How to Take a Nap in a House with Three Small Kids

Feature photo by Julie Johnson on Unsplash

In my recent post about how I put my three kids to bed by myself, I mentioned that I miss taking naps whenever I wanted. Before my wife and I had kids, we could nap after work, after church, and after pretty much anything. With one child, it can still be done, with just a couple exceptions. With three kids, the only way you’ll get to take a nap is in between daily activities with your spouse’s help. So if your iced quad-shot Venti vanilla latte isn’t curing your daytime tiredness, try these tips for taking a nap in a house with three small kids.

Let’s first look at a couple ways to make those in between times work for you.

1. Identify the Need for a Nap

As a parent, this is obvious. You need to sleep. Proceed to step two.

2. Ask For Your Spouse’s Help

Of course, you can’t take a nap while you are alone with the kids. You must be a team player with your spouse when it comes to creating your nap time. Ask your spouse occupy the kid’s time so you can take a nap. If you do this and your spouse looks at you with dagger eyes, remember: it’s not a no unless they say it out loud. Proceed to step three.

3. Make Yourself Comfortable

Head to your preferred nap area, whether that’s the den, the basement, your bedroom, the garage, or your car. You must own that space for the entirety of your siesta. Do whatever it takes to get physically comfortable. Turn on a fan, play some music, or just revel in the silence you’ve been granted. Once you feel sufficiently cozy, proceed to step four.

4. Limit Your Nap Time

Set an alarm that corresponds for the length of your nap. Try to keep it reasonable. I set mine for at least two hours. Proceed to step five.

5. Plug In Your Phone

If you set an alarm, obviously make sure your phone is plugged in. You don’t want the battery to die and accidentally sleep until morning. As a parent, know that sleep debt is a thing. Proceed to step six.

5. OK, Watch One YouTube Video

You know, this is “me time”, right? If your phone is plugged in, you probably don’t want to miss the last upload on your favorite channel. It’s only 15 minutes long, which is only 12.5% of nap time, so that’s fine.

5. One More YouTube Video

That next Buzzfeed video was automatically recommended, so it’s OK to watch another one. It’s only 10 minutes, so it’s still fine. Probably. Proceed to step six now.

5. You Should Probably Stop Watching YouTube Videos

You’re probably really enjoying this time alone, but you forgot that it’s nap time. Put your phone down and go to sleep. Seriously, go to step six.

5. Look at the Clock

You’ve now lost 40 minutes of your nap time. That’s OK, you can still get a decent nap in. Just put down your phone.

5. One More App

Seriously, now you’re scrolling through Pinterest?

6. Go to Sleep

You have now successfully tucked yourself in and settled in for your nap. Good job!

7. Prepare for Interruptions

A number of things may make it difficult for you to remain asleep. Have no fear, there’s still approximately 40 minutes left of your nap time. Things you may experience during this period:

• Kids coming in to jump on you
• Loud noises that make you think one of the kids is in danger (jump out of bed immediately to investigate)
• Toys that make noise
• Kids singing at the top of their lungs

8. Go Back to Sleep

You can do this. There’s now still 15 minutes left of your sleep time. You can reduce this to a power nap.

9. Give Up

Actually, it’s time to throw in the towel. There’s only three minutes left before your alarm go off. You tried. Perhaps you can go to bed early tonight.