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  1. #1
    Euphoric !
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    No more naps......quiet time activity ideas please!!

    So I have a parent who wants her 2 year old (yes, 2!!) to stop napping. The mom thinks this is the reason she is staying up late and not sleeping. I disagree but what can I do? The past 2 daycare days this mom has kept her child home until lunch because she hasn't slept well the night before so she is letting her sleep in. I have suggested a routine might help better but this is a young mom (20) and she just does what she wants.

    So my question is....what kind of activities do you do with your non napping children? I currently have a 3.5 year old who doesn't nap and that is when I allow her to watch tv or we work on preschool stuff. I don't want the 2 year old watching that much tv though so I am looking for different ideas. I allow them quiet toys, books and puzzles but they get bored of this so I am looking for new fun ideas! Thanks!!

  2. #2
    Expansive... dodge__driver11's Avatar
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    TBH with you all my kids must be respectful of quiet time for the first 60 mins. That means they must stay in their bed until then, no exceptions. If they fall asleep, they wake with everyone else...

  3. #3
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    I don't have non napping children ..... All children must lay down and rest ... If you don't sleep that's their business but they don't get up and they must be quiet. The parents have to understand that their child is not the only child in the daycare and all children must respect the others need for sleep. Maybe this parent needs a nanny.

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  5. #4
    apples and bananas
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    A 2 year old naps in my house or they find another care giver. I'm sorry, but this is my business and my routine and I'm not changing it for each individual client, i'd have 5 different schedules if that was the case. Can you imagion? Working around 5 different sleep/eat schedules?

    To answer your question... TV while I eat and relax. Then depending on the child I will set up a book corner (if I feel the child may need to dose off) play doh, colouring. Quiet time is all about bordom. It's all about not stimulating them.

    So, as much as I understand why you're looking for new and fun ideas, it complete changes the point of quiet time. Do an hour of TV then switch them to the table for an hour of books, colouring and play doh. If they don't like it, they can lay down on the couch until everyone else is up. This is a great opportunity to teach respect towards the young ones. Computer is a good one for the older kids too. If you're in a position to keep an eye on them. My 3.5 year old loved some of the education youtube videos or playing around on the sesame street web site.

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  7. #5
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    Thanks everyone. I considered asking her to find another dc as there are other issues as well but her child is mostly well behaved and it's slow around here right now so who knows when I would fill my spot and I can't take the decrease in my pay. The issues are nothing major they are just annoying but it's more to do with the mom so it's not the end of the world right now.

    I think I will be making quiet time boring as some of you suggested. If she falls asleep I won't be waking her up. I feel that she is too young and needs her sleep. She had a major meltdown the first day with no nap when her mom picked her up at home time which is not like her. She was exhausted though!!

  8. #6
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    Agree with the others...

    This is YOUR business and YOUR schedule. There is no way we can have 5 (or how ever many dck we have) daily different schedules. Perhaps this parents needs Grandma or a Nanny.
    I would FLAT out tell her and any parent who questions my nap schedule that I work ALONE and work 10 hour days. Having 2 hours whether its quiet laying in the bed/playpen or sleeping in the afternoon is MANDATORY in my program. If they don't like it they can go elsewhere. As far as I know there is a mandatory rest period in the Day Nurseries Act.
    However, if a child were to have difficulty napping or wake up before the 2 hours I would keep them in their bed. Nap time is naptime. Especially for a 2 year old.

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  10. #7
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    I have one that will be 3 in a few weeks and mom wants the nap reduced to 90 minutes as they say the child is still staring at the ceiling at 9pm. So I agreed to that saying that I will move her nap spot to the playroom where I can see her and I will wake her after 90 mins but she is not permitted to get up but may look at a book. The first day was going good till she decided to tear my book into tiny shreds ..... Now she doesn't get to look at a book instead she just lays there awake chatting to herself until quiet time is over.

    The only time I will allow no naps is during the month of August when the child is scheduled to go to school in sept.

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  12. #8
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    Exactly what I tell my parents Sassygirl. Nap time is also my time to center myself which really does benefit their kids. School age kids on a PA day, sure, TV. Everyone else on their sleep mats. Odds are that your 2 year old is actually overtired and that's why they don't sleep. I believe that if a child falls asleep mid day, they need it.

  13. #9
    Starting to feel at home... jammiesandtea's Avatar
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    A 2 year old needs a nap. Mom needs to use a consistent bedtime routine and probably to bed EARLIER, even if that sounds counter-intuitive, because it often works.

    You need that naptime for a break, and the child needs it as well, at 2 years old.

    Many caregivers have found that if Mom "thinks" child is not napping, miraculously the child still somehow starts to go to bed earlier at home. Just sayin'.

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  15. #10
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    I love your comment "jammiesandtea" I absolutely insist that there is a minimum 1 hour rest time, whether the child sleeps or not. The tv is on and they may sit quietly on the couch with a stuffie, 9 times out of 10 they drop off. If the parent asks I cross my fingers and tell them the little white lie that the child was up. Miracle of miracles the nighttime problems stop, the problem is not the nap it is inconsistency from the parents!!

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