Naptime advice please!

[agesandstagesdaycare]

Hi everyone,
I'd love some advice on my nap plans once I open in May!
I'm planning on having the two 1yr olds in playpens in the naproom. (My daycare will be all of the basement and part of the main floor). The 2y old will nap in a playpen in my room upstairs. The 3.5 yr old will be on a daycare cot in the main daycare room in the basement.

Does anyone put all kids in the same room for naps? How does it work for you?
Do you think my set-up will be okay?
Any advice about monitors?? I plan on being on the main floor with the basement door open so I can hear everyone but I'm going to need monitors as well.

Thanks,
Amy :o

[FS2011]

I have tried my 10 month with a 20 month in one nap room two playpens and found they interact and keep each other awake. I'm having the same struggle managing where to put different age groups to sleep. It's hard. I use a monitor in the nap room, one in my daughters room and leave the daycare door open for the 4 year old having quiet time. Im always down the hall doing some admin or paperwork etc. Good luck!

[Emilys4Guppies]

We all have the same nap/quiet time....so everyone naps in the same room. If they are too old for a nap or have stopped sleeping, then they get a cot in the mainroom on which to sit and do their quiet activities. My 2yo, 1yo and 6mo all sleep in the same room. It was a bit of a gong show for the first week but quickly got better. :)

[agesandstagesdaycare]

Emilys4Guppies,

How did you get it to work?

thanks everyone!!

[Naftafia]

All my kids are currently in seperate rooms but with my new addition starting at the end of the month and my baby being due in June, I need to rearrange. All the kids will be gradually moving to the basement. I plan on putting them in seperate corners and dividing them possibly with room dividers or curtains. I think it is important that they have their private area, eventhough they are sharing a space. I hope it will go well, but I except that the transitioning won't be easy.

Anyway you plan it, just expect that the transition will be harder, naps will be shorter and the kids will likely be tired in the afternoon. When I started my daycare last May, the napping part of the day was very difficult as my 2 year old needed to get her head rubbed to fall asleep but my 11 month old would be in the next room screaming and my son, 13 month old at the time, would be babbling away. As for my 3 year old, he had a hard time understanding the concept of "quiet time" and kept either singing loudly or selecting noisy toys.... I was hard but short lived.

I would suggest that the 3.5 year old be on the main level or further away from the kids... all depending what you have planned for him/her during the quiet time. You absolutely want to ensure that the older kids don't bother the litttle one's naps.

Good luck with your starting daycare! It is really fun and rewarding when things are well planned.

[playfelt]

I would be inclined to put the 2 year old and the 3 year olds in the main nap space that the younger ones will eventually graduate to as well. Depending on the size of the 2 year old and if they have moved from a crib to bed at home they may also be ready for a mat or cot. I have my 1 year olds in playpens in family bedrooms and they move to a playpen in the main nap area around 2 and then size and weight also dictates when it is no longer good for them to be in the playpen. The one year olds may also be needing two naps or take one long nap from 11-2 or have fussy days due to teething etc so better to isolate them and keep the older ones together. It takes time but they do all learn to sleep in the same space. My rule about "quiet time" is that it is the chance for our body to rest and that means quiet mouths (no talking), quiet hands and legs (laying still), closed eyes. The more they relax the sooner they fall asleep. So even those that are old enough not to sleep have to lay down and do the relaxation period anyways and can get up when I decide it is time - totally depends on their morning behaviour and how much I think they need a nap.

[agesandstagesdaycare]

The 2yr old has only ever napped alone so I'm not going to change that right away. The 3yr old is quiet like my own daughter but I may need to bring her upstiars if she's noisy downstairs. THanks!

[Emilys4Guppies]

I put them in with each other slowly. The 2yo is a great napper...knows he needs his naps and goes down like a dream. The 1yo was not so great...but he quickly followed the 2yos example. Before I moved him in with the 2yo I did get him napping well for me in another room. The 6mo is my son and has been on a great naptime routine since he was about 8 weeks old...so the foundation was laid for him.

I will let toddlers cry a bit to figure themselves out. I don't let children cry into hysteria as I do recognise that method doesn't work for all children...but it works for most children in a short period of time. And it seems that once the kids get to napping well, everyone is happier for it. :)

[Emilys4Guppies]

Oh, I wanted to add that my 3 sons all share a bedroom and this is the same concept. I find that my poor sleepers turned into good sleepers when sharing space. Weird, I know, but I think that they all WANT to sleep so they follow the example of the best sleeper.

[busybee]

Currently i have a almost 3 year old and 2 1 year olds share the same sleep room , they are my good sleepers, then I have a 1 year old that i segragate as he wakes the others

[gcj]

best piece of advice: HUMIDIFIERS....or any noise makers. I used them with my own kids who are close in age, so noone would be woken up (early morning feedings etc) and I swear by them for daycare naps as well. I use the 3 bedrooms of my house upstairs and separate them as best I can...depending on the best matches, but right one is having a major power struggle, non-napping phase, and she can cry as much as she wants...no one hears her :D

[Momof4]

I agree, that all of the children in my daycare will always have a naptime/quite time from 1pm to 3pm because I work from 7am to 5pm and then I clean and vacuum and sweep and clean my home. So with my very long working days I need a break (as most people who work outside their home have breaks during the day)!