Raise your hand if you are a parent of little ones? If you are, I see you, I feel you, I am YOU and my hats off to you! Being a parent of toddlers and babies requires an immense amount of energy that we innately possess as children and yet somehow it reemerges when we become new parents. We are constantly looking and running after our munchkins because at their tender age they could never be out of our sight. 

Every parent knows what happens when we turn our backs for seconds – silence. Although silence is golden, silence with a toddler is suspicious. If you are a stay-at-home parent, time is of the essence as we strive daily to take advantage of every moment. As much as I love spending my day with my 3 darlings, I also look forward to their nap time. Something that I have learned to do over time is  to take advantage of when they nap. Here’s how: 

Tidy up

It’s important to teach our children how to put their toys and playthings back in place at an early age. Children love to be mommy/daddy’s little helpers. But there are times they do not put their things back where they belong and that’s alright. Once I put them down for their nap, I put everything in order and clean up snacks or food that they spilled. I vacuum their play area and disinfect their food table. This way, when they wake up, they can find everything neat and are ready to read or play again. It takes about 15-20 minutes and once it is a routine, it can be done rather quickly. 

Baby proof

While tidying up, it is necessary to make sure our home is a baby-proofed space. Safety should always come first. That’s why I have teamed up with the American Cleaning Institute to participate in their Packets Up campaign around the importance of practicing laundry room safety.

I put my #PacketsUp because, as any parent knows, accidents can happen quickly and I want to keep my laundry room safe for my kids. 

Children are explorers and they will find anything that is within their reach. One area we have always been extremely careful with is the laundry room. , including liquid laundry packets and other household cleaners,be stored and sight, in the original, sealed containers, ,We also try to keep this room closed (locked if possible) at all times. Even when they see a closed door, children may still try to enter it when mommy and daddy are not looking. For this reason, we keep all our detergents, bleach products, cleaning products, and packets up! It’s also so important to completely close and seal liquid laundry packet containers before, during and after use.

Children do not know that these products can cause harm. To keep an accident from happening, it’s vital to be proactive when it comes to safety and take preventative measures by keeping all cleaners up and out of reach. We have the Packets Up decal on our wall to remind us of the importance of child safety, which you can order here! Take a few moments to scan your laundry room and make sure it is child proof. It is worth it!

Lastly, while on the topic of safety, since we have a 2-story home, we have a safety gate upstairs and downstairs which remains closed during naptime in case one of my toddlers wakes up. Baby proofing gives peace of mind knowing that your home is safe for your little ones.  

Be productive

Naptime equals work mode for me. As a stay-at-home parent who also works as a blogger, I seek to maximize my productivity and take full advantage of my time, sometimes having each minute of my day accounted for. Nap time is golden! Because we have our children on a daily routine, they take an afternoon nap at the same time. This time varies from 1 ½ hours to 2 ¼ hours. If you have pending home chores, do them. If you work from home or have a hobby, take advantage and do it! If you are taking a study course, or learning a new language, do it during their nap time. To be honest, there are instances where I find myself debating whether I should nap with them, but in the end, it’s never naptime for this mama. However, if you feel exhausted or overwhelmed, a nap will certainly help you recharge physically and mentally. Keep in mind, being productive does not equal keeping busy. Most of the time, less is more. If we focus on doing fewer tasks, we will be more productive. Oftentimes, we write out a To-Do List with a myriad of things on it, resulting in frustration or disappointment because we set unattainable daily/weekly goals. Aim to be productive during your kid’s naptime while setting achievable goals. 

Rest

Contrary to popular belief, being a stay-at-home parent does not mean staying at home doing nothing! It is sometimes said that being a stay-at-home parent is equivalent to two full-time jobs. No wonder there are days when my energy tank is running on empty. If you are a new parent, the lack of sleep is the toughest part, and many may experience exhaustion and restlessness. If you find yourself overwhelmed, press the pause button and find rest when possible. This can be done when your baby is napping. They tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps, but many parents simply don’t. Find what helps you unwind and relax. If you are well-rested, you will be able to perform better and give your children your 100%. 

As parents, we wish to have more hours in our day and although this is an impossible dream, we can learn how to take advantage of nap time. 

Disclosure: This is a paid partnership post with The American Cleaning Institute. Although this is a partnership, all opinions in this blog remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the institution.