How Long To Try For Nap Before Giving Up?

[daycarediva]

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!

State regs here, too. Which is why I DO NOT take children who don't consistently sleep. It's a deal breaker for me, because I have never had a child under the age of 5 be able to handle staying awake and not disrupt the sleep of the other children.

[Unregistered]

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.

I agree! It's meant so nap time isn't abused and kids are forced to lay down for hours just to get them out of the way. I've seen it be a big problem in centers! I worked at one center where the kids went down at 12:15. Books till 12:30. Then lights out and nap started then. I shared a big room (divided by shelves) with 2's. My group was 3-5's. The 2's were asleep by 12:30. Mine...not so much. I barely got my group to sleep by 1:00. Then lights came on about 2:10. I had some kids that barely got to sleep and it was time to get up!

[Rockgirl]

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.

I agree!