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Hi everyone
I usually have always been doing lunch at 11:35 and nap starting around 12:20...but I am starting to wonder if I do lunch too early.
I always thought I was doing the norm plus it works really well to have snack around 9:30 and then lunch two hours later and then a 2 hour nap and then snack in the afternoon
I am considering moving it around a bit but it made me wonder what others are doing
What time is your lunch and what time do you start nap??
At my dayhome we do breakfast at 8:45am- Lunch at 11:15 and Nap begins around 12pm
I serve lunch between 12 and 12:15, then we do nap at around 12:30-12:45. It depends on what we're doing and if it's a good or bad day. I've been known to put them down at 12 if it's been a rough morning, and at 1pm if we are having a fun one!
I try to have lunch at 11:30 but lately it hasnt been getting served until closer to 12 and naps are usually around 12:30-1pm They will sleep until 2:30-3pm.
I think you are right around the norm!
Factors such as the age of the kids and the arrival time mean sometimes you need to change it up. All of mine are here by 8 starting at 6:30 so morning snack is 8:30-9:00. We used to do lunch from 12-1 and nap 1-3. I also had morning nappers who did 9-10:30 and then 1:30-3:00. (From 1-1:30 was baby circle where I could do things just for the little ones without the big kids horning in.)
Starting in Jan I took away the morning nap and also had another family ask for their child to be able to sleep longer so now snack is the same but scaled back to a simple breakfast top me up and lunch is 11-12. The two youngest go down at 12 and sleep till 3. The older ones now go outside 3 days a week (my daughter comes over after work and goes out with them) and the other two days of the week we will be working on prekindergarten skills like cutting, gluing , letter recognition - things the little ones aren't ready for anyways. They then go down for naps at 1:30 and sleep till 3:00. Snack is 3:30 which allows some to sleep more if they need and by the time they potty/diapers/shoes on it takes us the half hour. Pickups start at 4:00 - there is one advantage to early drop off and that is earlier pick up.
I have found unless snack is only a drink and cracker that a 3 hour gap meant they ate the best - hungry but not overlly starving so try to work towards that when I can.
Morning snack is 9-9:30 ish, lunch is around noon, then nap is 1-3ish. I have some kids that are 3 hour nappers. Most of the parents pick up by 4, so don't usually have to serve afternoon snack!
I open at 7:30am, so morning snack is at 9am
11:30-lunch
12pm-circle/calendar/story
12:30- Nap time
Afternoon snack- 3:15
Hi there;
Am Snack is @ 9:30
Lunch is at 11:30
Story/Nap 12:30
PM Snack 3:30
:)
I open at 7:30 and serve a full breakfast at 8am, then we have super busy mornings. I try to get us organized for lunch by 11-11:30 then circle time after and nap by 12:30ish. My little ones sleep until 2:30-3 and we have snacktime then freeplay until pickup times. I'm lucky that all my clients pick up their children by 4:30.
I agree that it depends on the ages of the children in care and I have made changes over the past years and moved circle time around. When we are outside extra time in the summer sometimes I even do the songs, puppets, stories, etc. while the children eat their lunch and then settle them into bed after lunch. Do whatever works best for your group and your sanity so you get an afternoon break. It's important.
Playfelt - do you ever get a break if you're doing pre-k with some of the kids??
I've tried a few things but this is what works best for my group:
breakfast at 8:30 (for kids who arrive before that time)
lunch around 11:30
nap/quiet time 12:30 - 3ish
afternoon snack 3:30
kids picked up between 4 & 5
Doors open @ 7:30- kids are expected to have eaten breakfast or can bring something to eat right away
Morning snack @ 9:30 (pushed to 10 if all later arrivals)
Lunch @ 12 (pushed to 12:30 if all later arrivals)
Nap immediately after lunch (I take them from the table one by one to do diapers, and then tuck them in, each gets a snuggle and a song)- lasts at least 2 hours from start time
Afternoon snack @ 3:30
Pick ups usually start around 4:30, and I am "open" until 5:30
The entire group is in bed from 1:30 - 3:00 so that is my time except for 20 minutes when I need to feed my own special needs her lunch but mostly I put in a tub of laundry while I start lunch and it goes in the dryer while they eat and then gets folded, Brianne gets fed and then I have a little over an hour that mostly is spent on the computer checking emails and working on my feltboard workshops that I do so it is relaxing, sitting, fun. My desk in in the family room right by the window and I can look out and see trees, and birds and squirrels and I love it. Lots of natural light, peace and while it may be a short time is enough to revitalize. With a special needs child you get used to not getting much down time so any sitting counts.
Lunch - 11:15am
Nap - Noon
I think it's about what age group you have. I used to have all older kids ( 2-3) and nap was 1-3 and if they slept a little longer than my parents were OK with that as well. My group now is younger and have them eat lunch 11:30 and then by the time we do clean up, change diapers and settled in my crew is now sleeping by 12:30-2:30 and again, if they need longer my parents want them to sleep.
Lunch is at 11:15 and Naptime is from 12:00 - 2:00pm...for me it's the same for all ages. I don't change the schedule for any children, however I won't take kids under 12 months.
I serve lunch at 11:00 and naptime is 11:30-2.
I have mostly little ones now and they are all here by 7:30 am, so most of them are up early. Over the last week I have been doing morning snack between 8:15 and 8:30, lunch around 11:15 then they are in bed around noon and are up at 2:30. it makes for a longer afternoon and no outside time in the morning usually but once the nice weather gets her it will be great to get out in the afternoon for 2 hours.
I love the outside at the end of the day because I only have to dress them once, no undressing and all the sand, dirt and grass goes home instead of back into my house. We go out after nap and stay out till pickup. Winter right now only the older ones are going out for awhile right after an early lunch and the little ones are already in bed. I watch from the door while they flop around for 15-20 minutes in the drifts and then they have had enough and come in.
I have some kids that have breakfast here and some that don't. The ones that have already had breakfast aren't hungry at 8:30. So I end up having different kids having different snack times. I'm not sure how to work it so the morning nappers (who have breakfast before their naptime) don't have to wait until 12:00 lunchtime to eat and the kids that have breakfast at home aren't hungry for lunch because I give them a snack at 9:30. KWIM
Can you split the breakfast into two parts so that it is like having a snack for breakfast as in just enough to tide them over till all are having an earlier morning snack with the amount of food adjusted for appetite. Then they should all be ready for earlier lunch.
Often I find it is drink mine want at snack time and don't care to stop playing to actually eat food.
I find that mine are still hungry for lunch at 11:45 even though I have moved snacktime to around 10 so that the mornign nappers are up and I only have to serve one snack. Maybe you could serve a smaller snack...just some fruit or something small, so that they don't fill up before lunch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daycaremom9
What works with the later snack is to serve the fruit and then at lunch not serve one so it reduces the amount of food being served then. It is like having one huge meal in sections of the morning.