Not being quiet at quiet time

Hi Everyone,

So I have this little one in care who has been with me since they were 11 months old. He is now just over two (June 26th). And for the past 6 months he will not be quiet at quiet time. He is up bouncing around in his crib. He talks and bounces whether I am there with him or not. I've tried sitting with him but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I tell him to lie down he does and two seconds later he is up...........He keeps the others up and I loose half of my own break and sometimes more just trying to keep him quiet. I've tried a PNP and a Matt (which was so much worse) All of my other kids are Zonked by quiet time.......ALL of them! They play hard!!!!

I have spoken to his parents as I just really think he sleeps a big night and probably has outgrown his nap with that big of a night. But they just say oh sorry.

And I have no suggestions to try besides waking him earlier in the morning or putting him to bed later at night, which they don't seem to want to do at all.

So alas I am at a loss. I am out of sleep space/rooms too unless he sleeps in the bathroom at this point.......LOL

Open to all and any suggestions!



What would you do to help him be quiet?

My own kids never napped beyond about 18m-2 but did get a full nights sleep and I was ok with that. I liked having alone time with them in the afternoon. I would put child in a pnp somewhere not in the same room with the others but where you can check on him if desired - even a hallway. No toys, no nothing just him in the bed. Quiet time is about staying in one place (pnp) and getting a break from having to interact with everyone else not always about sleeping.

Do you have blackout curtains so that it is very dark? Can't you put him in a room by himself so he doesn't bother the others?

My system works but it isn't for everyone. I have all the children in the same room and I stay in the room with them until they all fall asleep, then I leave the room so I don't bother them. I've been so lucky to have good sleepers (1 1/2-2hrs) for over 5 years, but since I'm in the room with them they know they are not to stand up or make any noises.

I shush them if they talk and tell them no talking. If I have a newish one that jumps up I lay them down and tell them sternly that at naptime we lay down and rest. But if you stick to routine and lay them down at the same time every day they will fall asleep. Their bodies are conditioned to the routine and know what to expect next. I've never had more than 1/2 an hour difference between the first one falling asleep and the last one falling asleep. Of course, when I'm training a new baby about naptime I'll do that in another room until they are sleeping at the same time as the others, then they are all together again.

It's true that some children outgrow their naps at young ages, but they can still be taught to lay still and rest because that's the rule for naptime.

Have you tried using soft music in the background? Zen music or nature sounds maybe? I don't need it right now thank goodness but in the past I've found that if I played one particular cd , they became familiar with it and "conditioned" I guess :) to fall asleep to it.

Good point Daisy. I run a fan in the room too for white noise due to outside traffic noises around my home. I tried music before but found the children preferred quiet, but the fan works well with my current group.