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jec
01-14-2012, 06:08 PM
Hello everyone, this is my first post!
I have parents who would like their little one to be put down for 2 naps during the day. I know that some little ones at age one when they first start may need some time to adjust to my schedule to one nap. I agreed to start off their little one on 2 naps but that their little one would need to adjust to our daycare schedule to one nap.
I tried it for one week and with the set up of my home ~ our daycare is in it's own room of my home and I had this little one in one of my bedrooms for nap time so the other kids didn't wake. Music and busy didn't allow this little one to sleep as we have a bungalow and the bedroom is on the same floor. Our home is not that big.

I tried then to move lunch and nap time up to make it easier for this little one to adjust but then the parents starting after a few weeks putting this little one for a nap down as soon as they got home. Now they are looking at me to find a way to make nap time better and longer so their little one is more rested during day time nap.
Any suggestions, the only one that I could think of is to cut out nap at night when they walk in the door and give this little one time to adjust to one nap ....some kids adjust better than others but I am so open to suggestions. We go out for walks and this little one is so busy checking things out and doesn't even fall a sleep unless put in fold and play away from noise to nap.

mom-in-alberta
01-15-2012, 03:48 AM
How little is little? I have had kids in care up to around 18 months that still need a morning nap (albeit a shorter one). I do find that most of them give it up (or can be adjusted) a little after the first birthday.
If it doesn't interfere with your day-to-day, and mom and dad are really insistent, AND you think that this child would benefit from keeping the morning nap; I would keep trying.
I wouldn't enforce total silence from the other kids, but maybe that's not the time to play loud and crazy games. Maybe it can be coloring or craft time, or some such thing? If little one refuses to sleep at all, at least they have had a bit of a rest/quiet time.
I like that you have asked them to adjust to YOUR schedule. So often parents want us to adapt to theirs, which is (most of the time) not feasible. The problem I can see these parents having, though, is he/she is likely falling asleep on the way home, or so cranky and irritable that they are stressing out!

Momof4
01-15-2012, 11:54 AM
Your home sounds like mine, the daycare room is my living room though and the dining room next to it both convert into the sleeping areas for naptime from 12:30-3ish. I close all the curtains and it is like night time in here so they sleep really well.

I have 2 one year old children who have already given up their morning naps but sometimes they have a little nap in the stroller when we are out and about in the morning. Can you get your little ones to stroller nap for a short time like that in the morning?

I used to have all older children ages 3-4 and naptime was just 1-2:30 because not all of them slept that long. When the two new babies started as the two oldest graduated I nudged naptime up to 12:30 because the babies arrive at 8am and can't stay awake much past noon. I did what you did and moved lunch up to 11am so I could get them all into beds (babies first) by 12:30.

Afternoon naptime/quiet time are not a negotiating in my daycare because I need a little quiet break in the middle of the day to make it through my very long days since there is so much to do in the evenings as well. I wish I had a dishwasher! There are always 2 sinks full of dishes at the end of the day, sweeping, vacuuming, then on to preparing for tomorrow, whew! I know it's the same for all of us.

playfelt
01-15-2012, 12:11 PM
I have a 16 month old that we are now just beginning to transition and I have lunch at 11-12 and she is in bed by 12 and sleeps through till after 3 as she is the last one I get up.

I probably would continue the way you are now but get all the busy things out of the way before the child goes down in the morning and then while she is down have craft time which works out best anyways if the babies are out of the way. Leave her in bed for 1 1/2 hours whether she sleeps or not. It may be the business of daycare that is tiring her out so it is more of a stress tired than a sleepy tired. If you can then hold her off from going down so early in the afternoon you can put her down a bit later and get her up just before hometime. Parents of new kids also forget that sometimes their child slept in later in the morning but now they have to get them up which means they need to adjust their sleep time. So a child that gets up at 6 to dress, eat and come to daycare for 7am should really be in bed by 6pm which of course rarely happens.

jec
01-15-2012, 07:08 PM
This little one is 14 months. During the 'morning nap' is when we usually go out for a walk and no sleeping ~ this little one and Mom told me is too busy checking things out to sleep. Or based on how everyone is, we might do a craft instead and the other little ones are anything but quite and I agree with you, you can't keep them quite as they are having fun and listening to music although lower ...still too much noise.
I totally hear the parents ...I've been there too with my own little ones who used to be in daycare and it's only been a few months since Mom has gone back to work. So tough for some little ones to adjust. This one is nothing but smiles but I get a different story from Mom when she gets home and I've been there too after a long day of work having an unhappy little one. the only problem is that the parents are only OK with me giving their little one two naps as I can't seem to come up with anything that they are happy with :(
Thanks for the advice ~

playfelt
01-16-2012, 07:37 AM
What the child is craving as soon as she gets home is the parents' attention. It isn't about being tired necessarily as it is about just wanting to be held securely. Many parents find it works well to take the child home and have a snack and cuddle for awhile before rushing to the kitchen to make supper. Maybe she could try that to determine if it really is tired or if it is hunger - how long between afternoon snack and hometime, that sort of thing.

At the same time it is possible to curtail the activities of the older children in the sense of teaching them some empathy for the needs of others. When the baby is sleeping there are certain toys we don't play with and certain things we don't do which keeps the noise level down. They are reminded about why we are acting that way and why the limits are in place. It is important for everyone in the group to be respectful of the needs of others. So for the hour of naptime music is a closed centre, the fire engine toy is put up on the shelf, the hallway is offlimits, that sort of thing.

jec
01-16-2012, 12:01 PM
I believe that it might be more than just tired ~ as Mom doesn't seem to have much patience for her little one and getting home after a busy day- getting dinner ready and having a little one who, as you say is looking for some cuddle time, might have too much on her hands. Just a feeling I get from the way the Mom talks and things she has said.
My playroom isn't through out my home, it is separate and the daycare is it's own room. The other ones in my care are young as well. Just going to have to keep plugging away.
I agree with you playfelt- it is important to be respectful of others and something I believe in teaching too :)

sunnydays
01-16-2012, 12:38 PM
Have you tried putting a fan (turned away of course) on near her playpen to block out the noise of the other kids? I find this helps a lot as I have a little guy who is sensitive to noise and he sleeps in teh basement, which is right off of my playroom with no door. Once I got him used to naptime, he has become a very good sleeper and rarely gets woken up by the others.

playfelt
01-16-2012, 07:39 PM
Try a radio tuned between stations to get the white noise without the air of the fan.

mom-in-alberta
01-17-2012, 04:03 AM
JEC; my first instinct when hearing that this little person was tired at the end of the day was to think "I betcha it's MOM that's tired, not little one!" Understandable, but putting the child down for a nap so that she can make supper, take a breather, etc is not going to be helpful in the long run. I would stick to what you feel is best for her (the child). Try some of the above suggestions to help her get a little rest, when needed.
Best of luck!!! :)

jec
01-17-2012, 06:18 AM
Thank you ladies for all the advice!
I don't have a fan ~ I will try that. The little one does sleep with white noise of the ocean but maybe that isn't enough. I do believe that a lot of this is Mom. She doesn't seem to have much patience with the little one when fussy at either drop off or pick up.

Momof4
01-17-2012, 04:01 PM
I don't know how you could bring up the subject with the Mom but I worked an office job for so many years and when I got home my children wanted my time. I had to take time with each of them and let them tell me about their days and sometimes I was able to do it while I was cooking dinner. It sounds like this Mom just needs to take 15 minutes with the child when they get home before she gets busy with everything else. Poor little child!