Photo by Peasap
Thinking back to being a new mother, I remember how naive my friend and I both were when it came to parenting. One particular incident that stands out in my mind is a “lunch date” that we had at a slightly fancy restaurant. Well to be honest, it wasn’t all that fancy but it wasn’t very kid friendly either. With that being said, we both decided to bring our kids along. Yeah, that definitely wasn’t such a good idea. Even though my daughter was behaving fairly well, I still can’t say that she was being a perfect little angel. However, my friend’s son was being TERRIBLE. We were the group in the restaurant getting the vicious stares. One lady even worked up the nerves to openly comment about it. I’m not one to overstep my boundaries when it comes to how a parent deals with her child, so I just did my best to help calm the kiddo down & suggested that we leave. But, my friend insisted on staying so that’s what we did. The entire time I’m thinking, “This kid really needs a nap.”
Besides the occasional falling asleep during a car ride, this kid didn’t even know what nap time was. I’m not going off of assumption, I know this because she told me. As a result, he spent most of his days being cranky and bouncing off of walls (& sofas, & chairs, & other inanimate objects). Sometimes new moms don’t realize how important nap time really is or they think that allowing the child to nap during the day will keep them awake at night. This isn’t always true. Naps aren’t just for infants…toddlers need naps too.
Here are a few good reasons why nap time is necessary:
- Holding on to your sanity: When kids go from 0 to 10 in a flash, it’s alot to handle. Sometimes our nerves are already frazzled for other reasons, & dealing with an unruly child makes us want to break down. If the kid is in need of a nap, give him one. It’ll give both of you a much needed time out.
- Kids need to recharge: Ever notice how when the remote control batteries are tired and worn out, the remote starts to act wacky & do things that you weren’t expecting? Doesn’t it keep acting crazy until the batteries are replaced? Children are a lot like that. Naps help to recharge their batteries. When they wake up, they’re back to acting normal. Most of the time anyway.
- Extra time to yourself: If you’re a stay at home mom, most of your time probably goes to your child. Well guess what, it’s okay to take a little time for yourself too. Use this time to read a good book or tidy up the house without any interruptions.
Sometimes, squeezing in a nap simply isn’t possible. However, they should definitely be used when necessary. You and your child will feel a lot better after.
Like what I wrote? You can read more on my blog diaperstopotty.com.