Have You Ever Dozed Off During Nap Time?

[daycare]

Sorry unregistered, i have to agree with cat on this..

I know you said you did not have intentions to fall asleep, but then why are you setting yourself up to? Don't ever set yourself up to fail in any situation. You always need to be be prepared for the worst and expect the best.

I feel bad for you that you are not feeling well, so if this is the case, then maybe you should consider a few things, like:

1. hiring as asst.
2. cutting back on family cost
3. cutting back on your number of kids or hours

I hope that there is something that you can do that will set you and these kids up for success. Don't get yourself into a situation that could end your career and hurt the rest of your family. I know that they are called accidents, but when you are playing with fire, you are really asking to get burned.

[Unregistered]

Anyway....

The only reason I shared that with you is because this thread was about dozing off, and I wanted to answer the poster honestly.

I guarantee you that 1. There are people on this forum who intentionally nap during daycare hours, and 2. There are tons of providers who lay down on the couch with their feet up, or sit and rest in a recliner. I do neither of these things, but thats besides the point.

I just had the guts to speak up and be honest about it, for the benefit of the original poster who had a question. Im not trying to start a debate, I'm just trying to be honest.

I have never slept on the job and never well. I have never accidentally slept either, or dozed off. I rarely ever close my eyes, and did yesterday to relax because my body needed it.

I think the point I am trying to make is that if you think you may be in a situation where you might accidentally doze off (rocking a baby to sleep, for example), have safeguards in place and set an alarm to go off every 15 minutes.

[Childminder]

I sleep every night with children in care. Parents know this and text me when they are 5 minutes out to wake me. I am open extended hours though for those that need late hour care.

The other day though I did fall asleep during nap time while sitting up reading a book. Ooops! Woke up when I heard a noise which was a car pulling into the drive. My DH was here and awake though, does that count for neglect? He is my assistant.

IMO, OP as long as it is not a habit you can stop beating your self up. Poop happens and the children were not in a dangerous situation. Has anyone ever slept while their own children are sleeping?

I know this is a volatile subject just as co-sleeping is so we'll just have to agree to disagree. May be that you are better able to care for the children if you had a rest.

[wdmmom]

There's been a few times where I've had to lay down. One because of a back injury another because of a migraine. I have gone into another room to rest/relax and left the kids in the toy room under the supervision of my staff assistant. There are cameras throughout the home so I could see at all times what was going on.

This job entails long hours, stressful situations, etc. While some of us can do it everyday, I'm sure others can not.

I don't think Blackcat tried to offend you in terms of your financial situation but she is right. If this is too much for you, perhaps you need to change the way you are living and lighten up the work load. You said you couldn't, however it sounds more like you don't want to.

Being pregnant already means your body is needing more rest. Make sure you are giving it to yourself at NIGHT and OFF HOURS. Not while other people's children are in your home. One small mishap could cost yo
u everything. And I think we can agree when I say you closing your eyes or dozing for less than 15 minutes is worth you losing everything!

If you're tired during nap and really struggling to stay awake, how about walking the stairs, doing laundry, or calling up a friend to chat. That's what I do.

[Blackcat31]

I sleep every night with children in care. Parents know this and text me when they are 5 minutes out to wake me. I am open extended hours though for those that need late hour care.

BIG difference. You said the DCP's are all FULLY aware of this as I assume licensing and/or CPS/DHS too as you offer extended care hours.

The other day though I did fall asleep during nap time while sitting up reading a book. Ooops! Woke up when I heard a noise which was a car pulling into the drive. My DH was here and awake though, does that count for neglect? He is my assistant.

Again, you had another adult present who was fully awake.

IMO, OP as long as it is not a habit you can stop beating your self up. Poop happens and the children were not in a dangerous situation. Has anyone ever slept while their own children are sleeping?

What you do with your own children is absolutely NOT the point, I was referring to what we do with other people's children. Again, big difference.

I know this is a volatile subject just as co-sleeping is so we'll just have to agree to disagree. May be that you are better able to care for the children if you had a rest.

Childminder, I have no issue with what people do on the job, as long as their governing bodies (licensing, CPS, DHS, parents or who ever sets the standards of care in their areas) are ALL AWARE and on board with it.
What I do have a problem with is doing things that you aren't suppose to do or don't have permission to do.

IMHO, had the previous poster who asked me if I was kidding was confident it was alright to nap, rest or relax, I don't think she would have logged out and posted anomymously....by doing that, it gave the impression, she wanted to hide her identity in case someone found out and was not too happy about it....kwim?

[Kristina]

It's in our licensing handbook (Oklahoma) that we must be awake if we have children in our care. Even if it is after hours or extended care.

Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen, and in order to prevent them we need to be fully alert and awake. I would not be surprised if my DCF's let me go if I were to fall asleep while I was watching their kids, nap time or not.

In order to remain awake during nap, I clean the kitchen, do my Zumba, or get PM activities ready. IMO, there is never a good reason to fall asleep while you have kids in your care. I understand that you're pregnant, but maybe adjusting your schedule, or the amount of kids in care, or something else would help.

[Country Kids]

I think this is a situation where we need to agree to disagree because I see this one turning into an "ugly" post.

I have struggled for years with extreme tiredness during the afternoon. There times that yes I took a nap with the kids because no matter what I did I needed that sleep. There was a period of time all my kids would be done by 1:00 and I would go lay down for 4-6 hours! Then I would be back to bed in a few hours for the night. Slept entire weekends away also!

Went to doctor after doctor and had tests done out the yingyang. Nothing could be found wrong yet the doctors new there was something wrong just couldn't figure it out. One doctor helped me with some samples of meds till I could get the prescription filled. The medication did wonders for me. I had never felt so alive before and full of energy. Sadly, my insurance wouldn't pay for it because I didn't have the right sleep disorder that it was used mainly for and we couldn't afford the $600.00 a month medication.

I have periods of extreme tiredness but fight it with a vengence and when its been a bad day I tend to just really relax and sleep more early in the evening. I still sometimes sleep alot on the weekends.

Just was talking a provider today that naps with her kids everyday. She is also one that needs alot of sleep and feels comfortable doing it.

Like I said earlier though, lets let this one die before people start getting hurt feelings and it turns really ugly.

Lets all have a day!

[My3cents]

If this was any other job, this would not be an issue- you would be fired.

I feel that you should be alert and awake. I do feel taking a break is fine, but the eyes and ears should be open and alert. Other people are paying you to watch their children, it different, these kid's are not yours. They are paying you for a service.

Night care I suspect is much different- the parents have to expect that the care giver needs to sleep at some point, or find someone that does third shift care and is awake.

To the prego lady- hire a volunteer to come in and relieve you- if you go to church ask for a volunteer to help you out for just that time each day, maybe even a couple of them that could rotate- and let your parents know this is happening. Having a volunteer come in and just help you at this time sounds like a great idea in general and esp after you have the baby- you can keep your daycare open with help after the baby is born and have some time to bond and enjoy also-

Black Cat is not trying to jump on you here- she has the kids safety at heart and center front- shouldn't that be the way it is? It is just not safe Kind of like the person that drives and text---- it only takes a second for something freaky to happen and lose control of the vehicle, I don't care how good your digits are!!! Safety issue just don't do it. I stand corrected Blackcat is jumping on you and rightfully so- take her advice. I guess what I was trying to say is that she does it from a place of love for all concerned- You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if something happened and it was because of your negligence. Freaky things happen!

best-

[Country Kids]

I have to say though in other jobs you would have breaks and lunchtime. I worked outside the home with 2 of my pregnancy's. During lunchtime I would always eat quickly and then laydown for 1/2 an hour or so. One of my employers actually had reclining lawnchairs in the employee areas (break areas) where you could rest, read, sleep what ever you wanted.

So to say you would be fired isn't actually true!

[Childminder]

I have to say though in other jobs you would have breaks and lunchtime. I worked outside the home with 2 of my pregnancy's. During lunchtime I would always eat quickly and then lay down for 1/2 an hour or so. One of my employers actually had reclining lawn chairs in the employee areas (break areas) where you could rest, read, sleep what ever you wanted.

So to say you would be fired isn't actually true!

And your day way probably 8 hours with an hour of break for the time period. How many of you work 12 hour days?

BTW, I don't think blackcat was wrong necessarily in what she said just in the way it was said, seemed very critical and condescending in tone. I'm sure that was just me though reading it that way.

[cheerfuldom]

I have mixed feelings. I do think a provider should be alert and available at all times. But I have also been where the unregistered is, pregnant/exhausted/overworked. Have a ever fallen asleep while the kids where napping? Yes, i will admit that I have. Its very, very rare but I am not perfect. It was nothing intentional but it did happen. And I am being honest in saying this. I hope that for her own sake, the unregistered is able to figure out a way to cut back if need be to make sure that she doesnt ever accidentally fall asleep. I think we should all be able to post our experiences but it is hard to disagree while still being respectful. Like on one hand, other jobs are required to give clear breaks and if we providers had this, some of us may not have been in the situation where we would even feel the need to rest or sleep during work hours but on the other, we all need to see the job for what it is (possibly working the full day with no breaks) and plan accordingly. Thats why even though I have a small group, I have a college age girl come in once or twice a week to give me a break. Shes here for 2.5 hours each time, $20 each time and even though it is at least $80 a month, it is necessary to help lighten my load a bit and keep me and all my kids from the consequences of me getting overworked and exhausted.

[Country Kids]

And your day way probably 8 hours with an hour of break for the time period. How many of you work 12 hour days?

BTW, I don't think blackcat was wrong necessarily in what she said just in the way it was said, seemed very critical and condescending in tone. I'm sure that was just me though reading it that way.

No this was a place that did 12 hour shifts! That is why they had is so employees could rest when they had breaks and such.

Another place I worked was retail so I was on my feet the entire time I worked. We also had a great break area with couches and chairs so I woudl just laydown there and rest up.

[Blackcat31]

BTW, I don't think blackcat was wrong necessarily in what she said just in the way it was said, seemed very critical and condescending in tone. I'm sure that was just me though reading it that way.

You are very right. I did NOT mean to come off as critical and condescending to the unregistered poster. I just read her post as full of excuses where the other posters didn't make any excuses for their actions and seemed to know that their behavior was not ok and even dangerous.

I am normally a VERY level headed person who can keep calm in almost every situation however, when it comes to the safety of children I get very agitated and worked up about it. Especially because there are so many sad stories out there where a provider makes a small mistake with the best intentions and it gives every daycare out there a bad name.

We strive to be respected, appreciated, recognized and honored for the work we do in this field yet seem to want all the perks and benefits of being a stay at home parent and I just don't see a way we can have both of those things at the same time.

Anyways, I never ever meant to make the unregistered posted feel as though I was being holier-than-thou as she must be a pretty caring person in the first place to even be in this area of work. I am normally a poster who goes out of my way to stick up for and defend unregistered posters so I do feel badly if I made the unregistered in this thread feel jumped on or berated and do apologize if I came across that way. It is hard not to be emotional about things we feel strongly about.

[Blackcat31]

Unregistered poster

To the unregistered poster who I quoted:

I apologize for the harshness of my response to you. I did not IN ANY WAY aim to make you feel as though I was being critical or condescending of you.

I could have made my point in a much nicer way than I did. I apologize for the tone but not the message itself.

I apologize for not offering solutions instead of being so critical. I also apologize for not offering you some support for your situation.

Please accept my apology as I really do hope you are able to find some sort of resolution for your situation and I really and truly hope you are able to see that I was merely trying to help you understand that I don't ever want to see a fellow provider have to deal with tragic circumstances that could have been prevented.

I wish you the best.

[momofsix]

To the unregistered poster who I quoted:

I apologize for the harshness of my response to you. I did not IN ANY WAY aim to make you feel as though I was being critical or condescending of you.

I could have made my point in a much nicer way than I did. I apologize for the tone but not the message itself.

I apologize for not offering solutions instead of being so critical. I also apologize for not offering you some support for your situation.

Please accept my apology as I really do hope you are able to find some sort of resolution for your situation and I really and truly hope you are able to see that I was merely trying to help you understand that I don't ever want to see a fellow provider have to deal with tragic circumstances that could have been prevented.

I wish you the best.

lovethisNow THIS is what a true apology looks like. Beautifully worded Blackcat.lovethis