Hello there friend!
Today I thought I’d share one thing that has saved my sanity as a mom many times. I regret to say that this is not earth-shattering – it’s actually pretty simple. But I’d like to think it’s still pretty smart, haha. 😉
Are you ready for it?
Drum roll please . . . .
Here it is:
My Sanity Saver For Moms: Get your kids accustomed to having a short, independent play time / book time on a regular basis.
Boom.
That’s it. That’s what saves my sanity.
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What We Do
Back when I only had Caleb I would put him in his bed to play for about a half an hour most mornings. This started after he’d dropped his morning nap. He knew it wasn’t nap time because I always selected various toys and board books for him to have and often played fun music for him during that time as well. I used those thirty-ish minutes to get some things done, read my Bible, or maybe just drink some hot coffee and relax a few minutes.
Once Sofia was born I felt so grateful that Caleb was in the habit of this little playtime – it was super helpful just to have him contained for a bit (you boy moms understand!)
Now days we do a little morning “book time” several times a week – usually on days when we’re home all morning and the kids and I both need a little breather. Sofia plays or looks at books in the pack and play in my bedroom and Caleb does the same in his room.
This quiet time has also turned into the kids’ morning snack time which is pretty much always apple slices (a relatively non-messy snack that I don’t mind them eating in the bedrooms.)
Again, their quiet time is usually around a half an hour, though if Caleb eats his snack extra fast he will generally pop out a few times to see if the time is up yet. 😉
Why We Do It
It’s good for the kids
- It gives them a (sometimes much needed) little break from each other!
- It gives them a good opportunity to learn to enjoy books and “reading” (even if they’re nowhere close to actually reading yet.)
- It encourages independent play. Mommy can’t always be the entertainer so independent play is important to learn!
It’s good for me
Yep, I’m not ashamed to say it! Sometimes mama just needs a little break from all the crazy.
Obviously, what works for us right now will not always work for us. Part of being a mom is constantly adjusting to your kids’ changing needs.
This fall I plan to keep up the morning quiet time for Sofia and use that time to focus on some simple pre-k learning with Caleb (depending on the new baby’s schedule of course!)
Later on, once the kids are older and ready to drop their afternoon naps (thank goodness we haven’t reached this point yet!) we’ll probably do a longer afternoon quiet time instead of having one in the morning.
Want some more tips for moms? Check out these 20+ Mom Hacks!
So, do you do something like this with your kids? What is one thing that you do do on a regular basis that helps save your sanity? Share your tips with us in the comments!
I love this idea! So important for mum’s to have a little break during the day. I have two boys and my eldest has almost dropped his afternoon nap but my baby still needs one. I’ve been putting my oldest boy in his room for “afternoon nap” to see if he falls asleep and he usually ends up just reading all the books on his shelf for about 45min to an hour. I’m so relieved and happy he likes the quiet alone time for independent play.
We do an hour of reading time each day, too. I take the kiddos to the library every other week to gather books of their choice & then, they get to read them throughout the week. It’s empowering to them to get to choose what they read & less of a fight when it comes time to settle down & read. 🙂
So thankful for libraries!! We love to go often as well 🙂
While we don’t do this exact thing, we definitely find value in kids playing/reading by themselves! My four year old plays in her room independently for over an hour and LOVES having the time and space away from her brother. Right now my son still naps twice a day, but he will absolutely take time in his room to play by himself when he’s old enough! Gives everyone in the house some “me time.” 🙂
Over an hour, wow that’s great!!
I LOVE this! Plus… there is zero guilt of sending your kids off to read! My 2 year old even likes to ‘read’ to himself. Thanks for sharing!
I agree with this SO much!!! We have an hour of quiet reading time every single day (we are homeschoolers). I think I would completely lost my sanity if I didnt! I love the idea of even using this for the littles! 🙂
We plan to homeschool and I definitely love the idea of an hour of reading!
Hah! Yes!! This is so important! It took my older daughter much longer to learn how to do this than it did for #2.
I feel like second born kiddos are better at independent play haha at least that’s how it is for us too!
My one year old will play by herself flipping through her books for a little bit. Sometimes it makes me feel guilty if I am not constantly engaging in her, but it is needed sometimes!
Missy Smith
http://www.thesimplysmiths.com
Don’t feel guilty!! 🙂
Yes, it’s difficult to find time to clean and cook, but that’s not the hard part that I’m talking about. The hardest part for me was feeling completely subhuman without a job. I didn’t have coworkers stopping by anymore to chat or laugh at my jokes. I had a tiny terrorist screaming at me for God only knows what as I scrambled to change his diaper, nurse him, and snuggle him only for him to keep screaming.
Such a simple and great idea to get some quiet alone time! I’ll need to incorporate this into our day as well!