Transition: naptime

[Daycare123]

hey all,

what do you during transition 12 month+ child? During nap do you let them cry it out? I havent transitioned in a while-but know that 30 minutes is not enough especially since I just sat down..

[gravy_train]

In my opinion there are 2 ways you can go about it:
1) let him/her cry it out (this is what I now do after months if struggling with a baby who wouldn't nap)
2) you can go into the room but do not pick the child up - just give them them a little hug and lay them back down in bed. Don't talk. You can go in every 5 minutes for the first day, every 10 minutes the next day (or if you want to stick with every 5 minutes for a few days). The idea is to offer reassurance but to not interfere with the child's ability to fall asleep on their own.
When children wake up after 30, 40 minutes it's because they have finished a sleep cycle and are unable to self-soothe themselves back to sleep. The only thing that has worked for me is to let them cry it out. Within 2 weeks the child will be napping. You can also use white noise during naptime to minimize the sounds of crying for the other children and to help soothe the restless sleepers.
Good luck!

[mattsmom]

I do the same as gravytrain. I let the baby cry it out, but if they haven't at least quieted down after a bit, I will go in and lay them back down and pat their back. If I have to do this over and over all of quiet time, I will. I also get the dcp to send a small blanket of theirs to help them settle at nap times.

I find if you give up and let them come out, then they think you will do it every time. I just don't give them a choice, because at that age, they need it even if they are just quietly resting for most of the time.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I do about the same as above. I won't let a child cry the whole nap time though. I also invested in a video monitor so that I can see the children. I have had a child climb out of the playpen so this makes me feel better that I can see what they are doing!

[Daycare123]

Thanks Everyone, I am of the same mind on this :)