Quiet time NOT working *vent* should have kept crib tents!

naps are mostly over. i should have kept them in crib tents until they started 1st grade. they sometimes nap at preschool (3 x per week). but almost never do they nap at home. i've tried every suggestion and every thing I can think of. it's just never, ever, ever going to be quiet.

i have sensory issues - sound actually induces dizziness and/or vertigo in me. i need some bleepin quiet.

i've run out of things to try. i actually don't care if they sleep. i just want them to be quiet. they won't stay quiet. i've tried lights on/off, "quiet time" toys, music, stories on cd, being in the room or not, etc, etc, etc. they won't do the 2 rules we've set: 1. stay in bed. 2. be quiet (play, sing, talk - just quietly). Nope they are literally bouncing off the walls, cribs and screaming, yelling, crying (occasionally someone actually gets hurt in all that chaos). no peace for mommy. cranky kids the rest of the day.

i guess i just need to commiserate. i need to hear that i'm not alone. i need to NOT loose my mind and yell at them for the rest of the day. i'm so tense and tired!


btw i know i need to update my ticker. the girls are 3 yrs, 1 month

 

I think I did it all at their age. Do you seperate them? I had to at that age.
I also bribed them with M &M's if they stayed in bed (quietly) until the timer went off.
Another thing that worked for a while was letting them rest (alone) inside the little play tents (in seperate rooms). Sometimes I would let them pick their resting spot. They loved going into my bed. I was very strict about not getting up until the timer went off. If thye got up, then I shut the door. which they hated. You can also try a sticker chart- they help make it and get to put the sticker on.

OK, not everyone will agree with this. But, you could set them up with a portable DVD player with headphones.

How do they do at bedtime? Do you have a bedtime rouine? It really helped my girls to follow the same routine (basically snack, potty, story- we skipped brushing teeth) or ANY routine might help if you stay consistent. Also, try a physical activity/ outdoor play befre nap.

Just throwing any suggestion I can think of. I'm right there with you about the noise. It really gets to me, too. Good luck.

 

The only thing I can think of is TV, but they are 3 it sounds like they are just being 3.

 

The only thing that sort-of worked was to do a 90 min Disney movie. Honestly, I just gave up and it made my day much less stressful to NOT try to mandate quiet/nap time. Can they play independently at all? Mine are pretty good about it, so if they are playing nicely, I can go throw some laundry in, mess around on TS, put a load of dishes in, or just sit and chill for a bit in the other room. I'm sorry, the end of naps was a big adjustment for me too.

 

Honestly, you have posted about the same issue several times, clearly they are not going to nap or be quiet for you :hug: So why not make the best of it! How about a long walk (in stroller or out)? Play at the park while you read a book? Watch a movie?

 

Do they stay in their room? If so, I would try to figure out how to get that to work for me. Can you go lie down maybe listen to some relaxing music on headphones so you don't hear them? Is there a different part of the house you can go to if you don't want to listen to music? In our house I wouldn't hear them in the basement or if I took a shower - I'd hop on TS or read a book in the basement or start taking my daily shower at naptime

Do they have to be in there for a set amount of time? I would give up the bed requirement altogether - that is a battle you just can't win. What about a new rule that if they are being loud enough that you need to come in and tell them to be quieter their timer starts over? But honestly, you might how to adjust your expectations on how quiet they are going to be figure out how to make kid-free time work for you.