Non-napper at 23 months?

I have a 23 month old in my care who went down to 2 days a week starting in January as her mom is on mat leave now. I love the family and she has been with me since her first birthday. She always napped well for me when she was full-time, but for the past couple of months she has not been napping at home at all since they switched her to a big girl bed. Slowly, it has transferred to here...first she started climbing out of the playpen, so I had to move her into the playroom with the 2.5 year old who sleeps on a mat there. She hops out of her playpen and tried to keep the other child awake (he really likes his sleep) by screaming, shouting etc. I just keep putting her back and telling her very firmly to go to sleep. I think she is sleeping now, butin others' experience, will I have to go through this every week with a child who no longer naps at home and is only with me 2 days a week? Ahhhhh!

I gave up napping at 18months. Sucks doesn't it. I still feel sorry for my mother about that now that I run a daycare.

It's hard when the routine isn't the same there and at home. you might be screwed on this one. Sorry hun.

I agree with flex....not much you can do if she won't nap!! My own wee one has just given up nap ( almost 2) while I have an almost 4 year old dc boy who still naps....crazy! Best you can do is keep her away from the one that sleeps in the playroom. Maybe if he was out of sight she would have no motivation to stay awake!!

My son is almost 4 and still naps really well. All the other kids in my care sleep really well (even those who do not sleep at home). I think it's because she is part-time now...however, she is sound asleep right now, so maybe I vented too soon ;) I don't care so much if she doesn't sleep, but she MUST stay in her playpen during quiet time and not disrupt the others (or me).

Put her in on her mat with a book or give her a quiet spot to colour or watch a movie. You need your quiet time and so lay down the law and make her be quiet. It's not fair to the other kids if she's being loud.

My own kids never napped. They laid down with the daycare till they fell asleep and then got up and watched a video on tv. But they went to bed at 8 at night and got up at 8 in the morning. All of my daycare kids were at my house by 8 in the morning so yes had sleep they needed to make up. That is probably why the child doesn't nap in the sense that mom doesn't get her up early in the morning anymore. If mom was insisting on the quiet time at least - one hour disney video with a pillow on the floor and child would fall asleep at least a few times a week. My son gave up morning naps at 6 months and afternoon naps by 18 months but he was happy all day so fine. I still got my breaks of sorts because they knew how to play by themselves so just needed minimal supervision. Not really any advice. Is the child smart enough to be given ultimatums like a blanket on the floor in another room where you are and a box of things to do and be expected to stay on the blanket ie same as being confined to a play yard just no yard to challenge a climber.

One of my grandsons gave up his nap at age 1 so I know it does happen. However, one of my dcboys who is 3 days/week never sleeps for his parents but is the first one asleep here every single day for 2 hours or more. There is no rule or reasoning. Just stress that quiet time/nap time means laying still for at least an hour so you can get a sanity break and the child gets time to rest and relax, whether they sleep or not. It's that way at my daycare, no question about it.

Thanks everyone...she actually slept for an hour and a half after I laid down the law. I think we will be okay after all :) I am pretty stubborn about these things...everyone sleeps in my daycare!

Both of my boys `gave up`their naps by the age of two. In hindsight, though, I gave up enforcing them. My oldest daughter was a better napper and still napped consistently until she was 3 1/2. Even now, she has a few quick zees in the afternoons every once in a while.
I am definitely more strict with naptime rules now, with the daycare. For one thing; playfelt is right when she says that these kids are almost never getting a 12 hour night time sleep. For another, they play so much harder here than at home, that it poops them right out.
I think that if you are firm, and consistent in returning them to the nap place every time they try to escape and reminding them what the naptime rules are; you will see success. And if someone is shrieking and being loud, they will nap in a different place, even if it is at the end of a hallway. You can treat it like a privilege. When they show you they can be quiet, they can join their friends during quiet time.