Eight ways to sneak in a nap while the kids are awake
Sleep deprivation is actually considered a form of torture and any parent with a child who won’t sleep can certainly understand why! Being overtired makes it hard to tell what’s real and you can feel like you’re losing your mind.
With an active child, it’s hard catch up on your sleep in the day time – or is it?
If being a sleep deprived mum has taught me anything, it’s this – nothing is impossible, even sneaking in a bit of a sleep during the day. And here’s how you do it.
Play Sleeping Lions
Embrace your inner Simba. Be the Lion. Over and over again.
Make a comfortable fort out of blankets
The key here is comfort. Set a timer for 15 minutes and hope that your kids actually sleep through the pretend ‘night’. And even if they don’t, maybe you can.
Play doctors
You’re a really sick patient. Too sick to even open your eyes.
Give your kids a book of stickers
Let them stick the stickers all over your body while you sleep. You’ll wake up looking like an art project, but it’s probably worth it.
Go for a long drive
And hope that the drive knocks your children out. Then pull over on the side of the road and join them in a car kip.
Get to know this incredibly weird YouTube channel
It’s Disney Toy Collector. It is literally a show where a woman opens up toys. I know, it’s crazy. But it somehow mesmerises kids everywhere, and it will give you at least a half an hour of quiet time. Cuddle up beside them and sleep while they watch this odd show. You’re welcome.
Call in a baby sitter
Say you’re going out. Then go back in through your bedroom window, sneak into your bed and sleep. When it’s time to let the baby sitter go, head back out the same way you came in and pray no one sees you breaking into your own house.
Wear sunnies… everywhere
On the lounge while watching a movie, at the local play centre, while your child reads books to you on the floor. If you happen to doze off, it’s okay. No one will notice. Just make sure you’re not behind the wheel.
What about those days when your child simply won’t give in to your sleeping games? Rely on caffeine and eventually that sleepy feeling will be replaced by a strong urge to re-tile the house, hike up a mountain or go on a 15 kilometre bike ride with the kids.
Looking for more how-to guides on surviving those less-than-ideal parenting moments? Check out how to survive the first three months with a newborn and 13 ways to ditch the dummy. We’ve also figured out how to ensure your kids stay in their own beds all night long.
And don’t forget to check out the popular video on how to convince your kid to clean the house.
