Nap issues. AGAIN!!!!

Feeling so frustrated! It's one of the biggest pet peeves of mine in this business!
Mom of DCG whose 17mths old comes in this am saying, (not asking) please wake child up earlier because she is not falling asleep till 9pm. She's only one! And only sleeps two hrs. 1230-230pm. She defiantly could sleep longer, she is so busy all am. I also do not want to wake her up earlier because I need that couple of hrs for my break and to get pm activities ready and she soooo needs her nap!

Just don't like how she "told" me to wake her. Not nicely explain and ask if I could. I find most parents view me as a nanny and not view me as this is my business. This is my quiet time rule. If u only want a hr nap, go find a daycare that has a one hr nap rule.

Sorry venting now. Lol. Anyways. She texted me again this am saying please wake her up early. I don't want to respond now as I'm fuming. So how should I word it nicely to her that this is my quiet time, my business etc??

Thank u!!!!!

I tell all parents during interviews that nap time is not an option. I honestly don't care if they sleep or not but everyone is in a bed for quiet time.

I would explain that quiet time is mandatory. All children need to rest their bodies and minds.

Children that age that "won't go to bed until 9:30" are often over tired or simply playing games trying to get more attention from mom and dad. As if a 17 month old says "Mommy, I'm not going to bed until 9:30". Put her to bed and she will soon learn that bedtime is when Mommy says, end of story. Mom is letting her stay up late.

Simply state that your policy is that all kids must nap from 12:30-2:30, and that you use this time to clean, meal prep, activity prep and rest a bit so unfortunately it is something that you cannot accommodate.

I would never let a child that age get up early, a 2 hour rest time is not unreasonable.

I am having similar issues with a family right now. DCG is 3 and I've let her drop down to just a one hour nap because she was growing out of it and having trouble falling asleep at night. I let her have a backpack at naptime that has books and toys from home to help keep her awake, but almost everyday she falls asleep anyways. Parents keep bringing up that she has difficulty falling asleep at night and in the morning at drop off dad will say "what did we talk about Sally? No napping right? Don't fall asleep today!" IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!! I feel like they are being pretty passive aggressive because really, this is a convo that they could have at home, why bring it up in front of me?....because they want me to drop the nap altogether, they just won't come out and say it.

I am going to need a straight jacket if I have to hear about it one more time!

Don't u just love it when a parent talks to you THROUGH THE CHILD....HONESTLY... .I had a child come in one morning and say "my mom says you have to feed me cause I am early" ..they were coming at like 10-10:30....I just stared at the parent as if to say "really"....pare nt was like..."no...mommy said that I am sure you can have some breakfast here"....right...LIA R....so your 3.5 year old just dreampt that line up!!! I just looked at my watch and said...yes...u r on time and walked away :)

Maybe respond with option of her being welcome to pick her child up before nap and bringing her back after the scheduled nap time. If not I would let her know that it is not a request that can be accommodated as it is not in the best interest of her child and the group as a whole. Your multiple other clients would not be pleased with you going in to interrupt nap to wake a sleeping child, who will be grumpy and too young to remain quiet the remainder of the nap time. Other clients would not be pleased to routinely have overtired and grumpy children handed over to them at the end of the day, making for an unpleasant evening for them at home.

I wouldn't wake the child up early. Not a ONE year old!! 2hr is not an excessive naptime at all, my own 1yr old sleeps 12 hrs at night and one 2.5-3hr nap. This is the parent not being stern enough and are looking for someone (you) to blame.
I would wake her up with the rest and tell the parent that u did, indeed wake her up early and so she should be good and tired for bedtime. Guaranteed the girl will go down better as it will be in the parents mind that "she MUST be tired, she had a short nap!". Sometimes the problem is not at all with the child's naptime, but the parents keeping a consistent and firm bedtime routine.

Sleep begets sleep...If they are kept awake during the day at this age they have a lot of nervous energy in the evening. Rest times are mandatory here for the young ones. The older ones over 3.5 can get books if they want but I find most have a snooze. Only time I give up part of my rest time is 2 weeks before JK age kids go to school; I do try to help get them out of their day rests.

If the parents don't agree their daughter needs as many sleeping hours in a day then they should leave her up to 9 and absorb that energy, not you.

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Originally Posted by Discoveries

Maybe respond with option of her being welcome to pick her child up before nap and bringing her back after the scheduled nap time. If not I would let her know that it is not a request that can be accommodated as it is not in the best interest of her child and the group as a whole. Your multiple other clients would not be pleased with you going in to interrupt nap to wake a sleeping child, who will be grumpy and too young to remain quiet the remainder of the nap time. Other clients would not be pleased to routinely have overtired and grumpy children handed over to them at the end of the day, making for an unpleasant evening for them at home.

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Good One! The only two things that I truly will not change is anything financial and naps. And a one year old sheesh! The child does sound over-tired and the parents sound like they are endlessly discussing this with junior at bedtime. They need to learn to put their foot down and say bedtime not pass the responsibility on to you. Stand firm and tell them no nap....no care.

Thank u ladies. I sent out a text saying I am not comfortable with waking a sleeping baby early. She's busy all am and gets quite tired by noon. I'll do my best to get her up no later then 230 but earlier then that I won't do. She wrote back saying I understand. If she's up by 230 that's fine with me.
So well see how long it lasts before something does is said again. I can just see it now...she'll be the kid at 3yrs with mom saying no nap. Which won't fly here, all under 4 are on a bed or in a bed for quiet time/nap. Lol.

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Originally Posted by babydom

Feeling so frustrated! It's one of the biggest pet peeves of mine in this business!
Mom of DCG whose 17mths old comes in this am saying, (not asking) please wake child up earlier because she is not falling asleep till 9pm. She's only one! And only sleeps two hrs. 1230-230pm. She defiantly could sleep longer, she is so busy all am. I also do not want to wake her up earlier because I need that couple of hrs for my break and to get pm activities ready and she soooo needs her nap!

Just don't like how she "told" me to wake her. Not nicely explain and ask if I could. I find most parents view me as a nanny and not view me as this is my business. This is my quiet time rule. If u only want a hr nap, go find a daycare that has a one hr nap rule.

Sorry venting now. Lol. Anyways. She texted me again this am saying please wake her up early. I don't want to respond now as I'm fuming. So how should I word it nicely to her that this is my quiet time, my business etc??

Thank u!!!!!

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Don't know about your province but here, registered providers must give child "rest period". There no definition of what that means but combine with requirement that child under two require crib with "appropriate weight blanket for season" is useful.

Parent here not always want a registered provider but do like when any provider follows regulations. It can be useful to pick and choose which regulations the parent is reminded about.

Not many parent understand or care the difference between registered and unregistered but when told that the day care regs require rest period, that often is enough to end the "no nap" requests.

Also, I find help to call it rest time not nap time.

With this parent, I would default to fact that it is a provincial regulation that a child so young is given a rest period. This would then suggest that there's no options.

I sort of expect any child over the age of 3 to start needing to decrease their sleep. However, I keep them napping until they naturally outgrow it or a parent asks about it. Under 3, I say that they need to nap and I won't wake them. Over 3, I do usually agree to wake them after an hour.

I've really only had one mom who asked about this and I think it was because she wanted her tired earlier in the evening!!! LOL She napped well here and would nap the full 2 hours (eventually it was just the hour because I would wake her) but mom said at home she would no longer nap on weekends. Mom even asked if she could have her ipad during the 2 hours and I said absolutely not (I'm pretty anti technology for young kids though). They pulled her out for full time preschool shortly after that and I have a feeling this played a part into it because the mom was quite annoyed with me.