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How long do you keep redirecting kids to nap before giving up? I have a 3 1/2DCG that inconsistently naps. And I feel like I am always reminding her to stay on her mat and be quiet so she doesn't wake up the others... I usually give an hour but I'm down there every 10-15 minutes and now it's affecting the other kids. Curious how long others offer quiet time.
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I don't let them up until nap time is over. If you let her get up after an hour or so while everyone else sleeps, she will do it over and over again. She needs to know that she has to lay down for the whole nap time. If she keeps getting up then lay her back down and rinse and repeat. Tell her nap time isn't over. -
When kids interrupt nap time here, they get moved to a boring corner in a different room by themselves to spend the rest of nap time.Comment
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Never give up. Never surrender.Comment
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But seriously, don't...
Even if they don't sleep, they don't leave their cots. I may bring them books to look at after an hour, but they know not to ask for them, or move, or make noise. (that makes me sound super intense
...but it works).
I agree with move dck to a quiet boring corning. I used a hallway at my old location. There was literally nothing to look at, touch etc I sat at the end of the hall with my kindle. You may need to sit down near the child until trained.Comment
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State regs. here require children to be allowed up and given something to do after 1/2 hour. While the code is in place so older children are not just laying on a mat day after day for two or more hours and never sleeping I have personally known it to be a problem with younger children. I knew a very young toddler (14 months on up) who was always up all day after a half hour every single day in a center because he didn't fall asleep in the 1/2 time frame. He was always exhausted!
I think it should be changed to one hour, at least. Kids need down time if they are in child care all day long. It's a long day. At least kids three and under!Comment
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Ditto!But seriously, don't...
Even if they don't sleep, they don't leave their cots. I may bring them books to look at after an hour, but they know not to ask for them, or move, or make noise. (that makes me sound super intense...but it works).
I agree with move dck to a quiet boring corning. I used a hallway at my old location. There was literally nothing to look at, touch etc I sat at the end of the hall with my kindle. You may need to sit down near the child until trained.Comment
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After 45 minutes I allow my one five-year old that doesn't sleep to get up. He's really quiet, though, and he draws for about 45 minutes and then usually others are starting to get up then. It works great for us.Comment
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Our pediatrician tells me that I can't force them to sleep, but I can and should force them to have a quiet rest. When my son doesn't want to nap, he goes to his room and lies on his bed with a couple of books. He doesn't get up and he doesn't get stimulating things like TV or a tablet. It doesn't replace nap, but it's better than nothing.Comment
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I never left the nap area till all children fall asleep. If it is necessary I can sit near a child who has a problem to get sleep. Usually all kids fall asleep during 10 minutes. My oldest kids are 3.6 and they are the first who fall asleep here.Comment
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Its a health issue to me. Yep, I talk with all kids about how we feed our bodies healthy food, exercise, drink water and rest. Sleeping is optional, rest is not.
That is a stupid reg, only giving them 30min. Maybe take time to do quiet, soothing activities before layin down. Read, sing quiet songs, talk about expectations... having to let them get up after 30min would drive me nuts. Takes my 16m old 45min some days (today it took 5min!) but once she is down she is down 2 hours. I can't imagine of robbing her of that.Comment
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I would sit by her mat until she's sleeps. When I had a hard time last year with kids, I would bring a book or my ipad and sit quietly in the corner until they were sleeping. I was also not above giving the kids who "rested" quietly a sticker at the end of nap
(and this didn't mean sleeping, kids who were quiet so friends could sleep were also given a sticker - and usually more as I wanted them to know how much I appreciated their consideration for others
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Can you move her mat to another place where she can't see/hear the other kids but you can see/hear all of them? I find that takes the wind out of their sails when they know there isn't anyone else to bother.
But I also say the half hour starts after the child has been laying quietly for a half hour - and every time she gets up, talks, etc. the time starts over.Comment
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I have a little girl who just turned 4 yo and she doesn't sleep very often. I try to keep her sectioned off from the others but it doesn't work. I'll tell her to lay down, be quiet so the other can sleep, give her books, stuffies to cuddle with. She still gets up every 10 minutes and asks 'when is quiet time over? when can I get up? I'm thirsty. I have to go to the bathroom.' You get the picture.
If I say something she doesn't like she'll start to throw a mini fit, stomping her feet til of course someone wakes up.
BUT there is that once in awhile day she crashes faster then anyone else and it's pure pure bliss.
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