No one is working on my schedule anymore!

Maybe it's the fresh air, or maybe I'm just too much fun in the morning, but lately my 2 youngest have been starting to crash way before I want them too. I have a normal schedule. 9am circle time, 9:30 snack time, 10am outdoor play, 11am - clean up, 11:15 I prep lunch and we eat at 11:30. I put them down around noon. But lately the youngest ones are starting to fall asleep during lunch. I don't want to put them to bed any earlier... that would mess up my MUCH needed quiet time.

Nothing I can do but just let them get used to the fresh air I guess. :)

Thank you for listening to me rant! :D

I have had to move naptime up which works for me since we do outside time after nap since the yard is shaded at that point and then the dirt and sand goes home not back into my house. Parents pick up from the back yard. It`s just what works for me.

In the winter the kids go home eat supper, watch tv and then go to bed. In the summer they get picked up, go home, play in the yard while parents bbq supper and then go to the park or splashpad or whatever then home for bath and bed and then crash. The parents complain about waking them up every morning.

In other words the kids are potentially coming to care tired which means you may have to adjust the schedule to include putting the two youngest in bed during circle time and then get them up to eat snack with everyone.

Other option is to have their lunch as yesterday's leftovers that you zap and serve as soon as you come in and then after they eat let them down to play while others eat - that should wake them up a little bit. Also if you put them in bed early right from lunch there is a good chance they would sleep longer too.

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Originally Posted by playfelt

I have had to move naptime up which works for me since we do outside time after nap since the yard is shaded at that point and then the dirt and sand goes home not back into my house. Parents pick up from the back yard.

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. Agreed; I do this too. My drop offs are early (6:45-7:30). With the nice weather we play out front in the A.M.; usually 8:45 to 10:45ish (shaded, dead end street...so ride ons etc.), lunch @11:15 & then all are off to nap (11:30 to 2 normally). Then we go to the backyard where it's all shaded in the afternoon for sand play, etc.

The same thing's happened to me just today! One of my little ones fell asleep during lunch... with some potato still in his mouth! Nothing I did woke him up so I carried him upstairs, changed his clothes, changed his diaper, put him in his sleep sack, into the playpen... he slept through the whole thing!!

We had such a mild winter this year that we were outside almost every morning all year long so I guess my children haven't noticed any difference. No problems here.

My kids are definitely coming to care tired. I notice it in the way they play, how well they get along some days and the reaction to my planned activities. Have had to change meals a few times to something that would take less time to prepare. Used to have storytime after lunch as a wind down activity. Totally skipping that and they are going table to potty to bed and this includes my two oldest 3 year old boys. And then I am waking them up at 3 so we can get ready to go outside since they all are gone by 4:30.

I agree that you may have to bump up lunch and maybe put them down by 11:30. I have had to do this with my group, because like playfelt, I have noticed that my dck's are coming to care tired and by 10:30- 11:00 everyone is cranky! It's horrible. So I normally take them for a walk in my wagon in the morning so they are atleast outside in the fresh air and as soon as we get in I start lunch and then its off to bed by 11:30 (on the days they are really cranky).