Napping In Separate Room?

[Kabob]

So I decided to take on 3 non - napping kids (3, 4, and 5 yo). I had non-napping kids here in the past that had no problems laying quietly on a nap mat with music, books, etc the entire nap time.

These kids struggled with sitting still the first week and the second week they struggled with keeping quiet (nothing major but they constantly sigh heavily, kick the floor, roll around, hum along with the music, etc). I am constantly reminding them the entire nap time to be quiet and such and the youngest will start screaming bloody murder if I redirect him if he is tired...it happened twice and wasn't fun for anyone.

So. I have other rooms they could have quiet time in and I also have a split level so they could stay in the lower level play area. I just don't know if the lower level will work...I do have a baby monitor. I am required to remain within sight or sound of the kids at all times but I don't know if this would work...

My question is (since I am trying to clarify with my licensor the rules regarding this): would it be a good idea to separate them from the napping littles so that when I redirect or they are getting wiggly they won't disturb the others?

It's not bad enough to really cause a big issue but it is frustrating some days when they are being especially noisy and everyone is especially crabby and tired. These kids are only here half days starting at around lunch time so part of the problem seems to be that dcm lets them sleep in so they just are not tired enough to sit still...

This has been a learning experience these past 2 weeks.

[Cradle2crayons]

So I decided to take on 3 non - napping kids (3, 4, and 5 yo). I had non-napping kids here in the past that had no problems laying quietly on a nap mat with music, books, etc the entire nap time.

These kids struggled with sitting still the first week and the second week they struggled with keeping quiet (nothing major but they constantly sigh heavily, kick the floor, roll around, hum along with the music, etc). I am constantly reminding them the entire nap time to be quiet and such and the youngest will start screaming bloody murder if I redirect him if he is tired...it happened twice and wasn't fun for anyone.

So. I have other rooms they could have quiet time in and I also have a split level so they could stay in the lower level play area. I just don't know if the lower level will work...I do have a baby monitor. I am required to remain within sight or sound of the kids at all times but I don't know if this would work...

My question is (since I am trying to clarify with my licensor the rules regarding this): would it be a good idea to separate them from the napping littles so that when I redirect or they are getting wiggly they won't disturb the others?

It's not bad enough to really cause a big issue but it is frustrating some days when they are being especially noisy and everyone is especially crabby and tired. These kids are only here half days starting at around lunch time so part of the problem seems to be that dcm lets them sleep in so they just are not tired enough to sit still...

This has been a learning experience these past 2 weeks.

Curious.. Did you know hey were non nappers when you accepted hem into care??

And are they a sibling group or from three different families??

I have three separate areas (all on the same level) where kids can nap... My main daycare area I have two sisters that nap great on mats... Then I have a 9 month old in a separate room..l and the special dcg in a pack and play in yet another separate room due to safety concerns and her schedule is quite different (she needs longer naps).

It works fine for me, but I'm legally unlicensed and they are all within sound and I have a monitor on two of those rooms...

I guess it would all depend on licensing on where to go from here for you.... And if parents are on board... But if the parents are letting them sleep in and aren't willing to help with their schedule, I'm not sure what recourse you have...

[Play Care]

I have my whole upstairs as an approved sleeping area so I can move kids around if needed. Legally I must be on the same floor as the littles at all times, so I could not have some downstairs and some up - I can have them in different rooms provided I have a monitor in each, and physically check on the every 15 minutes.

With our new regulations there is no way I could take on non nappers. We are required to let them up after 30 minutes so they can play quietly and I have no where for them to do that and stay in regs.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I have my whole upstairs as an approved sleeping area so I can move kids around if needed. Legally I must be on the same floor as the littles at all times, so I could not have some downstairs and some up - I can have them in different rooms provided I have a monitor in each, and physically check on the every 15 minutes.

With our new regulations there is no way I could take on non nappers. We are required to let them up after 30 minutes so they can play quietly and I have no where for them to do that and stay in regs.

Where I am located, we are required to let them participate in alternative activities after 1 hour. That can include watching a movie, reading books, etc. Anything besides laying quietly on a cot/mat.

I would not be permitted to have children on a different floor than where I physically am.

[Kabob]

I knew they were non-nappers to start with but was told they were laying quietly at their other daycare. This worked out fine with previous children but like I said, these ones either fall asleep or make random noises or stomp their feet the whole time.

I do not just lay them on a mat with nothing to do.

However, even with music, books, or even a movie they like to make noise.

Mostly the other kids sleep through the little stuff but it's the stomping and screaming that became an issue. It isn't a huge problem yet as it doesn't happen every day and like I said this could be a sleep schedule problem. So I was looking for alternatives for them that are quiet since the alternatives I'm using aren't working. I've never encountered this issue so I guess I was just looking for advice. Guess I'll just **** it up and wait for my licensor to say what I can and can't do and then compare it to what is realistically possible with these kids...

[Play Care]

I knew they were non-nappers to start with but was told they were laying quietly at their other daycare. This worked out fine with previous children but like I said, these ones either fall asleep or make random noises or stomp their feet the whole time.

I do not just lay them on a mat with nothing to do.

However, even with music, books, or even a movie they like to make noise.

Mostly the other kids sleep through the little stuff but it's the stomping and screaming that became an issue. It isn't a huge problem yet as it doesn't happen every day and like I said this could be a sleep schedule problem. So I was looking for alternatives for them that are quiet since the alternatives I'm using aren't working. I've never encountered this issue so I guess I was just looking for advice. Guess I'll just **** it up and wait for my licensor to say what I can and can't do and then compare it to what is realistically possible with these kids...

If my kids were kicking and screaming on their mats, I would NOT be rewarding them with things to do. Right now I have one dcg who does not take as long of a nap as the others. Her mom assured me she would stay quietly on her mat...and for the most part she does. But there is some leg movement or wall scratching or purposeful loud sighs/yawns.... So she was moved to the farthest room. *if* she can lay quietly for a 1/2 hour or so she gets a quiet time kit (books, stuffed animals, magna doodle, etc.) She can play quietly - but as soon as she gets too loud, the kit is gone. Legally I can't do movies but don't believe in doing them for naps anyway. Kids never stay quiet for them and again, I'm not about rewarding poor behavior with a video.
Also, if you were upfront about your quiet time requirements for non nappers and they are kicking and screaming, I would put it on the parents. With my dcg I only have to hint to mom that her behavior wasn't up to par and there are consequences at home.

[Blackcat31]

They can stay up and not nap IF they are quiet.

If they are NOT quiet, they should lose the privilege of not napping.

Get parents on board and follow through. every.single.time.

REGARDLESS of kicking/screaming. A 3 yr old knows how to follow directions.

[Kabob]

The 3 yo started screaming because I removed a privilege. He screamed long enough at the top of his lungs that I almost called dcm for pickup but then he fell asleep.

The kids are required to lay quietly for 30 minutes and then may get a privilege as previously mentioned to keep them occupied quietly. If they make noise then I remove the privilege until they are quiet again. Dcm has said she can pick up if they are being "too rowdy" but I not sure if wiggling and sighing constitutes as "too rowdy".

So it boils down to finding a way to curb this and figuring out where I can reasonably draw the line. It's not like dealing with a screaming non-napping infant...so I feel like I'm just nit-picking since it could be way way worse...

[Blackcat31]

The 3 yo started screaming because I removed a privilege. He screamed long enough at the top of his lungs that I almost called dcm for pickup but then he fell asleep.

The kids are required to lay quietly for 30 minutes and then may get a privilege as previously mentioned to keep them occupied quietly. If they make noise then I remove the privilege until they are quiet again. Dcm has said she can pick up if they are being "too rowdy" but I not sure if wiggling and sighing constitutes as "too rowdy".

So it boils down to finding a way to curb this and figuring out where I can reasonably draw the line. It's not like dealing with a screaming non-napping infant...so I feel like I'm just nit-picking since it could be way way worse...

Since the kids are old enough to understand, I would simply tell them if they are quiet (didn't disturb any one else at all) then they can do whatever it is you allow them to do after the 30 minutes.

If they disturb ANYONE during that period of time you require quiet, then follow through with removing the right to not nap.

Simple consistency and follow through every single day is the only thing that is going to work.


I am curious though as to why in the world this mom has a 3 yr old that doesn't nap when clearly they need one if they are falling asleep now and then.

Seems to me like NOT having to nap might be something mom is promising them if they are good...type thing...??

[Kabob]

Since the kids are old enough to understand, I would simply tell them if they are quiet (didn't disturb any one else at all) then they can do whatever it is you allow them to do after the 30 minutes.

If they disturb ANYONE during that period of time you require quiet, then follow through with removing the right to not nap.

Simple consistency and follow through every single day is the only thing that is going to work.


I am curious though as to why in the world this mom has a 3 yr old that doesn't nap when clearly they need one if they are falling asleep now and then.

Seems to me like NOT having to nap might be something mom is promising them if they are good...type thing...??

Yep so keep doing what I'm doing. They haven't been here for very long...not even 2 weeks total so perhaps I'm just being impatient because again this hasn't been an issue before. These are the highest energy kids ever...thank goodness for half days...although when they are here full days they do way way way better.

Dcm acknowledged that 3 yo needs a nap because she says he's "a bear" if he doesn't nap at home. So supposedly she supports the nap routine for all of them. But words are just words...I am almost certain they sleep until 9am or later as often they arrive late and crabby.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see if the routine here works...if not well...I'm always advertising. Just feel like I should try all my options before I call it quits...

[Kabob]

Well so I worried for nothing (knock on wood here).

Monday the kids arrived and the 3 yo announced that dcd told him "no more toys". The 4 yo sighed and said "no, we can have toys but only if we're good!" Whatever the case they were perfect at nap time that day and so far every day since.

I also found success in having them all tell me what the nap time rules were before starting nap time. Suddenly I'm not reminding them anymore at nap time.

Perfect silence...and the 3yo is napping.