Searching for a count down timer.

[luv]

Sorry I didn't know where else to put this. I am searching for a countdown timer to turn ON a light.

DD has gotten to the point that 10 min after I put her down for her nap she jumps up and comes out ready to go. I know she needs to nap and if she's there resting for just a bit longer she'll nod off. (as she does when I go put her back in bed) She needs something less arbitrary than "You can come out in 1 hour."

We've put an end to the same thing at night by putting in a "good morning light". She knows she cant get out of bed for the day until the light turns on. It's on a timer and turns on every morning t 6:21. She's perfectly happy with the set up. (and yes she still comes to get a hug if she has a bad dream or needs to potty, but she doesn't protest returning to bed if the light is not on yet)

So I would like to do the same thing for nap time. Not allowed to get out of bed until the light comes on. However, since the time she goes down for nap can vary by 45 min or so depending on the morning activities the standard timer wont work for us. I would LOVE to start a timer as I left the room and have a light go on Xmin after I've left. (as opposed to a sound which would wake her if she had fallen asleep) Then say 2 hours after the light goes on it should go off for the rest of the afternoon.

I have found this product which does exactly the opposite of what I want. (it cuts the power after an hour instead of turning it on.)

Anyone have any suggestions?

Christi

[pauletoy]

www.lowes.com/pd_148297-207-TM01DHBL_0_?productId=3122121&Ntt=timer&Ntk=i_prod ucts&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?newSearch=true$Ntt=timer

This is what we have. We set it for the time our children are allowed to get out of bed in the morning and the time they are allowed to leave thier rooms at nap time. It works perfectly, especially if you have the same wake up times everyday. We set it once and forget about it until the time changes or the power goes off.

[LynnS6]

Instead of a lamp, what about a Time Timer? This has a red portion for how long the timer is set for, and when the red is gone, the timer is done. The beauty of this is that you can just set it when she goes down, so you don't have to worry about when she goes down. Just wind it up and she can visually see (even if she can't tell time) whether it's OK to get up.

The link I gave is to an 8" version. There's a smaller 3" version too. And it's battery operated so you don't have to worry about power differences (assuming you're still in Paris). Now where you'd find one in Paris is beyond me!

[luv]

Originally Posted by pauletoy

It works perfectly, especially if you have the same wake up times everyday.

We have this on her lamp for he morning wake up time, which is the same every day, and I agree it works great. Problem is the nap wake up time varies from day to day as the time she goes down can vary by 45 min or so. It needs to count down one hour from the time she goes down.

Originally Posted by LynnS6

Instead of a lamp, what about a Time Timer?

This is a VERY good plan B. I'd seen this in the past but forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder. I was hoping to use the lamp as it is exactly the same as the one she wakes up to in the morning. Getting up when the lamp goes on would be consistent with what she already knows. Plus I already spent the money on the lamp. If I cant find a timer that works in the next couple days I'll prob go this route instead.

Do you have one? Can you tell me if there is an audible click like there is on a kitchen timer? Part of the benefit of the lamp is it doesn't wake her if she has fallen asleep.

[snoopy5386]

can't you just reset the timer you have for the appropriate time every day? It is a bit of pain to reset it every day, but not the end of the world.
OR get a light up alarm clock and set it everyday at naptime
http://www.amazon.com/SunRise-Alarm-.../dp/B000SSVHCE

[CarrieMF]

can you put a cd of music on in her room & she can't get up until the cd is done. Chances are she'll fall asleep before it's done.

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by luv

Do you have one? Can you tell me if there is an audible click like there is on a kitchen timer? Part of the benefit of the lamp is it doesn't wake her if she has fallen asleep.

No, there's no audible click. It's completely visual. I don't have one, but I asked my friend who does. She did warn me that as a child gets older and more savvy, they might learn to take out the batteries. (They use it for computer time.)

[Viola41]

We set an alarm clock to have classical music come on about an hour after we put our 3 year old down for a nap. Oftentimes she'll fall asleep and stay asleep after the music (since it's peaceful) comes on. However, if you're trying to keep your nap lengths to 45 minutes, you might need to watch the clock and go wake your kiddo up.

I have been meaning to put together a few CDs of various kids' music and relaxing music that are exactly an hour long, so she can be listening to them and just come downstairs when it goes off. My daughter is now even old enough to listen to a story on CD (and then potentially nod off if she needs it), but that might be too stimulating for naps for you.