Need Advice!!! Naptime

[Daycare123]

Hey Everyone!

I need some advice. My daycare is self contained-it is completely separate from my home. In the daycare there is a naproom where the children all sleep. Currently I have one child 18 months-he has been with me for 7 months. I have another child starting in July and am concerned about naptime.

The child I have now used to scream himself to sleep and it has gotten WAY better-most of the time he will go to sleep right away. Recently he has regressed a bit and yells randomly while going to sleep sometime has yelling spurts during nap-and then goes back to sleep. I am concerned about this being a problem for the other children!

What do you all do with a shared naproom?

THANK YOU!!

[playfelt]

Just as phases start they pass away. The good news is July is a few months off. Over time everyone learns to sleep through stuff too. The key is they go to their beds and stay there whether they are sleeping or not till I come back.

[Sandbox Sally]

Yeah, what playfelt said I agree 100%.

[michellesmunchkins]

Ditto to the what the other ladies have said

[Daycare123]

Thanks everyone! In my experience it is best to simply allow the children time to adapt - I just needed some confirmation from some pros! Thanks!

[Momof4]

I have all 5 children sleeping in the same room because my living room and dining room are also the sleep areas in the afternoon. The children all learn that they must be quiet for their friends and I soothe the babies to sleep, but occasionally one of the babies wakes up noisy and that's the end of naptime. I'm really lucky that they all sleep 2 hours before that happens most of the time.

Do you shush him and talk quietly to him to tell him to settle down and rub his back a bit and things like that? If you do a little of the soothing now he should learn that bedtime means relaxation.

[playfelt]

Babies in pack n plays are in upstairs bedrooms - alone if possible but two in a room when needed. Kids move to the mats on the mainfloor between 18m-24m depending on size, sleep habits and move to a bed from the crib at home.

[Inspired by Reggio]

Ya - I tried that 'shared' nap room right in my playroom when I first opened cause that was what we had in centre care - however it did not work for me

As I got full the mixed age grouping and having older ones who napped a very short time and youngers who needed 3 hours of nap time in the same room...even when they attempted to be 'quiet' they still flipped and flopped around or whispered to themselves to entrain themselves and would 'wake up' the younger ones - and well I valued my quiet time more than not having kids sleeping in my upper levels so rearranged the sleep routine to make it work easier for me.

I have my 2 under two up in playpens in our bedrooms and the 3 kids over two are now spread about my upper levels on their cots so not 'directly' in view of each other and some buffer from the noise they make - I can than rearrange their cot position based on sleeping patterns with 'long sleepers' away from non or short sleepers and with the one who does not 'nap' but rests is on the main floor landing a floor away from them all so her resting noise is not an issue ... as they wake they are invited down to the main floor for 'quiet' time activities or if they do not sleep they rest for an hour quietly and than can get up for quiet time off their cot - if they are not 'quiet' than they go back to their cot to try again. Working much better for me cause the 'short nappers' now sleep much longer because they do not wake up mid sleep cycle and SEE that non napper is awake and think 'wake up time' now they roll over open eyes and see no one and hear no one and go back to sleep for another hour!

The shared sleep room is doable if it is the only option available but as others mentioned you will spend more time 'soothing and training' them to be really quiet and well even than your quiet time might be shorter than it would be if you had the separate option ... one of the things we did in centre care was arrange cots so that the non or short sleepers were behind a 'barrier' like a bookshelf or something so they could not be seen by those trying to go or stay asleep.

[Marie]

I have two kids that sleep in the same room. I've set up their playpens so that they can't see each other. At first they could see each other and they wouldn't sleep, no matter how tired they were. As soon as I moved their playpens around in the room, it was sooo much better.

[Momof4]

I have three or four in the same room and they can all see each other and are all different ages, then I have 1-2 in the adjoining room. But I'm super lucky that I sit in the room and sing a few songs and cover them up a few times and lay them back down and within 10-15 minutes they are all asleep for a couple of hours. It takes practice and patience but if you teach them this is how it's going to be they learn. I'm sure there are children who are so stubborn that I will run into and have problems. I have certainly had screamers for many months in the transition phase but I get them all into this routine eventually. It also helps to wear them out completely all morning so they are exhausted.