Time Management for Busy Moms 3: Nap Transitions

Adriaen van Ostade: Mother Holding her Child in a Doorway

I started this series by detailing the process I wish I had used to develop a good time management plan (or schedule) when our first baby was born. Today, I’m looking at modifying that plan as your baby approaches and enters the second year of life, when normally, naps decrease in number and waketimes lengthen. I am assuming for this post that you have only one child; balancing the needs of multiple children is a subject for another post!

When a baby transitions from 3 naps to 2, or from 2 naps to 1, there are larger chunks of time available which are not filled by nursing, meals, or sleep. These nap transitions are the ideal time to revisit your schedule.

Three Naps to Two

Generally, this will mean a morning nap and an afternoon nap, with about 2 -3 hours of waketime in between each nap. The time following each nap is a wonderful opportunity to include some new activities into your schedule, depending on your interests and the needs of yourself and your pre-toddler.

You will need to think about the balance between activities for baby, activities for mom, and time at home, over the period of a week. Personally, I prefer 2 - 3 outings per week, with the remainder of the time at home; but other moms may prefer to be out and about more frequently.

Two Naps to One

This transition may happen any time between 12 to 18 months. The end point of the transition will be one long-ish nap of around 2 - 3 hours starting after lunch.

With such long waketimes, planning becomes even more critical than ever before. It becomes essential to think about, and plan for, activities that meet mom’s and toddler’s needs, both at home and out of the home. Lack of planning can lead to time for boredom, mischief, mess, or all three!

Activity Ideas

Some ideas for activities you may enjoy with your older baby or toddler are:

outings:

• mom’s groups or playgroups
• gym classes
• swimming
• library
• music classes
• exercise - walking, jogging, cycling
• socialising with friends
• visiting family

at home

• structured learning activities - gross motor, fine motor, speech, etc
• craft
• sand and water play
• gardening
• baking
• housework / chore training

Scheduling

As before, you will need to draw up your schedule with columns for people, and rows for 30 minute intervals.

• Block out the nap times, meal times, self-care times, and fixed activities.
• What other needs or wants do you or your older baby have? For example, does your child need to see a physiotherapist once a week? Would you like to start baby swim classes or baby music classes? Would you like to meet regularly with friends for lunch?  Block out these outings on your schedule.
• When is the best time(s) each day to play with or teach your child 1-on-1?  Block this time out on your schedule.
• When will you fit in your housework? Do you want to include and/or train your toddler with easy tasks? Or do you prefer to do housework while your toddler is otherwise occupied? Plot out these times on your schedule.
• Review the balance of outings and days at home. Does your schedule suit your personality? Do you need more or less outings, or would it suit you better to shift one or more outings to a different day?
• Test your schedule, and don't be afraid to change it if it's not working!

Have you experienced either of these nap transitions? Did you include new activities as a result?