Nap issue

[suzydominguez]

Hello everyone.
So here I am again with a 1 year old that just won't nap. I had to put him separate from my other kids because he falls asleep crying at the top of his lungs, sleeps for 20 minutes and wakes up screaming bloody murder. I let him cry it out, but it has been a month and no improvement.
Any advice??

[5 Little Monkeys]

Yikes, that's tough! You are already doing everything I'd suggest so I guess now I would either give it more time or terminate if I was finding it too disruptive to my group

[Lee-Bee]

If you haven't already considered could: hunger, too hot, too cold, too much light be at all involved?

Are you noticing any variation in the length he sleeps once finally asleep?
What is sleep like at home?

[cate]

We had one like that, took 6 weeks, but now he sleeps for 2-3 hours here, still won't nap at home for his parents though. We just had to let him cry it out. He no longer cries, he just lies down and goes to sleep. We had him in a separate room with music playing softly.

[suzydominguez]

Hi lee-bee, yes I've considered everything. It's not hunger. We have nap right after lunch and he eats well, he also gets 4 oz of milk too before he goes down. I have him in my bedroom, in a playpen with his blanket and the lights are off. When he was with mom he cat napped, 3-4 times a day, I refused to do that because I don't think he needs those many naps at 1 year. I tried giving him a nap in the morning and than in the afternoon. He won't sleep in the morning, only in the afternoon for 20 min. I think it is just him, he doesn't want to sleep! I let him cry it out until nap time is over and when I go get him he is all happy and playful. I hope it changes. I can't bear the screaming, it's like someone is torturing him ��

[Busy ECE mommy]

Have you tried putting a fan on or white noise, or lullaby music, or water sounds?

[ebhappydc]

I'm dealing with this issue now too with a 15 mnth dcb. I am able to have the other 4 dcbs in separate rooms with white noise on in each room and the others seems to be able to tune the cried out. I had same problem with his 3 yr old brother who cried like torture for 3 months. I contemplated terminating but decided to stick it out because they are no trouble otherwise. Now the 3 yr old needs me to wake him up and he's my best kid. It's tough tho. This little guy already starts hyper ventilating after lunch b/c he knows nap time is coming. Like he thinks he's the only one in nap and everyone is still playing. Or like phobia. He's an angel otherwise. I'm trying to to tune him out while I'm on different floor,but it's hard! I know it'll be over at some point.

[kindertime]

When he was with mom he cat napped, 3-4 times a day, I refused to do that because I don't think he needs those many naps at 1 year. I tried giving him a nap in the morning and than in the afternoon. He won't sleep in the morning, only in the afternoon for 20 min. I think it is just him, he doesn't want to sleep! I let him cry it out until nap time is over and when I go get him he is all happy and playful. I hope it changes. I can't bear the screaming, it's like someone is torturing him ��

Totally understandable. Remember, human beings are creatures of habit. His body is used to sleeping for short periods of time and then being back to full alert. It will take time for him to adjust to a specific nap schedule. It has happened here too. I stick to the clock with this kind of situation. Right now, morning nap is 1 hr, crying or not and I will wake the baby if still sleeping; and afternoon nap is 2 hrs, same deal. The older kids have the flexiblity to get up a bit early, if they wake up themselves, but to get the infants into the routine, they have to stick to the schedule, and are in another room.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I just remembered that I had a child who would very rarely nap here but during his last week of care, I found that a heater being on helped him sleep. Mom said he slept with one at home....but had never mentioned in it all the time he was previously here as she never thought about it!!! Ahhh!!! Lol

Ask mom how he sleeps at home...,every detail!! (Blanket on/off, fan, heater, dark, curtains open, stuffy, noise machine, on stomach/back/side, story before bed etc etc) Maybe there's something you can try that she does at home

[hockey mom]

How did this work out for you? I'm dealing with the same issue now with 15 month old dcg. We've been working on naps for 4 weeks now --- only sleeps through one cycle and then is up screaming. She still gets nursed to sleep and back to sleep at home --- am I fighting a losing battle???

[Suzie_Homemaker]

Talk to Mom and get her detail the sleep routine. Amazing how many parent give child soother at home, bottle, sleep buddy, blankie, that they not bother bring daycare. Also little tiny detail might be key. Thing like cool room, warm room, very dark, or night light, all little thing child used to which might not be at daycare because parent not share that detail.

[hockey mom]

Only problem with that: she doesn't sleep at home either��

[babydom]

Basically u have to try everything u can think off. Make sure it's not hunger, diaper, to dark, to light, cold hot. Noice machine, music, fan, blanket, bottle, soother, stuffed toy....etc. If all that fails then u make a choice. Let her cry it out and she WILL eventually settle and sleep but that can take a wk, four wks, four mths or sometimes longer. So decide if u want to keep going and one day it will just click with her to sleep or u terminate care. If u decide to go on make sure u can handle it. No one likes an impatience grumpy crabby caregiver :). Good luck. I've had one that I waited out. 3 mths. Now he sleeps three hrs straight every day for the last two yrs. I started a new one back in nov and he's still going :)

[suzydominguez]

Hello everyone. The family actually terminated Christmas week. They purchased a home and it was to far to continue care with me. Naps didn't change with him. I continued to have him cry it out, he would sleep an additional half hour just before nap period ended. I believe that eventually he would get use to it, but it is very hard to deal with and I was feeling pretty drained by than. Things turned out for the best.

[sandylynn]

I have had this problem over the years...I do find if I get a new fuss child....I put them in my back spare bedroom...the room with the heavy drapes (very dark during day).... helps a lot..more like night time to them....unfortunatel y the transition of letting them cry it out is hard...some parents are like "how do you get them to nap...they won't nap at home"...how do you tell them..."I don't run into the room every 5 min of their screaming ..."I check after 10-15 min....lay them back down and leave..go back in 15 min later...and do the same thing...eventually after about a week or 2...they are fine..... but you CAN'T GIVE INTO THEM.....good luck

[Lee-Bee]

I have had this problem over the years...I do find if I get a new fuss child....I put them in my back spare bedroom...the room with the heavy drapes (very dark during day).... helps a lot..more like night time to them....unfortunatel y the transition of letting them cry it out is hard...some parents are like "how do you get them to nap...they won't nap at home"...how do you tell them..."I don't run into the room every 5 min of their screaming ..."I check after 10-15 min....lay them back down and leave..go back in 15 min later...and do the same thing...eventually after about a week or 2...they are fine..... but you CAN'T GIVE INTO THEM.....good luck

My crappy sleeper (at home) has been here 2 yrs. I remember long ago when the child was like 15months old mom asking me if the child keeps getting her legs stuck in the crib at the beginning of nap. My answer was no. She responded that it happens every time they try to get the child to nap in the crib at home (bed share). The child tried it here but I have a video monitor and watch the child stick a leg in the crib and scream. I didn't go in. The fun rescue game got old fast and the child didn't bother keeping at it. At home mom would go running to rescue the child and then would bedshare for nap because the child was so distraught with having been stuck in the crib. sigh.

Parenting takes a great deal of brains, strength and patience because as cute and innocent as they are....toddlers are seriously manipulative, major control freaks and sneaky!!!!