I fondly remember the days when both boys napped midday – at the same time. The family that naps together, stays together. Those halcyon days of yore.

They ended when my eldest learned to escape from his crib-cage.

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The day nap time died

We tried so many things. Before we discovered the ultimate weapon to bring back the nap!

We experimented

“Quiet time in your room” led to drama-filled rants. Or engineering feats, like the time he took his clock apart. Or bribing his brother to spring him from jail. The little brother who could neither walk, nor open doors, and who was, well, napping:

Hey, I’m in here! Come here! Don’t you want my elephant? Open the door. Help me!… Help me, OB1, you’re my only hope….Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?…

We begged

Us: “Aren’t you tired?”
Him: “No, not tired.”
Us: “You seem tired.”
Him: “No, not tired.”
Us: “I think you should take a nap.”
Him: “Ok.”
Us: Victory!
Him: “On Sunday.”
Us: Um, today is Saturday.

We gave up

We spent the weekends distracting him til bedtime. Fire station! Clowns and balloons! Some random kid’s birthday party! It got ridiculous. He was clearly tired. We consoled ourselves with the idea that putting him to bed early would make up for the sleep loss. After all, my favorite children’s sleep expert, Marc Weissbluth, recommends exactly this in his life-saving book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A step-by-step program for a good night’s sleep.

Until one day our distraction of choice – trip to the zoo! – resulted in a nap. In the car. And we had to stop at a traffic light. And he kept sleeping. This was a breakthrough.

We rediscovered the beauty of the car-nap

When he was a baby, we occasionally used the car-nap as a crutch, but the secret was to keep the car moving. He was a movement-junky. Woe be it if the car slowed to a stop. We actually drove around McDonald’s for 20 minutes once waiting for our drive-through order, because we couldn’t stop the car. Because he’d wake up. (20 minutes waiting for a McDonald’s drive-through order is another story.)

Then the zoo trip happened. And suddenly, the world of napping was within our grasp once again.

Are you fighting the midday, take-a-nap-damn-it fight, too? The car-nap might just do the trick!

Tips for car-nap success

Here are 8 tips to get your kiddo snoozing during your Sunday drive.

1. Lie

Let’s go watch the airplanes take off! Let’s go to the hardware store! Let’s go see some puppies!

2. Potty first

This goes for everyone.

3. Prepare for all weather conditions

Hook kiddo up with a clip-on fan in the summer. And a fleece blanket in the winter.

But don’t be an idiot. The optimal temperature for the car-nap is 45-70 degrees (Fahrenheit). Anything more extreme, see “We gave up” above. Because: scary stories of children dying in cars.

4. Leave the house at exactly the right time

That’s 2:30pm for us. Or else we’re screwed. As in, any earlier, he won’t nap. Any later, he naps and then wants to go to bed later than normal. Naps should end at least 3 hours before bedtime, so plan accordingly. (Mommy needs her evening free time, amiright?)

5. The sun is your friend

Plan your route so the kid faces the sun. Empathize with their cries of protest, and kindly suggest they close their eyes to block out the light.

6. No radio

The drone of NPR is acceptable.

7. Ignore the child

Which often leads to the heartbreaking, “Mommy? Mommy, are you there?” (Sorry, not sorry.)

8. Don’t give up

Keep driving til the kiddo sleeps. It usually takes 20 minutes for us to make the magic happen.

And as sweetness dozes off, simply turn the car around and drive home. And park your car. And turn off the engine. And recline your seat. And indulge in your own car-nap. Such splendid joy – because the family that naps together, stays together.

Share your own car-nap rules below or on Facebook at MothersRest.

Photo credit: Levi Saunders from Unsplash.com