Daily Schedule for different ages!

[lunademiel]

Hey everyone!
I'm having a tough time planning my daily schedule.

I have 3 1 year olds and 2 3 year olds

1 1 year old naps 9:30 - 10:30 and then 1:15- 3:00
2 1 year olds nap 10:30-12:30

The 2 3 year olds nap from 1:30 - 3:00

How the heck can I plan my day around this???

I am thinking the 1st 1 year old will slowly transition to the one am nap like the other 1 year olds but that still leaves weird times for lunch, outdoor play, etc.

Any ideas are welcome!

TIA
Sheena

[playfelt]

Outside play is the end of the day. That is the only time everyone was up and fed and ready to play. Try adjusting the two that sleep from 10:30 to 12:30 by putting them down at 10 and getting them up at 11:30. Then lunch and naps in the afternoon can start staggered but all end at 3ish then snack and outside from 3:30-4:30. In nice weather I put the older ones outside for snack and stand at the door which is off my kitchen and the little ones still eat in their high chairs but at least the older ones get an extra 10 minutes of fresh air.

10-10:30 would be an activity for the older kids by putting the second group of 1 year olds down before getting the first set up so having a half hour of overlap still is enough time for a story and craft. The one year olds don't need much for programming till they over the morning nap routine anyways. Rather than push the one to move nap later I would be pushing the other two earlier for a bit and then gradually move lunch to 11 and they go to sleep for 11:30 - 2:30 and older kids have lesson time from 12:30-1:00 with the first one year old watching.

Consider a play yard area for the one year olds they go in if awake and that leaves you to be with the older kids for periods and then on their own for periods such as introduce an game and then leave them to play.

Schedule in mixed age groups is always the hard part. Serving lunch in two segments since both groups may be eating different anyways is also an option - feed the little ones in their high chairs eating finger foods while you do story and craft at the table with the older kids and then give them lunch to eat while you start naps for the babies. Lots of experimenting and as soon as you figure it out they will have moved on to a new schedule so it is never ending.

[fruitloop]

You put everyone on the same schedule. There is no reason why everyone is napping at different times. You ask the parents to start putting the children on your schedule before they start care so that the transition for them isn't as bad. There is NO WAY I would being tailoring nap time schedules for individual kids. That's ridiculous, how are you suppose to do anything if there is always a kid sleeping. I have 2 nap times...1 of them is from about 8:30 - 9:30 for those who NEED a morning nap (but I start to ween that morning nap at about 12- 14 months depending on the child) and my other nap time is from about 12:30- 3. There is no napping at any other time of day here.

My outside time is after morning snack, so around 10 - 11ish. In the summer we're outside twice...morning time and then in the pm after snack until p/u...so from roughly 3:30 - 5.

All kids in my care eat at the same time and eat the same thing. Obviously some things are cut up for the little ones so they can feed themselves. I don't feed kids unless it's something like yogurt or apple sauce. Then I will feed them until about 18 months...after that they learn to use a spoon and do it themselves.

Crafts are done usually before morning snack while the morning nappers are sleeping.

[DaycareLulu]

I pretty much have the same routine as fruitloop. Everyone needs to be on the same schedule and it can be done. If they still need a morning nap they have it at 9-10am and then another at 1-3pm or longer. When they don't need the morning nap anymore they just nap from 1-3/3:30. I tell parent from the start their child will have to adapt to this routine.

[playfelt]

Part of the problem has to do with the fact kids can be on different schedules in the sense that those up at 5:30 and to care for 6:30 will need a morning nap longer and want to start it earlier and want an earlier lunch than those that sleep till 8 and come to care for 9. It will only be a couple of months before they can move to a better schedule so not worrying so much about lessons with the three year olds that includes you is one way to go. I would rather a mixed up day than deal with crying babies that are hungry and tired.

Experiment with keeping the one child up a few minutes longer each day and putting the others down a few minutes earlier each day and soon they will all be going down the same time in the morning which will put them on more of a similar afternoon schedule too.

[fruitloop]

Part of the problem has to do with the fact kids can be on different schedules in the sense that those up at 5:30 and to care for 6:30 will need a morning nap longer and want to start it earlier and want an earlier lunch than those that sleep till 8 and come to care for 9. It will only be a couple of months before they can move to a better schedule so not worrying so much about lessons with the three year olds that includes you is one way to go. I would rather a mixed up day than deal with crying babies that are hungry and tired.

Experiment with keeping the one child up a few minutes longer each day and putting the others down a few minutes earlier each day and soon they will all be going down the same time in the morning which will put them on more of a similar afternoon schedule too.

I guess this will all depend on what time you open. Obviously if you're accepting children into care at 6:30 they will need an earlier nap time. I don't open until 7:30 so kids nap at the time I stated. I wouldn't want to start work at 6:30...ick, that's early!

[Momof4]

OMG! That would make me crazy, not being able to plan anything at all. I have 2 three year olds, a 1 1/2 year old and 2 who have just turned one. None of them nap in the morning but I asked the parents to help out with that before starting here. We have lunch at 11 and I nudged naptime to 12 or shortly after. They all nap until about 2:30-3 now. As the age groups change the naptime hours change a bit, but if you nudge it slowly, maybe 10 minutes a week you can get the children adjusted.

[gcj]

Wow! I couldn't handle that. Everyone has to be on the same schedule...basically , anyways. Morning nappers have to do it early enough that they are ready for the afternoon with the other (1-3) Even with my own kids, as early as possible (a few months old) I had my baby napping at the same time as her big brother in the afternoon. It's a MUST for my sanity!

[lunademiel]

Thank you all for your awesome suggestions! It's going to be tough for sure. But it really only lasts for such a short time anyway. I think it will a lot of experimenting. Having crying, cranky babies is more tough to me then having different schedules. Within a few months they will all be more or less on a combined schedule. I'm lucky in that I will only have one of the 1 year olds and my own 1 year old for the first 3 months along with the 2 3 year olds. We can have some time to figure things out before the 3rd 1 year old starts.

Thanks again! You are all so helpful!

[lunademiel]

Yes, I've planned it so well with my two kids... 10 month old naps 9:30 and then again at 1:30 with her brother. The afternoon nap is my only break during the day to get things done (or even just sit for a few minutes!!). But now trying to plan other people's kids naps seems tough as they've planned their own kids naps around what they thought was best for the last year. Of course these kids are first children though, they never have had to worry about timing naps.