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Mommy-Jenn
03-23-2011, 04:07 PM
What do you do with your daycare kids that wake early? All my 2 and up sleep on mats in the playroom. But there is at least 1 that wakes up after 1 hr and blabs and blabs no matter how many times I tell her to shhhh. I cant get her up and allow her to play since we are in the playroom. My home is open concept so I cant really put her in another room. Naptime here is 2 hrs. Do I make her just lay there till 3 like everyone else?

playfelt
03-23-2011, 04:25 PM
Does it wake the others up? As long as she is willing to stay on the mat then yes she should stay there the whole time. Naptime isn't always about sleeping but of resting and giving the body a chance for relaxing. If you can put that child closest to the door and maybe after the 1 1/2 hours you could get her up and put her in the kitchen but maybe in a highchair so there is no chance of her running back into the playroom and then give her something quiet like playdough. Is there a chance that she is one of your last arrivals in the morning in the sense that she is getting more sleep before coming than the others are. The older she gets the more you will be able to make her understand laying quietly. While she is sleeping can you slip a couple books or something near her for her to use quietly on her bed.

Play and Learn
03-23-2011, 06:52 PM
While working in daycare centres, we had the early risers read books on their cots. I know of some that will have a little area with a couch that allows the child to sit quietly to read or do puzzles.

giraffe
03-23-2011, 08:36 PM
Tough one! I have separated my "babbler" from the others. Some days she sleeps and some days she wakes up and babbles after an hour or so. So now she has her own room. I am inerested in hearing ideas from other providers....

Tot-Time
03-24-2011, 05:57 PM
For me it depends on age.

Children under 2 1/2 have to have a 2 hour quiet time, which means on their nap mats and quiet, the second hour I can give them a book or two and they can quietly read or some prefer a buddy to play with. All my kids have buddies that they sleep with so it is there for them when they wake up.

Children over 2 1/2 up until 5 have to have a 2 hour quiet time, but 1 hour on their nap mats quietly, and a second hour of quiet activities that do not disrupt the rest of the children, so puzzles, books in the reading corner, job trays, felt stories etc.

I do sleep the under 2 1/2 on the upper level and the over 2 1/2 in the daycare (in the basement) so the older ones don't make so much nose that they wake up the little ones.

I also ensure that the parents know that the children over 2 1/2 may or may not be supervised directly for the 2nd hour, as that is my time to prep and stuff. My office is still part of the daycare but a separate room so I can't see the children directly. I also may need to be on a different level attending to the little ones. If I have a 2 1/2 yr old that can't be left alone then they need to stay on the same level as the little kids.