So Tired

I am so frustrated. I have a 2.5 who is not getting enough sleep at night so I get a grouchy kid who refuses to talk, play or use the toilet. When he is well rested he is an awesome kid he talks, helps, sings, plays great with others and independently. So everyday after i nap him he is an awesome kid. I have spoken with mom and dad multiple times about a proper bedtime and routine but everyday I get an excuse why he is so tired. I have been dealing with his exhaustion at least 4 months. I have tried putting him back to bed in the morning but mom just brought him later in the morning so I was unable too. Does anyone have any suggestions or do I terminate?

You cannot change parents. If this is really getting to you then give a letter of probation stating you need to see improvement in the child in the mornings by XX date or care will be terminated immediately. If you have already spoken with them about this then just give a brief reason why (the child's behavior due to lack of sleep is impacting the quality of care for your group).

Leave it to them to change based on the fact they will be feeling the results of not changing their bedtime routine...or they will just up and leave.

I am going on almost 2yrs of care with DCG and she is entirely sleep deprived and like you have noticed is a completely different child after nap (upwards of 3hrs most days). She begs me for nap all morning. She runs the show at home and gets to get up for more snacks and more Netflix until 10-11pm when she finally crashes because home cannot allow her to so much as whimper and she knows it so she runs the show. She turns 3 next month and has yet to nap at home a they STILL drive her in the car for nap every day so they don't have to be the parent and teach her that she has to nap in her bed. While it drives me up the wall seeing her so exhausted and seeing her zoned out and unable to focus, play or enjoy life I realize there is nothing I can do, aside from point how she begs for naps, how long she naps and how much happier she is after nap. But the response is and always has been..."you are the ONLY person she will go to sleep for"...because I am the only person that doesn't give her the option not to sleep. She puts of no fight because she knows it is what is expected of her.

Gahhhhhhh. I shake my head!!

That is really not fair to the child :( If he comes early, I'd just nap him. However, I do think that telling the parents termination will occur if you don't see a difference within a month, is reasonable too!

People seem to conveniently forget that Home Daycare is GROUP CARE! If your child cannot function or participate within the group due to failed parenting at home (allowing a child that young to watch NetFlex until 10:00/11:00pm :eek:) then termination papers are not far behind. 4 months of putting up with this nonsense is 3.75 months to long. I would be advertising like crazy and replace.

Wow!! I am sure it is hard for you and the group of children to have a grumpy kid , some of my kids come in tired on Mondays and we just have nap a little earlier and it does wonders for them, can you arrange something like that for him or have him in a different room so he can go to sleep earlier than the other kids? I hope it helps

Poor little guy. :(

I've had over-tired children before. It's so frustrating because we're the ones who see them falling asleep during lunch and dealing with the meltdowns and tantrums because they are so tired they can't manage their emotions. My heart just breaks for them. It's often those parents that want you to forgo the nap too so that they can fall asleep earlier.

Sleep is so important for a child's health, brain development, and emotional well-being. I just don't understand why so many people don't value it.