Naptime For The Provider! Can I Take A Nap?

[Unregistered]

Here are the facts - if you can't stay awake during work, you need to reduce your workload. Shorten your hours, care for less children, go to bed earlier, etc. Millions of women work through pregnancy everyday. You are excusing a VERY bad decision by blaming it on your pregnancy. Your job is to provide excellent care to children. You sleeping is not excellent care. Its dangerous, stupid, and negligent. No one else sleeps during work, so neither should daycare providers. It is unprofessional and makes all of us look bad.

Thank you for all of your facts. I am quite aware that millions of women work through pregnancy everyday, I have done it 3 times before, and it was a million times easier, I was paid 3 times more, and yes, actually, I did get to take periodic, brief naps on my mandated lunch break, without compromising my job. So now I am lazy, stupid, and negligent? I came to an anonymous forum for opinions and advice BEFORE taking any actions- that is the responsible thing to do.

My suggestion to you would be to remove your white wig and stop being so judgmental and self-righteous. Clearly, you have an opinion, which you already stated- we don't need to hear it again. Unless you have some real, beneficial advice/experience/etc., please transfer your negativity to another thread.

[DCMom]

It's not something that I would do. I view this as my profession and I don't know of many (if any) professions that allow naps.

I have a former dcfamily who came here because mom stopped to pick up her girls (age 3 & 4) early from their former daycare and found them playing in the next door neighbors garage. Early spring, warm but still some snow on the ground. Socks only, no shoes, no coats. She grabbed the girls and went into the daycare...only to find the provider asleep in the recliner in the family room. Two empty nap cots not three feet from her and two other kids still sleeping on theirs.

She quietly grabbed her girls things and took them home, not waking the provider. She went home and waited for the provider to call her and tell her that her girls were missing. It took ONE HOUR for her to get the call that her girls were missing.

Did I mention that the provider and the mom were best friends at the time? Not anymore. The police and licensing got involved...the provider lost her license and eventually moved out of the neighborhood.

Anything can happen in a blink of an eye. Even with the best of intentions.

[saved4always]

I worked a full time job when I was pregnant (all 3 times). I got two 15 minute breaks and an hour lunch. My bosses had no problem with me putting my head down for half an hour during my lunch hour. And I made a ton more money than daycare pays. If it is not against regulations in your area and if your parents know you are pregnant, maybe you could ask them if they mind if you close your eyes for a few minutes during the kids' naps.

[saved4always]

Another good way to handle mis-use of your open/close hours are to offer one rate (your regular rate) for an 8 hour day, a higher rate for any day over 8 hours and an even higher rate for hours over 9 per day.

Makes parents have an incentive to pick up early and not leave their kid in care for the full 1 hour day.

Plus if you do that, it will give you some extra cash for an assistant.

Maybe if you tell them that, if they come only between the 8 or 9 hours that would work best for you (7 a.m. to 4 p.m. or whatever), they can have a lower rate. Parents often make it work to pay less .

[SilverSabre25]

Here are the facts - if you can't stay awake during work, you need to reduce your workload. Shorten your hours, care for less children, go to bed earlier, etc. Millions of women work through pregnancy everyday. You are excusing a VERY bad decision by blaming it on your pregnancy. Your job is to provide excellent care to children. You sleeping is not excellent care. Its dangerous, stupid, and negligent. No one else sleeps during work, so neither should daycare providers. It is unprofessional and makes all of us look bad.

Name calling is uncalled for; surely you can find a more respecftul way to get your point across.

[wdmmom]

Depending on the hours you are working, is putting the kids back to bed when they get there an option. Even if it's for an hour? That would give you an extra hour to relax and rest before really "starting" your day.

All of my kids sleep during the same time so I find myself bored and occasionally tired during naptime too. If I'm feeling a need to rest, I set the timer on my microwave (so I have to get up to turn it off) and will lay on the couch for 10 minutes. I don't sleep but I do feel that it gives me a good moment to relax, let it all go and start over. If laying down isn't what I want to do, I stand in the doorway and breathe in some nice, crisp winter air. That always seems to wake me up.

[JenNJ]

I didn't call anyone a name. If you re-read the sentences I said that her decision to sleep was stupid. Sorry for any confusion.

I'm hoping that you will look at this from a safety standpoint. It is not safe to sleep in a house filled with children. There are thousands of things that can go wrong on any given day when caring for children, even when a caregiver is awake. Most days pass without incident. All it takes is one slip up, one bad decision, one oversight and you can endanger a child's life. That one oversight can ruin your life, your family's life, the child's, life, and the child's family's life. Your future is not worth a nap. Honestly, it isn't.

And the references to other lines of work aren't relevant. In almost any other profession, employees get a mandated break from working. In this profession, we don't. We are responsible 100% of the time a child is here.

And I am sorry if I came off harsh before, but risking a child's well being isn't something anyone should take lightly. Even if a caregiver has taken a million naps without a child waking, it doesn't matter. All it takes is ONE incident. Just one.

[Meyou]

I would never do it. I've dozed off twice in 6 years reading at naptime so I don't read at naptime anymore. In fact I could sleep everyday at naptime if I let myself....I'm that tired some days but I just don't think it's safe with DCK's in the house. I'm being paid to keep them safe and I can't do that when I'm asleep.

I take a super quick shower at naptime in the summer because we go to the beach everyday. But my dd is 13 and watches the kids (sleeping) while I'm in there. The parents are all aware of this as well.

[greenhouse]

No matter how tired I am I could never sleep in the middle of the day. Kids are quietest when they are getting into to trouble, it's a recipe for disaster to sleep.

[Hunni Bee]

Its a bad idea. If anything goes wrong, no matter if was something out of your control or not, its going to come down.on your head if someone finds out you were asleep.

[Blackcat31]

I didn't call anyone a name. If you re-read the sentences I said that her decision to sleep was stupid. Sorry for any confusion.

I'm hoping that you will look at this from a safety standpoint. It is not safe to sleep in a house filled with children. There are thousands of things that can go wrong on any given day when caring for children, even when a caregiver is awake. Most days pass without incident. All it takes is one slip up, one bad decision, one oversight and you can endanger a child's life. That one oversight can ruin your life, your family's life, the child's, life, and the child's family's life. Your future is not worth a nap. Honestly, it isn't.

And the references to other lines of work aren't relevant. In almost any other profession, employees get a mandated break from working. In this profession, we don't. We are responsible 100% of the time a child is here.

And I am sorry if I came off harsh before, but risking a child's well being isn't something anyone should take lightly. Even if a caregiver has taken a million naps without a child waking, it doesn't matter. All it takes is ONE incident. Just one.

[Meeko]

I would not sleep during the day care day. I would go to bed earlier, get someone to watch for you while you take nap...but never just do it.

You said you are a light sleeper. Parents that have rolled over in bed and killed their co-sleeping babies have stated they don't understand how it happened because they are light sleepers.

The fact is nobody sleeps "with one eye open". You could drift off so soundly that you don't hear a child throw up, or choke or a million other things.

I know how tiring this job can be. I started 27 years ago. I had the last two of my kids while in my 30's. Boy could I tell the difference from being in my 20's!!! So tired!!!! But I never napped during day care hours. Waaaay too dangerous.

[sharlan]

You need to call your local licensing agency to find out what the laws are in your state.

Personally, with the ages of your daycare kids, I wouldn't risk it.

I have a 9 yo that comes at 4:45 AM. I called licensing and asked about going back to sleep. I was told that although it wasn't recommended it wasn't illegal as long as I had a baby monitor set up. I tried it once and couldn't go back to sleep.

[PitterPatter]

Just wondering your thoughts on naptime for the provider

ALL 6 of my kiddos sleep 1:30 until 3:30, sometimes longer. I have a very open floorplan, and can hear everything at all times. 3 of the kids are my own, so I have that "mommy instinct," that wakes me up in 1/2 a second- I am a very light sleeper. Sooooooo, here's my question.

Would it be inappropriate if I took a cat-nap on the couch (central of the house) while the kids were sleeping, IF it were somewhere I could hear everyone AND everyone was already alseep?

Do any of you guys do this already? Do you think the parents would care?

I would never sleep while kids are in care. I felt guilty cat napping with my own baby years ago but had to sleep when he slept. It is not allowed here anyway.

Too much can happen, a seizure, a health issue that no one knows about, climb out and get into something, fall out and break a bone or worse etc. Heck you could fall asleep and not wake up or have something happen to you. LOTS can happen and if it would u would have to live with that guilt for the rest of your life and parents without a child. I say just dont do it.

How long do you work? Maybe cut the hours back a little. Maybe call in some help? I get tired too and if I sit very long I would nod off so I do dishes, plan meals, paperwork etc. to keep me going. Even tho we are doing those things we are alert just in case.

[Heidi]

In WI, anyway, licensed providers must be awake during licensed hours if there are any children in care.

Certified providers (caring for 3 or less children under the age of 7), can sleep while children are asleep. Most people use this for overnight care situations, or if they have one child that comes really early (my sis has one that starts at 4:45am, he gets tucked into bed and sleeps until 7:30 or so. My sister also sleeps until then.

There are so many variables here, you just need to use your best judgement and follow your regs.