needing it but gradually stopped once they were used to the mats. Also there was always someone in the room so there was no danger of them waking up and getting into trouble, I don't know if that's possible for you to do? Other than that I would just keep everything the way you have it now-dark with white noise-because those are the sleep cues they're used to.

I like the idea of having a tent (or something similar) to serve as a enclosed going to sleep area, that's a nice clear signal to them that it's naptime.

 

Thanks everyone! I think the tent idea will be a good place to start. Knowing them, they will be thrilled at first that there is something new and exciting and they will want to play with it. Once the novelty wears off, maybe they will get used to it. I plan on being in there with them for a while so they get the idea it's for sleep. It makes me wonder how our parents did it- without all the new kid's stuff out there!