Printable View
Just a quick question. I'm new to this home daycare business. So far everything is going pretty well. This morning a mom asked that I not let her daughter nap more than an hour as she has been having problems going to sleep at night. My rule is usually I don't wake up sleeping babies (she is 10 months). Is this something that is ok for a parent to ask or is it my rules that go? Just wondering what you all would do. Thanks!
I state in my manual - that the parents must sign, that all children must stay in their playpen/cot from 1-3:30 p.m. Whether they nap or just lie quietly, I'm happy. It also states, and I am sure to tell the parents during the interview that this time is MY BREAK. We work long hours with brats (sometimes), and we NEED our break to keep our sanity.
If a parent doesn't like it, they can find other care. But a 10 month old needs their naps - usually having 2/day! They must not have a routine for their child at night time. Stupid parents.
Definitely YOUR Rules - this is YOUR BUSINESS...
I don't have anything in my contract about naptime but I agree with you. I've just started with these parents so I'm not sure how to go about this. She did say if the child is really cranky to put her back down. Maybe I'll try it for a week knowing that it won't go well, and then after that week I'll tell her it did not go well and so I'm am letting her nap as long as she likes and also let her know that I am going to be revising the contract. I have put in the contract that revisions may be made. Hope that goes over well!
The parents don't get to dictate naptime here - I DO! I have to manage an entire group of children and therefore I will decide when and how long they nap.
Besides, getting children to bed at night is NOT about their level of tiredness - it is about PARENTING.
Totally agree!
My advice, tell parents NO WAY!
I have 3 kids, they all slept! During the day AND at night! I had a daycare, all the kids slept, and also at night! My best friend also has a daycare, kids sleep day and night there also!
I had a parent telling me this once, so I lied (don't tell anybody!!!) and told the parent that I cut sleep time. Magically, the kid was back to sleeping at night! So I stopped telling the parent what time their kid slept and for how long. Too much info for them!
Sarah
Sarah, I think I might have to go your way and just tell them nap time has been cut short...LOL. I just don't see how cutting it short would work. This baby sleeps hard and long, clearly she NEEDS it. She has done this the whole time she's been with me (1 month) and only the last 2 nights had trouble sleeping.
Yikes....one hour? That does not seem healthy. At that age they should be having a morning nap and an afternoon nap.The afternoon nap is recommended anywhere between 12 pm - 3 pm. No afternoon nap should interfere with night time sleep if the child does not sleep beyond 3 pm and if the parents have their child on a sleep regiment at home where their child goes to sleep between 6:30-8 pm depending on age and tiredness level.
Sleep is actually very important for children and helps them rest and their bodies to grow and their brains to process everything.
I should mention that she asked for the afternoon nap to be no more than an hour. She didn't mention the morning one. I get very different info from both parents. The mom told me that the child didn't go to bed till 9:30pm last night because she napped so long in the afternoon but the father once told me she usually goes to bed around 9:30 - 10:00 so who knows...maybe they just had a bad night.
Listen, the kid has been with you one month, the kid is now 10 months, she is just too young to be in daycare but regardless of my own judgement, she's probably now reacting at home, wanting more of mom and dad's attention.
Mom or dad just have to lay down in their bed with this baby and sleep early!
It is surely not the fault of the am or pm nap, that's for sure!
Sarah
wow a 9:30 pm or 10 pm bedtime for a child this age is a big no no. 8 pm is definitely the absolute cut off.
I started to sleep train my children and put them on a regular schedule at 8 months and it literally was like clock work
I have had the same issues and I have a parent of a 2 year old that says they don't want him to nap, he has become sooo agressive and abusive and I know it's due to being tired. At 10 months that is down right ridiculas?
I think parents are just being selfish as they just want there time to themselves. My little one was in home daycare and shen napped 2 -3 hours and never had a problem going down at night. Only when she was teething.
I have aother parents that put there little one down to sleep at 5:30pm and he is up at 6am. He was 10 months when he started in my care and he only slept one hour. I finally got him down to two hours but it was not fun getting there. Most days for 6 months I had no break. are days are long and we deserve a break!
Get some info on baby nap schedules for a 10 month old and present it to your parents. I think it say they should be getting 14 hours a day!
Good luck!
I had this EXACT scenario occur a couple of months ago. This was one of my part-timers, who was a little under 18 months at the time.
Sweet little girl, I would take 5 more of her if I could find them!! But when she was tired, she was MISERABLE. Dad would drop her off in the morning and ask that I not put her down, or if I did, only for half an hour!!! Are you kidding?? I discovered one morning when I called at 9:45am (to see where they were, as we had been expecting them for some time), that she was still sleeping! Uh, there's your problem. Let her sleep til 10 o'clock, of course she isn't going down until 11 at night.
The first day, I did wake her up a little early (although she had longer than 30 min) and it was awful. After that, I would let her sleep as long as she needed. I freely admit that I fibbed, and said "Oh yeah, I woke her up." Her time here was very infrequent, and I doubt I did any damage in the long run!
Had she been a full timer, or a regular part-timer, I would probably have discussed it with the parents. I wouldn't have felt right about being dishonest on an on-going basis. I would have discussed my personal opinion on the matter, as well as our "everyone has quiet time" policy. Children under 3 WILL stay in the playpen/crib/cot from 1-3.
Chances are, she is having some "reaction" to the new childcare situation. Mom and dad are tired, and don't want to deal with it. The easiest person to take this out on? YOU, unfortunately. :(
Wow!! Ok I have a 12 month old that sleeps 2-3 times a day with an early bedtime. She gets 3-5 hours of nap time daily plus bed at 7:30. These parents are probably not even realizing thier child is over tired and there for not going to bed well.
I'd let the child sleep and act as if you woke her up, let it go a while then ask how bed time is going? If parent is still having challenges, show you are concerned and simply say...could she be over tired or maybe missing her parents etc etc offer solutions. Keep up the good work, don't let parents make your rules.
Parents have no say in how long a child naps here for. My quiet/nap time is from 1 - 3 everyday...no exceptions!
I also have a quiet/nap time. We all need the downtime to regroup for the afternoon. My naptime is from 12pm-2pm and is a non-negotiable term of care.
One of the reasons I stopped doing daily journals for parents was because I almost felt like how long the child slept was my business. If they didn't bring the child tired they wouldn't have needed a three hour nap. Why should I be the one that has to put up with the crankiness - they can do in the evening. By the weekend parents are reminded how consistency makes for good days and nights for all of us.
I have been reading up on baby/toddler sleep recently, as my dck's mom asked me to curb her naps. I have been reading that babies and toddlers need 10-13 hours per 24 hour span. Of course, like adults, little guys are all different. However, a 2 hour nap during the day should not be affecting the 10 month old's nighttime sleep. If a 10 month old is sleeping at your house for two hours, she clearly NEEDS it.
Are the parents letting her sleep late at home? 6am is not an uncommon wake time for babies and toddlers. Are they trying to put her to bed too early to get their own free time? These are questions I would ask (maybe not put exactly that way...lol). We need to work in conjunction with parents. A well oiled machine is the goal here.
As with the other parents, I fibbed a bit and told them that she was only sleeping for two hours, but actually let her sleep until she woke naturally, which was always 2.5 hrs or so. And...miraculously, she was sleeping better at night! ;)
There is a mandatory two hour rest time in my day home, end of.