Yesterday evening as I was picking up my daughter from childcare, I happened to overhear another Mom ask the teacher about the “nap mat” she needed to buy for her son as he was moving up to the next class on Monday. This caught my attention because Little M will move up in a little over three months.

In their current class Little M and her classmates sleep on stackable molded cots with their own favorite blankets from home. In the next class up parents are required to provide nap mats that are much larger to accomodate growing children. The mats are also machine washable, as the children will be in potty training mode. The school also suggests that you buy two mats so that in the event of accidents, you aren’t scrambling to wash and return a single mat everyday.

Further research determined that the school sold mats in several standard theme patterns for $30 each, but the fabric seemed very stiff and not the least bit “snuggly.” I found similar mats with better fabric on the Internet but they were $50 for mats for boys and $75 for mats for girls.

Sidebar: Why are girl items always more expensive??? (Don’t worry, you don’t have to answer. The question is rhetorical – it’s because we’re girls, we like pretty stuff, and we pay a premium for it.)

Taking a look at the construction of the ones for sale at school, and then studying the ones sold on line, it would not be a difficult project to make. Fabric for the mat itself – back and front, foam padding, sheet material, a pillow, some nice binding, and velcro or buckles to secure it when its rolled up. Plus, making them myself would be considerably cheaper.

Hmmm. Buy overpriced, boring, and questionable quality, or make them myself?

I think it goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that I will be taking door number three. Mama will make the nap mats and will use warm, snuggly cute fabrics, make the pillow removeable for easy cleaning, add a nice closure, and, if she’s really, really good, perhaps she can get her BFF to monogram them with Little M’s name.  That would be sweet.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go check my fabric stock.