Naptime tips desperately needed!

[daycarewhisperer]

I think you are way too invested in whether or not they sleep. They feed off of the energy you are putting out and it is confusing them and esclating them. Pick a time to lay them down and a time for them to get up. If they sleep they sleep. If they cry they cry. Just give them the TIME to do it and don't be invested into what they do during the time.

I think toddlers that age need privacy and time to themselves. They need a couple of good blocks of time every day to just be by themselves and sleep, talk, cry, coo whatever. They need a break from the adults and the other kids. I would give them some privacy for about 1.5 hours in the morning and 2.5 hours in the afternoon. Let them freely decide what to do during that time and don't interfere. Just make sure they are safe, have a full belly, and warm.

You are always going to have children who don't agree with what you want them to do or what you think is best for them. It comes with parenting and child care. It's OKAY for them both to protest and express their own feelings. We need MORE of that in our lives. We need kids to learn to express their little feelings without an adult interfering in it or changing it by our own actions.

Do what YOU think is right and don't worry about the opinion of a toddler. They are babies and they don't know what is best for themselves. Giving them the decision will always lead to chaos. We are their leaders and we know best. Have confidence in your schedule. Have confidence in your care.

[gravy_train]

As promised, here's an update of how our afternoon nap went yesterday.
DCG - cried for about 20-30 minutes, slept for 40-50 and cried for the rest of naptime.
DS - cried for almost 2 hours :-( napped for 45 minutes. DS also woke up twice through the night last night, which hasn't happened in months.
I'll let everyone know how today goes.
Again, thank you to everyone whO has taken the time to offer advice and support. You have no idea how much more optimistic I feel knowing that I have a community of experts to go to for things like this.