Your opinion on waking children before they are ready

[CalgaryMom2]

How do you all feel about parents telling you that their child needs to be woken up at a certain time?

I have these parents who obviously think I work for them. Always showing up late. Which has started to stop because I charge them everytime and told them if this continues to be a problem then they will be terminated. Anyway the mom is always texting me at random times sometimes late at night sometimes on the weekend. Which I don't mind but the others parents have the decency to not do it. They completely baby there daughter so she acts like a total brat when they are around. I'm talking won't eat or sleep for them and has a meltdown as soon as they walk in my door. She eats everyhing I give her at my house and sleeps fine.

Well the mom seems to be blaming me for her daugters sleep issues. I put the kids down to nap at 1 sometimes 12:30 if they are really tired but not usually. There daughter is a great sleeper and sleeps anywhere from 2:30 on a bad day to 4:00. I don't believe in waking a child up before they are ready because they are always grumpy and that personal time I get to spend with my son in the evening I want him happy. Last week the mom asked me to always make.sure her daughter is up my 3:30 which she usually is so it wasn't a big deal. However on Tuesday I woke her at 3:30 and she was incredibly grumpy and tired. Now mom texts me this morning saying this

We are having major sleep issues right now, if you arent already, can you make sure she's up by 3 that would be awesome!

I really don't think this is going to help there situation as I think it's a behavior issue not a sleep issue and I don't want to have to suffer with a grumpy miserable child just cause mom thinks she will sleep better if she has a smaller nap.

I would love all your opinion on this, should she be woken up early and I need to suck it up or is the mom putting her issues at night on me?

[playfelt]

I would not let a child that old sleep till 4. Yes she may be tired but it is because she isnt' sleeping at night and it becomes a vicious circle. So agree that limits need to be placed. A two hour nap or up no later than 3:15 is what most parents expect so that there is the same 4-5 hours to bedtime as there is from get up time to naptime at daycare.

[MommaL]

As a parent, I know that if my little guy sleeps past 3-3:30, it means he won't be ready to sleep again until late that night. Then since he has to be up early in the morning, he wants to have an extra long nap in the afternoon to catch up on sleep. That might be what's going on with this child. While initially she might be cranky when you wake her up, hopefully it will only last a few days until she gets into a new routine. Or, she might just naturally start waking up on her own around 3:00 if she's sleeping longer at night.

[CalgaryMom2]

She is only 20 months you think 2 hours is a long enough nap?

[Dreamalittledream]

When they come to me at a year some are still on AM naps as well...if so, I usually make it a short one (a 1/2 hour); then usual time in the afternoon. They usually grow out of needing that morning nap within 3 months (so, by 15 months old). So beyond that, unless they are feeling under the weather (that usually involves a conversation with parent at drop off to just let them nap as long as they need) I do limit rest time to 2 hours and wake any still sleeping. For those that are nearing school time or are transitioning out of naps I do still require them to lay down (& stay) on their cot for those 2 hours but make books and a stuffy available to them.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I would not let a child sleep to 4pm. A 20 month old child is typically in bed for 7pm maybe 8pm and that's too long to nap too late in day and will mess up bed time.
My children go down at noon. My older children I wake up at 2pm. My under 2's I will let sleep until they wake but no later than 3pm. They normally all awake by 2.30pm until sick and then if Mom said they have bad night, I might leave until 3pm. We have afternoon snack and other things to do. My parents would be very cross if a child sleeping until 4pm.

Maybe think about max 3 hours and possibly move to noon so it not so close to bedtime when they get up from nap?

[CalgaryMom2]

I would definitely consider moving nap time to noon, might be hard on the older kids but hey would adjust. I don't think there is anyway 2 hour naps will cut it for her though. Even if the parents do pit her down at 7 or 8 she gets to my home at 630 am so is probably getting up at at least 6:00am

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I would definitely consider moving nap time to noon, might be hard on the older kids but hey would adjust. I don't think there is anyway 2 hour naps will cut it for her though. Even if the parents do pit her down at 7 or 8 she gets to my home at 630 am so is probably getting up at at least 6:00am

For my early arrival who little, I do power nap in morning. 8am until 9am, then we have morning snack and go out. Your child older than I would normally do it but maybe this solution?

Even if need to do 3 hour nap, it not so bad at noon until 3pm. I think it the 4pm that every parent would not be happy about. I wouldn't not do power nap and three hour mid-day nap though. If this child who need lot sleep, either power nap and 2 hours later, or max 3 in afternoon. I'd be really cross paying for child be involved in daycare to find 4 hour of day child asleep. And I do think it would affect bed time.

[CalgaryMom2]

For my early arrival who little, I do power nap in morning. 8am until 9am, then we have morning snack and go out. Your child older than I would normally do it but maybe this solution?

Even if need to do 3 hour nap, it not so bad at noon until 3pm. I think it the 4pm that every parent would not be happy about. I wouldn't not do power nap and three hour mid-day nap though. If this child who need lot sleep, either power nap and 2 hours later, or max 3 in afternoon. I'd be really cross paying for child be involved in daycare to find 4 hour of day child asleep. And I do think it would affect bed time.

Let me be clear on average she sleeps between 1 and 3 to 330 but sometimes does sleep till 4 which is only a 3 hour nap. That's 2 and a half hours she sleeps even though she arrives at 630 am. All my children nap for at least 2 hours some days more some days less because they are people and sometimes need more sleep. The way my arrivals and schedule work I would not put her down for a nap in the morning. I will definitely move nap time till noon and see if that helps at home however the parents have seen a sleep consultant who told them it's a behavior issue so I doubt what I do here will make any difference at home. They tell me she gets up 10 times a night and walks into there room and they go rock her, cuddle her and put her back to bed everytime.

[Busy ECE mommy]

I do 2 hr naps here, maybe an extra 15 mins for the infants/toddlers. They are all up by 3pm at the latest.