Naptime Help Needed

[justgettingstarted]

Hi everyone. I'm having some trouble figuring out my daily schedule/routine. Both of my kids are younger toddlers that still take two naps while my son is 2 and takes one. I'd love to know how you handle this and would appreciate any tips on how to juggle multiple toddlers at nap time. I have them both in separate rooms right now and neither are good nappers, there's always some crying involved. Plus I have a third starting soon so two will have to sleep together.

If I put the DCKs down at around 9:15, right after breakfast and diaper changes, I don't think they'll be ready for another nap right after lunch when my son goes down. If I keep them up a while longer, they will wake my son when I put them down - and I won't get any kind of break. If I put my son down later he'll be overtired and will have trouble getting to sleep, then he'll sleep late and won't want to go to bed in the evening. It doesn't help that all of my bedrooms are small and right next to each other.

[bice99]

It depends on the age of the youngers. I have them take a shorter morning nap (even if I have to wake them up) so that they are ready to nap when the others do in the afternoon.

[justgettingstarted]

They are 13 and 15 months. My third scheduled to start in 2 weeks is 14 months. The current two only take one nap at home but they are so tired in the mornings here I know they need two naps. I think this is going to be a bumpy ride...

[Sunchimes]

I have 3 ages 16/17 months. I've had one since infancy and the other 2 started at 10 and 11 months old. All of them take 2 naps. My families are on odd hours, so every day is different. I just judge what time they had to get up to get here. One gets here at 5:45 am and sleeps until the next child arrives then goes back down about 9:30. If she's my only child, her mom said to let her sleep (she loves to sleep!) so she sleeps until 10 or so. Every day is a whole new experience at naptime.

Basically, I try to put them down for a nap about 3 or 3.5 hours after they woke up from the last one. If they woke up at 11, they go back down at 2 or 2:30. It's working really well for us, they are all going to bed at a reasonable hour for their parents. I expect that to change soon as they age out of 2 naps, but for now, we are all happy.

Funny story. A few months ago, when the oldest was about 10 months old, mom said dcg was giving up morning naps and that was fine with her, not to force her. I told her that as long as she was at my house, she was taking 2 naps. I had a few days when she fought morning nap, but not many. Mom is about to have a baby and yesterday was wondering how long we could keep dcg on 2 naps. ;-) I voted for another 3 years. ::

[cheerfuldom]

I always schedule my daycare routine around my own kids routine. I never sacrifice my own child's routines, naps, meals for the sake of the daycare. With that being said, I would arrange thing so that everyone goes down at the time that your son goes down for his second nap. Some kids cry themselves to sleep no matter what you do so I wouldn't worry about that. Even 15 or 20 minutes each nap is not weird to me although the goal should be quiet time immediately. That age of toddler is known for protesting though so don't feel that you are doing anything wrong just because they don't want to lay down then. I would then schedule that morning nap around whenever it would take to make sure they are tired for the second nap. I have one toddler that goes right down for nap as soon as she gets here, and then is up in order to go for a second later than everyone else. Once they kids start sharing rooms, again, I would not allow anyone to share in my child's room. That is their space and I wouldnt want their nap ruined by a daycare kid that is crying.

[AnneCordelia]

My group is exclusively in the 12-17month age range. I put them on 1 nap to coincide with my own 3yo 's nap. It took about a week but now they all do great on one nap. Usually sleep 2.5-3 hours in the afternoon.

[Blackcat31]

I would try to get them all to nap at the same time. Move their naps back by half hour each day and maybe move your ds's earlier a bit just until everyone is on the same nap schedule.

All the dck's I have 12 months and older are transitioned to one nap per day. They may nap twice at home but usually for only an hour, whereas if I nap them only once at daycare, they nap for 2-3 hours so I don't feel they are gettign less sleep, just doing it at a different time.

Since your biggest concern is that there is always crying involved, I would focus on trying to get them all to lay down at the same time.

Good luck. With a bit of time and alot of patience it can be done.

[justgettingstarted]

Thanks again everyone. I've been doing one nap a day and they both only sleep an hour. The rooms are dark, their tummies are full, its nice and quiet except the soft music I play. The only thing I can think of is that they are overtired because they're only getting one nap. Next week I'll try an early nap and wake them after an hour then put them down again at my son's nap time which I'll push back a little. Oh, and no DCKs are ever allowed in my son's room. I'm looking forward to having some one-on-one time with my son during the first nap, I really hope it works. Wish me luck!

[AnneCordelia]

Have you thought about white noise instead of music?
All my 1yos did that too...I found that giving them 20 minutes to work themselves out meant they fell back asleep for another hour. Eventually they just consolidated the two hours into one long nap.

[cheerfuldom]

also, if kids wake up before nap time is over, I will do a quick diaper check and then tuck them back in....as quickly and quietly as possible. one hour is not long enough for that age. it is possible that that is what they sleep at home though or that they are doing only one sleep cycle (usually 45 min.) and have not learned to go back to sleep when their bodies go into the next cycle. just because they are awake does not mean that they do not need more sleep.

[justgettingstarted]

My bedrooms are right next to each other and as soon as they wake up they are screaming and will wake everyone else up too. I'd rather have one up and a little cranky than all of them up so I just get them up and try to play quietly. How can you let them fuss and cry for 20 minutes without everyone waking up?

I have some ******t noise tracks (mountain river, ocean waves, etc.) is that the same as white noise? Any idea why the word amb ient would be blocked?

[AnneCordelia]

Honestly they will cry at first and wake everyone up but if you are consistent then they will get used tout. I now have 3 1yos in the same room. One always wakes about 15 minutes before the others but they have gotten so used to it that they sleep right through now.

[bice99]

I call it the "one hour wiggle". Every child I have ever cared for (mine included) wiggle around, fuss or cry after about one hour of napping. If I leave them be, they go back to sleep. I warn new parents of it b/c they are always asking how I get everyone to take such long naps - dark blinds, closed doors and a fan in the hall is all I do. Just don't teach them that I will get them up after an hour. They aren't ready to be up anyway.

[DaisyMamma]

I have the same problem. I try to get the young one down as early as possible and wake him if need be so that he will go down again at 1ish. So I keep the toddler up a little later after nap.

The younger child I have is not a great napper. He has woken at the sound of my sneeze before. and he is a crier. He could sleep half hour and if he is woken up and I ignore his quiet complaints he will CRY and CRY and CRY. There is no CRYing it out for this kid. I mean how long can I really let him cry for?

[DaisyMamma]

I've tried having the younger kid take only one nap with the older one and it doesn't work. He will sleep an hour and he is cranky all morning and all afternoon!