Cutting out a child's naptime when they are not ready.

The parents on one of my DCK want me to cut their child nap out. The only problem is this child needs his nap!!! No nap makes a very cranky child and he is very hard to deal with. Right now I`m cutting his nap time down to 45-60 mins at their request. He refuses to get out of bed and yells and cries. He`s 3 1/2 and I think he needs the 2 hour nap time. How should I deal with these parents that insist hes ready and don`t have to deal with the fallout everyday? His negitive behavior is not fair to the other children after nap time.

Hi GrinsNGiggles,
Make sure you fully communicate to his parents just how miserable and cranky he gets without a nap. Also, maybe try and find out why they are so insistent on cutting out his nap. It may be that he is sleeping poorly at night and they feel that by cutting out his daytime nap, they will get an easier ride in the evenings! Good luck, let us know how you get on!

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Originally Posted by LisaQ

Hi GrinsNGiggles,
Make sure you fully communicate to his parents just how miserable and cranky he gets without a nap. Also, maybe try and find out why they are so insistent on cutting out his nap. It may be that he is sleeping poorly at night and they feel that by cutting out his daytime nap, they will get an easier ride in the evenings! Good luck, let us know how you get on!

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totally my thoughts. Could you consider discussing moving the nap time a little or shortening the nap as an alternative to eliminating it all the way?

Parents often tell me that their child doesn`t have a morning nap for instance on the weekends and wonder why I still put the child down or for an older child that they go down earlier here than at home or sleep longer. What parents often forget is that they may be letting the child sleep in on weekends meaning if they wake them early during the week the child needs to make up that time with a short morning nap or if they sleep in later they still start their nap 6 hours after waking up but again if up early to come during the week 6 hours is earlier. When parents start to question the sleeping I try to get them down earlier and leave them the same 2 hours they need but then it means they are up a bit earlier so there is more time till bedtime. Fussy kids because of tiredness go to bed and stay there till the fussies are gone. It is not to me, the child or the other children to do it any other way.

LisaQ that is why they want to cut out his naptime. For a few nights he has not fallen asleep till 10pm but all the other weeks he goes to bed as normal. The also let him watch treehouse in his room to fall asleep. I think he is just in a stage right now like a lot of kids go through and things will go back to normal soon. Maybe turning off the tv before going to bed might help him more! I`m going to move him to a different sleep area and keep getting him up earlier as the parents request but if after a week he is still difficult to deal with I will have a talk with his parents.

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Originally Posted by GrinsNGiggles

The also let him watch treehouse in his room to fall asleep.

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Watching TV before bed stimulates the brain; which is bad especially for children who need to get the quoted number of hours of sleep.

Naps are a non-negotiable part of my daycare. Children will get naps from 12-2pm, or sit on their cots for quiet time during that period. I need my breaks as much as the children need a break!!

I want all the children to be well-rested because then my day is easier. I'm in this business for the love of the children, but I don't want to be miserable while doing it...and non-napping 1-4 year olds will make me and the other children miserable. LOL.

Sleep begets sleep...google Dr. Weissbluth...he's a pediatrician who has run a sleep disorder clinic out of Chicago's Children's hospital for the past 30 years and has lots of documentation supporting naps for 3-4 year olds, as well as an early bedtime, no TV before bed, ect.

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Originally Posted by Emilys4Guppies

Naps are a non-negotiable part of my daycare. Children will get naps from 12-2pm, or sit on their cots for quiet time during that period. I need my breaks as much as the children need a break!!

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This is so true Emily! What some parents don't realize is that we work 8-9 hours without proper breaks. Yes, we work from home, but we're caring for others children. When the kids nap/rest, we have our proper break! It's my rest time!

Naps are very important for children. The amount of sleep should not be changed for parent/provider convenience. Every child is different and I guess it differs from child to child but depriving of sleep is not great.

Age Nighttime Sleep Daytime Sleep * Total Sleep
1 month 8 1/2 7 (3) 15 1/2
3 months 10 5 (3) 15
6 months 11 3 1/4 (2) 14 1/4
9 months 11 3 (2) 14
12 months 11 1/4 2 1/2 (2) 13 3/4
18 months 11 1/4 2 1/4 (1) 13 1/2
2 years 11 2 (1) 13
3 years 10 1/2 1 1/2 (1) 12
*Note: number of naps in parentheses

Ref

http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much...d-need_7645.bc

Exactly! Quiet time is the one time of day that I know I'll be able to SIT to eat something, drink a cup of HOT coffee, and prep/plan. It is absolutely necessary for everyone. Even the kids who don't sleep benefit greatly from a quiet time where they aren't dealing with everyone else, and we can all enjoy our own space.

Days that my infant doesn't nap (the only one I can't reason with, lol) are hard because I'm so 'touched out' by the end of it that I'm not the best wife to my husband or mother to my own children. I have to consider my own personal life, as well as those of my families.