Transition to Mats

[Spixie33]

I have a couple of 2.5 year olds who will turn 3 in the spring. Currently they each have their own playard to sleep in and each sleeps in a separate room.
I am worried that playards are probably not going to be practical once they turn 3 in a few months. I don't want to be heaving a 3 year old in and out of a playard. I also don't want to lose the 1.5-2 hours nap/quiet time to recharge my batteries, clean up from lunch and then prepare afternoon snack.

I am looking at getting some of the fold up rest mats from Wintergreen's website but I am worried how to transition these kids.

I have no sleep issues with child #1 but child #2 has major issues already as it is. Child#2 needs the room super dark, a sound machine to sleep, a special toy and half the time will just lay in the play yard talking to himself and the toy and not sleeping at all. I am worried that during nap on a mat child #2 will just start to play and climb things in the room. (It is my son's bedroom that I use for child #2s nap place so there is a dresser, some toys, etc in there too)
The parents have told me that they have Child #2 sleep on a mattress on the floor since he climbs out of his crib and knocks over the playpen at home. They said that most of the time child #2 plays during nap time and will not stay on the mattress until he poops himself out with playing. I am scared that happens here.

I do not want child #2 open dresser drawers in case they fall on his feet or playing and getting noisier and disturbing kids in the other rooms who are napping etc.
we have a 4 bedroom house but none of the 4 bedrooms is just an empty room without dressers or beds that child #2 might try to climb and fall from.

This morning I was thinking of getting one of those gated circles which is like a baby gate playpen and putting Child #2 in there to sleep on a rest mat but then i feel like I am caging him...lol

[playfelt]

If child is over 30 lbs he should be out of the playpen. Most kids outgrow them lengthwise before they do weightwise. You might be surprised if you put them in the same space on mats and the noise machine on etc that it works for child 2 as well. Mostly it is a learning phase. Start by putting them to nap on the main floor or the playroom if you can so there is less of a danger for them to get into during naptime. Put the mattress from the playpen on the floor and beside the playpen and tell the child that since they are a big boy now they can learn to sleep on a mat at daycare instead of a baby playpen (gotta use the word baby). BUT if they aren't able to remember the rules then you will think they aren't big boys and they have to go back into the baby playpens. Then if child gets up, lay them back down, give them a few chances and then put mat back in playpen and child goes in. Tries again the next day. Gets a sticker for days he stays on mat on the floor.

All of mine that are 18-20 months and over or at least by age 2 sleep in the same space. The older ones on mats and the younger ones in their playpen as in it is moved from upstairs where the babies sleep to the big kid sleep space. So they are learning to sleep like the big kids. Once I see they seem to have the hang of laying down and going to sleep without issue we try the chance to use a mat instead of the playpen but it is put up just in case.

[Spixie33]

Playfelt...do you mean that you have a room set up where all the children sleep? I would LOVE To put two kids on rest mats in the same room but I am worried they would never stay put.
Also...you have children sleeping on a rest mat in the playroom? How do you ensure they don't get up and play? I use a playard in the playroom nap area but am scared that putting a nap mat would mean that the temptation to play with all the toys in the toy room would be too great.

[Judy Trickett]

All my dckids are transitioned to nap mats at 20 months old. And yes, they stay on the mat the entire naptime. Most kids, by the time they have spent the last 8 months in my care know better than to screw around at naptime and wouldn't think to get off their mat. But, on the first day I hang around in the area and run over and put them back on their mat with my mean face if they get off of it.

ALL my kids sleep in the same area - the playroom. Like many other providers, my dckids are always on camera so I can always see them - even when they are napping.

[playfelt]

As Judy said by 2 they know that when I tell them to do something they better jolly well do it and right away, lol. I do not negotiate. Sleeping on a mat is a privilege earned by growing up and kids love to be like the big kids so that helps. IF they don't do it correctly as in continually get up they lose the privilege and go back into the playpen which is put up in the playroom too with a stern warning given as they are tucked into their mat. When they play hard all morning they are exhausted and welcome naptime as much as I do. All my kids are under 3 and arrive by 7:15 in the morning so by 1:00 they are ready.

Also kids that fooled around and didn't stay on their mat which if anyone is usually the older kids then I make them stay there a few minutes longer while I get the others up and they absolutely hate being last - well being first is a privilege earned.

You also need to adjust your naptime according to need. Just because you want them to sleep for 2 hours doesn't mean that the particular group you have does.

[momofthree]

My kids start on their cots from 14months in the playroom/daycare area. None of them has ever try to play. They also sleep from 11:45 to 3pm. If onewakes up early that child will remain on their cot until quiet time is over.

[Spixie33]

alright - I may need this explained to me like I am the 2 year old in the room. Sorry but I started with these two children when they were 1 year old and am nervous at the idea of putting them on a rest mat. It seems unfathomable to me that I could put them in the play room full of toys and books and expect them to stay on a rest mat and not want to go play.

Judy - when you say that you have the children on camera...do you mean that you have one of those baby monitors with camera in the room during nap and can watch them? Does it work for a whole room?

[sunnydays]

I recently transitioned a 2 year old to a mat in the playroom and he never gets off his mat...just goes right to sleep. I close the blinds, turn out the lights and that's it. Mind you, he is a very easy going child and sleeps extremely well, even through noise. I recently tried to put a 19 month old in a playpen in the playroom with him and it was a bit of a no-go. They played and laughed and then, the funny thing was that the 2 year old went to sleep and the 19 month old continued to play although she was in a playpen. I think if I persisted for a week she would sleep fine there and then eventually I could move her to a mat. I am going to try it again soon once I have the new baby that just started all settled in...don't want to make things too hard on myself! Maybe you could try one at a time?

[sunnydays]

My kids start on their cots from 14months in the playroom/daycare area. None of them has ever try to play. They also sleep from 11:45 to 3pm. If onewakes up early that child will remain on their cot until quiet time is over.

How do you get them to stay put if they wake up early? I have a couple who have been waking up early and it means my break is shorter Do you let them cry if they wake up early?

[Play and Learn]

How do you get them to stay put if they wake up early? I have a couple who have been waking up early and it means my break is shorter Do you let them cry if they wake up early?

Give them some books to read - it's still quiet time as others are napping. Or have a quiet activity table set up once they've woken up. Ie: puzzles, playdoh - anything quiet.