No time for outdoor play !?

[crafty]

Hi there ladies !

Ever since I've started 2 new wee ones that still nap in the morning, I find it difficult to get outside with this new schedule. I dont wanna take the big kids outside while the one year olds nap. I'm just not comfortable with the idea of having small kids inside and relying on a monitor. What if I need to get inside quickly but have 4 other kids to round up and undress.

So here is our schedule and maybe you can help me make some changes or maybe it's fine the way it is temporarly.

8h00 to 8h45 am drop offs /free play
8h45-9h00 Potty break then snack
9h30am Nap for the little ones until 11h00am. (They both sleep 2 hours in the am at home. )
11h15 Potty break
11h30 to 12h00 LUNCH
12h00 to 12h30 Music , dancing , sotrytime.
12H30 Potty break and off to Nap until 2h30-3h00pm ( Everyone sleeps 2 hours at home )

Then it's diapers and snack. So the only time I have enough time to get everyone outside is after the PM snack and by then it's often dark and colder or someone is picking up early so I get caught in the way out and one of the kids did not get a chance to play outside. Is it okay ? I use to go outside right after the AM snack but now I can't. How does it work for you when you have little ones sleeping in the am ? I know it's only temporary but still ...

Thanks for your advice.

[daycarewhisperer]

have the parents feed a 1 year olds breakfast and put them to bed right when they arrive at your house. Get them up at 9 o'clock and then take everybody out.

[monkeymama]

I do morning nap from 9-10. Then everyone up and outside until 12. lunch and then afternoon nap from 1-3. I use to have 3 on morning nap and now just one. When little ones are napping, I do craft with older ones. It works well

[sunnydays]

Depending on how early the little ones wake up in the morning at home, you could move morning nap earlier. I have a little guy who needs one still and he goes down at 8am until about 8:40 when we leave to take my son to the bus. I also moved morning snack up to 8am (it's more like a second breakfast) because if we have to come in and have snack, we will never get out to play! So now, after we drop my son at his bus at close to 9am, we are free to spend time outside...everyone is napped and fed already. We go in after and have lunch at 11am and hten they go for naps by 12:30. This seems to be working out quite well. Good luck!

[Inspired by Reggio]

I am another one who either puts the wee ones who still need a morning nap down early if they arrive in time and have them up by 9am or they nap 'on the go' aka outside in the stroller or in the vehicle enroute to playgroup or what not ... because the 'majority' need it including ME the afternoon nap is the one time of the day where I ensure that everyone is home and in their bed to engage in it ~ I try to wean them onto one long afternoon nap as soon as possible if they are not already on that schedule when they start.

[crafty]

Yeah maybe I can just cut the AM naps. The parents tell me they sleep for 2 hours AM and PM but maybe I can just start cutting it down and give them an hour from 9h00am to 10h00 asking parents to drop off at 8h30am at the latest. We could then go outside until lunch time. Hope the parents are ok with it but they all have been great so far. Thanks guys !!

[gravy_train]

I do morning nap from 9-10. Then everyone up and outside until 12. lunch and then afternoon nap from 1-3. I use to have 3 on morning nap and now just one. When little ones are napping, I do craft with older ones. It works well

This is also the schedule I follow. It works really well because, like monkeymama said, you can do the more advanced crafts with the other children while the wee ones sleep.

[Momof4]

Well, I don't know why, but every time a baby starts here they drop their morning naps cold turkey, even if they are just under a year old. We have breakfast at 8:30, go outside to play usually at 9ish to 11 or we are busy creating and playing inside. I've had some small children drift off for a little power nap on the way home in the stroller at about 11. But I serve lunch at 11:30 then get the children into bed shortly after noon and they sleep 2-2 1/2 hours.

[crafty]

Well thanks a lot guys. So simple but I guess I needed outside help to see clearly haha. So We did early snack at 8h30am. I was affraid they would not eat but they ate. Then nap from 9h00 to 10h00am and then outside until lunch. I tought they would get extra hungry but they did not get fussy and ate really well. Now they are sleeping... well to the exeption of one who is still haivng problems with naps:confused: I dont knwo why.

Anyway thanks so much. I feel silly I did not get it on my own but I am happy I checked with you guys.

[sunnydays]

Sounds great! Sometimes simple things are not that easy to see from the inside...it takes an outsider to see the little things that are tripping us up ;)

[Momof4]

We all need a good support system. I have some good friends that I lean on regularly when I need help or I would not have made it this far. It's important when we work alone not to try to carry the burden silently. We have really, really hard jobs, some days are fantastic but some are enough to make a superhero cry!