Naptime tips desperately needed!

[loads'o'kids]

From day one my dck's go in a playpen and stay there until I come back a few hours later. It doesn't matter if they cry the whole time they eventually get with the program and sleep.

[mimi]

gravy-train, all my kids sleep in playpens in the same room. It is completely dark and quiet. It reassures them that they have room mates. If I have a cryer, I will put the child in a seperate room for the comfort of the other kids, but I let the child CIO. I don't go in the room. It has worked for every child who had to learn to self soothe and it takes about 5 - 8 days to get them in the nap routine. Good luck, this too shall pass

[DaycareLulu]

Not sure if any one has mentioned this yet! I also find a white noise machine can work wonders. You can actually buy white noise on a CD or download from iTunes and and put it on a CD yourself so you can play it on a CD player on repeat for the whole nap time. Maybe try your son again on the weekend with the white noise at nap time. I find if you start out rubbing their backs to help them get to sleep you can then move on to rocking and jiggling the Playpen to help sooth them eventually they get used to sleeping in the playpen and will be able to fall asleep on their own. I have also always had all five children down for their naps and asleep at the same time in different rooms and some sharing in the upstairs of my house for years! All five are under 2 years old!

[gravy_train]

Thanks so much for all of your advice! It seems like everyone here has had great success with letting them CIO. I don't want to think about terminating because I can see that winsome work dcg is going to be a pleasure, not to mention that I need the income that she brings. I think I might call the parents tonight and have a good, stern chat with them and maybe put a timeline in place? What do you think would be a good amount of time to get this all on track?

[gcj]

Yeah, white noise for the kids (I use humidifiers) and how about ear plugs for you! Only half joking. You said that you can't explain to a child that age that they must sleep on their own. Well, you do explain it by not giving into their demands of attention....going to them when they cry. I understand that you're not comfortable with CIO, but it's short-term pain for long-term gain. The BEST gift anyone can give children is teaching them to put themselves to sleep...day or night! If they get your attention, whatever it may be through crying, there is no incentive to stop. Crying= getting what they want...so let's keep crying.

DEFINITELY playpens and can't you seperate them? so that if one miraculously sleeps they don't disturb the other?

Good luck! Again, short-term pain for long-term gain!

[jazmic]

I think it's important to note that you said you tried CIO for 4 weeks and your son would just cry 2-3hrs still, right? So it would seem to me that straight up CIO isn't working and you need another form of sleep training. I'd recommend reading the Sleep Easy solution if you haven't already tried that. I find it's a more moderate path of CIO especially if you have tried for 4 weeks with no progress. jmo.

[Calgarymom]

I agree with jazmic, CIO never worked for my oldest he was 3 before he slept by himself. Nothing seemed to work with him. However my other 2 and all my dck's CIO and have done pretty much since they started or I the case of my own did from about 6 months. Aim for a dark room, full tummy, play pen to ensure they are contained, however some children hate being in play pens IMO , and a few safe toys to play with if really needed. I also find if you don't constantly listen, your heart doesn't break quite as quickly. And do not go back in to check (unless you are worried) as this enforces the idea of if I cry they will come! Most of all hugs and good luck!!! Let us know if you find the answer!!!

[Crayola kiddies]

The key is also consistency .....if the same thing is not being done on weekends then it takes a lot longer cause the child is confused ..... The child is thinking Sometimes she comes sometimes she doesn't so ill just keep crying cause maybe she will ..... Is the child on one nap or two .... Maybe if still on a morning nap it needs to be earlier and shorter like maybe at 8am for only 30mins so that there is enough time in between naps .... Plus is the child crawling or walking around or just sitting there or carried ..... They need to move around and be outside too .... Fresh air makes for a sleepy baby ..... I have two infants in my program one walks one doesn't but we go outside everyday even if its for only 20 mins and they both are in bed from 12:15 till 3:15 at least. I'm not an APer and so I'm sure others that are will disagree with me but I don't think you can wear a baby all day and respond to their every need and look after several daycare children too because they all will want to be picked up and you only hands two hands.

[kidlove]

if they need sepeate rooms and you have the room so be it! put the playpens in two different rooms and the only advice I can give is "tough love", they need to learn that when it's nap time it's nap time. lay them down changed and fed, and leave them alone, they will dry 40 minutes the first day or two, 30 the next, 20 the next and before you know it, they will be trained to sleep when they lay down. AS LONG AS you don't give in, stick to it, lay them down, and let them cry it out. Some children are stubborn and take longer to get used to it, but eventually all kids figure out, "when it's nap time, its nap time". Good Luck!

[playfelt]

The starting nap earlier is one thing to consider. Sometimes we leave kids till they are showing signs of tiredness but then are too overtired to deal with going to sleep. By making it a consistent time regardless they come to see it as a normal part of the day. Put into the playpen awake they have time to orient themselves to where they are and no amount of tears brings you back and they learn to rest/sleep/play till you come. No need for toys as there is plenty to see and blankets and toes to play with.

You might consider a video monitoring system to watch what is happening instead of going in and it might also give you clues as to the process the child is going through. One of the tricks to living through the tears is to set yourself a list of things you must do before you can have the kids up and then stick to it. It helps to tune out the tears. Keep reminding yourself that you are really doing the children a favour by insisting on naptime.

If being in a separate room for napping isn't working maybe you need to start by playpen training them. That means having the playpens in teh playroom and for periods of time you put them in them and then go about doing something. They need to get the idea that you go and come back and they can't get to you.

If you want to go with the sitting with them and cosleeping what about getting a play yard - those ones where the sections go together to make a hexagon. Then pad the bottom with a thick pad/quilt. Put them in there and sit between them while they lay down and fall asleep. Then when asleep leave the area. The play yard isnt' as confining as a playpen. It also works great for a child that is almost ready to give up morning nap as in they go in there for "naptime" and are free to play or sleep.