DCK Who Takes For.ev.er To Nap

[Oneluckymom]

She usually takes about an hour to fall asleep, sometimes a little longer. I usually have to help her by doing back rubs etc just to get her to lay still.

I want her to just lay down and sleep within at least 30min.

Any advice?

[Oneluckymom]

An 1.5 hours later she is still awake. This means most days I have virtually no break. I am beyond frustrated.

[Blackcat31]

How old is she?

I wouldn't require that she sleep but just rest quietly.

I also personally wouldn't rub her back and "help" her to sleep either.

I use audio books during rest time and the kids who aren't tired are required to lay quietly and listen to the story until rest time is over.

[Oneluckymom]

She just turned 3. I use soft meditation type music. She has been with me 1.5 years and has ALWAYS been the last to sleep. Yes, I think I should nix the backrub thing.

[Starburst]

What is your Pre-nap time routine? Do they eat before nap time? If so how long before naptime officially starts? What do they do before nap time (play, watch tv, read a book)? Is the napping area dark? You could try doing a 5 minute "cool down" (AKA "calm down") breathing exercise (also a voice projection exercise for actors) where they slow their breathing (and heart rates) with all the DCKs to make them tired. Or just for her you could just have her lay down on her back and do deep breathing exercises- instruct her to breath in slowly through her nose (inflating her tummy like a beach ball) and out through her mouth (deflating her tummy). It helps if she puts on hand on her tummy to feel the "beach ball" inflate and deflate. I once used this on a 9 year old I sat for and she was out for hours.

But overall as long as she isn't making noise or anything there is no harm. I know providers that don't care if the child is awake or asleep as long as they are quietly lay down on their mats and don't disrupt the other children. That's why most people are now referring to it as "quiet time" more than "Nap time" now. If she cannot sit still maybe let her look through a book (as long as she is quiet).

[Oneluckymom]

Lunch is typically 11:30 to 12 or so. Nap is usually around 12:30. I usually dim the lights towards the end of lunch to begin winding down. Music is on once everyone is on their cot.

The thing is that DCG is always moving and has trouble settling down. She is so tired but forces herself to stay awake. When her eyes start to close she moves or sits up immediately. She refuses to allow herself to sleep.

If I let her alone she will just sit up and try to talk to me. If I go use the restroom she will try to follow me and when I remind her to stay on her bed she will cry loudly (everyone is already asleep by this point) and say i dont want to lay down and wake the babies. Its a vicious cycle .

[Play Care]

Lunch is typically 11:30 to 12 or so. Nap is usually around 12:30. I usually dim the lights towards the end of lunch to begin winding down. Music is on once everyone is on their cot.

The thing is that DCG is always moving and has trouble settling down. She is so tired but forces herself to stay awake. When her eyes start to close she moves or sits up immediately. She refuses to allow herself to sleep.

If I let her alone she will just sit up and try to talk to me. If I go use the restroom she will try to follow me and when I remind her to stay on her bed she will cry loudly (everyone is already asleep by this point) and say i dont want to lay down and wake the babies. Its a vicious cycle .

At that age I would give an "incentive" to stay on her mat quietly for nap time. What is something she would really like? During the winter when some of my boys were being too restless at nap, I told them we could have hot cocoa after nap *if* they laid quietly, stayed on their mats, etc. Since it was not part of PM snack, I felt comfortable with this though I know some don't like the idea of food treats. Another idea is to find a separate place for her to "nap" so she can't keep anyone else awake. My one noisy napper is legally in another room. I love the idea of the books on tape - making it clear she must stay on the mat to keep listening or the device goes away.

[mnemom]

This is how my daughter is. She really needs to nap, but just won't allow herself to sleep. I cannot nap her in the same room as the rest of the kids because she needs to talk and move herself to sleep. If I put her in a seperate room she rolls around on the mat a bit and sings herself to sleep. I also give stickers for each kid who was quiet at nap time, and she is really motivated by that too.

[AmyKidsCo]

I've had children like that too. I put together shoe boxes of quiet activities and books for them during naptime. They're allowed to use the boxes as long as they don't cause a problem with them. But I don't sit with them - I don't have time and I think it gives them a reason to stay awake longer.