Tell me about down time

[brachysira]

We try to limit screen time, but I honestly feel like screen time or reading is all I have for resting when not sleeping.  What do your kids do for downtime?  Sometimes Feb 13 child has not napped and is not all that functional by 4 PM.  It's too late to nap, but there are still at least 3 hours until bedtime.  I don't really want her to watch 3 hours of TV, but she's hard to be around and ends up in trouble for brother assault, etc. if I just leave them to play.  On many days, she may do "rest time" where she reads books in bed, but if she doesn't sleep, she isn't particularly rested after that, and I don't feel like I can just send her back to her room for more time looking at books.  If it's nice, I can put them in the stroller for a calming walk, if everyone is functional enough to get ready to go out...  What do you do when you have tired kids but it's not bedtime?

[wineandcake]

My kid doesn't nap, hasn't in a year now. We try to get him to sit and watch a movie mid afternoon as his rest but it doesn't always work. Whenever he seems to be extremely tired we bribe him to lay in our bed and watch a show and have a snack. Later in the evening if he's melting down, I let him paint/colour at the kitchen table so baby brother can't bother him. Play doh is another one he doesn't get often so I use it as a special activity to keep him really calm. Our deck has a gate so occasionally I send him out there to have a popsicle or something so he can have some time away from brother and calm down. Sometimes he asks if he can go downstairs to play trains by himself so that's another option as well. He's always been very good about independent play and likes his time to do things alone so it's pretty easy for him. I do turn the TV on between 4-5ish depending on when dinner is ready since both kids are starting to turn into hungry/tired disasters by that point and I need to cook so they get TV. It works well for us and then no objections when I turn it off because they get to eat.

[kleigh926]

Sometimes they get to watch TV, sometimes I sit and play with them to limit fighting and give them more interaction to keep them busy. Often we will try to get out of the house, whether it's just going for a walk/playing outside, or actually going somewhere to keep them distracted till bedtime. I will also use baths to kill some time before bed if they are cranky but it's still too early to put them to bed (particularly DS).

[brachysira]

Oh, baths! Those were great back when DS was a newborn as a way to keep M happy for a long time. Now it is hit or miss. Our bathroom is right in the middle of things, so DD can usually bathe semi-alone while I DS also plays semi-alone and I just check back and forth.

[pinkie]

I'm no help because we give Z the kindle and tell him he needs to stay in his room. He won't do quiet time otherwise and I've lost my will to fight.

[dc2london]

I am more concerned with everyone having downtime than with screen time amounts so, personally, I hand them their tablets and feel no guilt

[creepyeyeball]

Bad mom that I am, they have TVs in their room, so they head there and watch a video.

My older boys can be counted on to go to their rooms and play Legos quietly or read books. The girls need to be hypnotized into silence with screens. I have no other option if I want silence.

[beenandgone]

My kids get up and watch cartoons first thing in the morning. But during the day, I try to send them outside or to play in the playroom. But honestly, I'll send them anywhere with the tablet and let them watch Netflix, too. I just need QUIET.

and I don't get it often.

[hereweare]

It is mostly about survival

My most used methods are duplos, helping me cook, showering (we have a stand up shower), go play with Daddy, and TV. 

I started back school last week, so our evenings have also involved more of me playing with them versus when I was home all day during the summer.

I really hope my school gets off the year round schedule because starting school August 1st is too early! Plus the A/C wasn't working today and my classroom was 81 degrees F.  

[crimsonandclover]

DDs 1+2 have one hour of no-screen quiet time in the early afternoon. I tell them they can play together, but if they fight then each has to go to her own room to play. Sometimes they choose to be apart, too. Together they play dress-up or with Playmobile or Duplos. Apart DD1 (5 years old) makes bead necklaces, colors, or dresses up and does "ballet." DD2 (Feb child) plays with her Playmobile. She gets pretty into the make-believe worlds she creates.
Then when they come down from that quiet time if the weather is bad or someone is sick then they get an hour (or sometimes 2) of screen time.

After DD3 was born I said I don't care how much screen time they get for 6 months. Now those 6 months are over, so looks like it's time to crack down! My goal is to get them down to 30 min / day on their tablets and then maybe one other show on TV. We'll see. If it takes a while to get down to that then that's fine. Germans do less screen time than Americans, so compared to their friends they get tons.

[mishka29]

Feb13 still doesn't know how to work the iPad lol. She does watch tv almost every day for about 30 min if dads in charge (more if it's mom). I'm trying to think of something she does on her own and I'm drawing a blank. We have to take so many things away bc of jan15 kiddo. She ruins everything, eats markers, breaks it, rips it...we call her baby T-Rex. And this is so unfair to DD1 bc I feel like she doesn't get to do age appropriate things bc whatever she has dd2 MUST have the exact same thing or she screams down the house.

Well that didn't answer your question at all and I went on quite a tangent