Post-nap Survival

It feels a little silly to suddenly care about a 'schedule' again. I haven't given a thought to scheduling since they were 18-months old! I am curious if folks can share an outline of their day, activity-wise once your preschooler dropped naps.

We are at the beginning of transitioning naps out due to their late napping habits which left us with kids still awake at 10.30pm :yawn: The boys (3y2m) will be getting naps some days, and going without on others. Here's a loose timeline from today:

7:30 wake up/bfast
8:30-11 active play
11-12:30 movie down time
1:00 lunch
1:30-3:30 errands
3:30-5:00 outside I think it helped to be outdoors during their hardest stretch of the day
5:30 dinner
6:00 craft
7:00 bath
7:30 bed*

*As of 8.07pm they are still playing.

 

I have found we need to do the down time about 1:30-3:00, then at 3:00 they have a snack which kind of helps push through till dinner, and I try to either take them outside or go somewhere (quick errand maybe) that will keep their mind off being grouchy.

Oh, I've also needed to reinstate the morning snack, due to the constant cries of "I'm hungry!". Our wake/breakfast time is about the same, with a snack at 10:30, lunch at 12:00ish.

 

We've only done it two days so far, but we did the downtime during the time that nap would normally be. So it was something like:
7:00 breakfast
9:30-12:30 gymnastics, playground, snack somewhere in there
1:00 lunch
1:30-3:00 quiet time
3:00-5:00 errands and/or general playtime at home
6:00 dinner

And you know about our bedtimes...

 

Rachel does her quiet time during what used to be her naptime - right after lunch. (of course, H&N are napping then anyway) I think, at least at first, it was good to keep the downtime at the same time of day as naptime for consistancy sake. And, I'm with you on outside time right before dinner!!

 

I tend to do my errands in the am after breakfast cause they're least tired and a lot more agreeable in public.
Then lunch around 12:30-1pm
early afternoon quiet time until around 3pm
3-4pm snack
4 to 6 pm playing outside, going to the pool, beach or park.
6-7pm dinner,
in the bath by 7:30 and to bed by 8:30.
If it rains then we do a craft or something like color or playdoh inside in the afternoon.

 

7:00am - wakeup
12:00pm - lunch
1-2pm - quiet time
6:30 - dinner
7:15pm - bath
8:00pm - bedtime

 

I'd like to do quiet time from 1:30-3:00 eventually, but at the very beginning I have to do it a bit earlier, when there's no threat of them falling asleep at 2.58 and then being physically incapable of waking before 6pm and creating more 11pm bedtimes.

It feels totally backward to me to not go out and accomplish errands/park fun in the morning, but I'm willing to run life a little backward if it helps us over the temporary transition hump.

Thanks for feedback...I hope I can join you in the afternoon downtime within the next month. I was EXHAUSTED at the end of the day!

 

6:30 wake up
7 breakfast
11:30 lunch
12:30-2 rest time
5:30 dinner
7 :00 bedtime

I try to go out in the am and play/outside in the pm since they are crankier then.

 

This is what our schedule looks like:
7:30 wake up/breakfast watch a cartoons until everyone else is up and ready
MWF take K to school and get errands down and go to the park for about 45 mintues until we have to pick up K at 12:30
TTH we usually meet friends at the park from 10-12:30
Come home at 12:30 have lunch and chill/art/draw/books
3-5/5:30 Outside playing baseball/park/ride bikes
5:30 make dinner while the boys play legos/cars/etc
6 dinner
After dinner whatever they want to do with DH while I clean up a little. Usually involves wrestling, hade and seek or something really active
Bath time around 7:30
Go back downstairs have snack and watch one Story on video
Upstairs 8:15/8:30
Read a couple books then BEDTIME

 

7 -- wake/play
8 -- breakfast/play
9 -- get dressed and out the door (preschool or errands)
11 -- play
12 -- lunch
1 -- crafts/coloring/books (down time)
3 -- play outside
5 -- clean up
6 -- dinner
7 -- play with Daddy, then baths, books and bedtime by 8pm

I have always done errands in the morning because that is when they are at their happiest. I tried running errands in the afternoon to keep them awake, but they are way too cranky. Plus, they would fall asleep in the car.

 

:umm: Schedule.....????? LOL!!

We did quiet time around 1:00 (I would put it at the time they do it at preschool, if I were going to to it) to 2;30 or 3:00 and then they can fall asleep if they need to for a while.

We are lights out at 7:30 unless they fall asleep otherwise it's 8:00 on those rare days!