Napping Routines

[childcaremom]

So my nap routine has been as follows:
Clean up from lunch
Storytime
Say good night to friends
Put each child to bed

If a child cries, I will go in and check on them periodically, rub their back, tuck them in again. Never have to do it for longer than 15 minutes.

This is for my ones still in pnps, so btwn 12-18 months.

My older ones are on cots, all still nappers, and will lay quietly until they fall asleep. Again, doesn't take long to fall asleep.

What are your routines? Wondering how similar (or not) they are. I have a new group starting this week and looking for other ideas in case I need them. TIA!

[Gemma]

My group can hardly stay awake through lunch, so after they eat and wash up they go straight to their cots!
I do not rub kid's backs, even the very young, learn to self soothe sooner, if I put them in playpen and leave them alone, with the exception of replacing pacifier once or at the most twice.
..of course I do not expect babies to stay the whole duration of the nap.

[jenboo]

Lunch
Read books while I clean the kitchen
Diapers and potty
2 infants go into one room together, close door and leave
DCB goes into own room, close door and leave
Three dcb's go into another room. I sit on the floor and do computer stuff (food program, etc) until they fall asleep... Usually 15-30 minutes.. Then close the door and leave.

Then I go get my lunch and plop onto the couch.

[spinnymarie]

Kids take plates to the sink as they are excused. Then they read books and go potty while we clean up. Then we set a timer for them to finish their books, and when it goes off we shut off the lights and turn on the white noise. Infants we change and put in sleep sacks and then place in their cribs, which are in a dark room with white noise. I will replace a pacifier once or twice for infants. Sometimes I sing in the main room if kids are having a tough time, otherwise I start the food program stuff, which is in the same room with the big kids.

[ColorfulSunburst]

Children clean up from lunch
Potty
Tees-brushing
Each child goes to bed
I kiss each of them and wish good rest
I sit in the room where children have nap till all of them fall asleep. It usually is my lunch time. When all children fall asleep and I am done with my lunch I start to wash all dishes.

[Josiegirl]

You all make it sound so easy. ::
Well, let's see....lunch time seems to give my dcks a 2nd wind. So here goes:
Kids bring their dishes to the sink and spill half their leftover milk on the floor, their food goes all down the side of the garbage can. We wash hands and I encourage them to go to the living room and find books to read. They then start running circles and yelling or fighting over stuffed animals for naps.

After I've cleared the table, I put cots out and darken the playroom. Diaper time and potty time next. The 3 PT'ed ones fight over who has to go 1st. I don't wanna go! I don't have to go! I just went! I threaten, bribe, talk my ears off to encourage *somebody* goes or we won't have time to read a story. So all 3 in unison yells "We don't want a story!" The littler ones have been changed and watch the birds at the feeders while licking the windowsills. While standing there, they poop. So I repeat the diaper changing.

By now 2 of the PTed dcks have gone potty and the last one takes forEVA, with me running back and forth to see what the heck she's doing. Meanwhile the other 2 have started running circles again, now with the little ones. I scoop up the youngest, say night night and put her in the p'n'play in a separate room. Making progress.

Now everybody is ready for a story. Everyone brings me a book. I can only read 1. It's usually a Gerald and Piggie book, our favorite books in the whole wide world. The dcks sit down and listen(sort of). Then we get our blankets/pillows and stuffed cuddlies, plus a couple more books to lay down with. I turn on the music. One child immediately closes her eyes and is out like a light. Two others like to read their books aloud with me reminding them it is quiet time after all. The 4th is slow to lay down, slow to realize that yes, quiet time means her too. Eventually, she'll lay down for 15 minutes before popping up to tell me she needs something, water, potty again, more stuffies or books(NO). Then for the next 45 minutes I repeat it's quiet time, sssshhh to this one particular child. If I'm lucky everyone else falls asleep and stays asleep for an hour. Except of course needy child.

See? You all make it sound so easy.

[Stephnrich]

After lunch, the children take turns using the restroom and then may pick a book to bring to the table. After everyone has gone and diapers have been checked, they go line up in my front living room where they nap. When they're on their mats with a blanket, I read 3 books. They each get a turn saying what they'll dream about, then it's lights out and I turn a fan on in the hall for white noise. I read a book or play on my kindle on the couch until the last kid falls asleep. Then I can get up and clean.

[laundrymom]

We do stories during morning play.
We:
I change babies
I fix lunch while they clean up toys.
I put babies in their high hairs and plate food.
I send them potty, no choices here. I tell them to potty. I don't ask.
Boys first. Girls second.
When they potty and wash they go straight to table and eat.
After lunch, I send them to their cots. (All mine now nap on cots)
I turn on radio for white noise and flip off lights. They're asleep within 3-5 minutes.
We all sleep in same room no matter age. In two weeks we add a newborn to our mix. He will sleep in same room in crib. I fit 10 in our nap room and they all sleep. All nap. Every day. I stay in room w them.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

We eat lunch and then the kids get down to play for about 15-20 minutes while I clean up. Diapers are changed and big kids go potty. Dcg goes in pnp in one room (dark w/ fan), dd goes in her bed, and big kids go on mats on floor. Takes about 15-20 minutes for everyone to fall asleep. I watch tv, eat lunch, surf internet, pay bills, ect. Our nap routine is pretty easy, so when anyone gets in the way of that, I am one cranky lady!

[AmyKidsCo]

Lunch, potty/diapers/play until everyone is ready, story, nap. I don't rub backs or sit by children but will comfort and tuck in again if needed. As a parent I would've been really frustrated if their child care provider had gotten them used to back rubs every day at nap. Plus I could never fall asleep if someone was rubbing my back or sitting by me watchimg me.

[Blackcat31]

Lunch, potty/diapers/play until everyone is ready, story, nap. I don't rub backs or sit by children but will comfort and tuck in again if needed. As a parent I would've been really frustrated if their child care provider had gotten them used to back rubs every day at nap. Plus I could never fall asleep if someone was rubbing my back or sitting by me watchimg me.

^^what she said

[jenboo]

You all make it sound so easy. ::
Well, let's see....lunch time seems to give my dcks a 2nd wind. So here goes:
Kids bring their dishes to the sink and spill half their leftover milk on the floor, their food goes all down the side of the garbage can. We wash hands and I encourage them to go to the living room and find books to read. They then start running circles and yelling or fighting over stuffed animals for naps.

After I've cleared the table, I put cots out and darken the playroom. Diaper time and potty time next. The 3 PT'ed ones fight over who has to go 1st. I don't wanna go! I don't have to go! I just went! I threaten, bribe, talk my ears off to encourage *somebody* goes or we won't have time to read a story. So all 3 in unison yells "We don't want a story!" The littler ones have been changed and watch the birds at the feeders while licking the windowsills. While standing there, they poop. So I repeat the diaper changing.

By now 2 of the PTed dcks have gone potty and the last one takes forEVA, with me running back and forth to see what the heck she's doing. Meanwhile the other 2 have started running circles again, now with the little ones. I scoop up the youngest, say night night and put her in the p'n'play in a separate room. Making progress.

Now everybody is ready for a story. Everyone brings me a book. I can only read 1. It's usually a Gerald and Piggie book, our favorite books in the whole wide world. The dcks sit down and listen(sort of). Then we get our blankets/pillows and stuffed cuddlies, plus a couple more books to lay down with. I turn on the music. One child immediately closes her eyes and is out like a light. Two others like to read their books aloud with me reminding them it is quiet time after all. The 4th is slow to lay down, slow to realize that yes, quiet time means her too. Eventually, she'll lay down for 15 minutes before popping up to tell me she needs something, water, potty again, more stuffies or books(NO). Then for the next 45 minutes I repeat it's quiet time, sssshhh to this one particular child. If I'm lucky everyone else falls asleep and stays asleep for an hour. Except of course needy child.

See? You all make it sound so easy.

How do you brave that?!
Lunch to nap time is the easiest part of my day. It's literally as simple as I stated.

[ColorfulSunburst]

You all make it sound so easy. ::
Well, let's see....lunch time seems to give my dcks a 2nd wind. So here goes:
Kids bring their dishes to the sink and spill half their leftover milk on the floor, their food goes all down the side of the garbage can.

I have a container at a child table and they put into it all caps and utensils. They putt all dishes on a serving table. Only one child can do it at the same time. When one child cleans up, a second one is on potty, a third one brushes his teeth, all others are waiting by sitting at a table. When the third one is done he goes to his mat, the second one starts brush his teeth, the first one go to potty, and I allow one of the waiting child to start cleaning up. So all of them are moving one after another in this "line". It takes around 15-20 minutes till a last one go to sleep. I have 6 boys here (2yo, 2.6, 2.9, 2.9, 3.6, 3.6)

After I've cleared the table, I put cots out and darken the playroom.

Our nap are always is ready before kids go to eat. They help me to get it ready. I also do not clean anything after lunch till all children fall asleep. Usually they do it during the first 10 minutes after getting on mats.

Diaper time and potty time next. The 3 PT'ed ones fight over who has to go 1st. I don't wanna go! I don't have to go! I just went! I threaten, bribe, talk my ears off to encourage *somebody* goes or we won't have time to read a story. So all 3 in unison yells "We don't want a story!" The littler ones have been changed and watch the birds at the feeders while licking the windowsills. While standing there, they poop. So I repeat the diaper changing.

I have individual potty for 4 younger boys. As a result they do not fight about who will go first at any time. The two 3.6 yo do not fight too. I just say who go first and who need to wait.

Now everybody is ready for a story. Everyone brings me a book. I can only read 1. It's usually a Gerald and Piggie book, our favorite books in the whole wide world. The dcks sit down and listen(sort of). Then we get our blankets/pillows and stuffed cuddlies, plus a couple more books to lay down with. I turn on the music. One child immediately closes her eyes and is out like a light. Two others like to read their books aloud with me reminding them it is quiet time after all. The 4th is slow to lay down, slow to realize that yes, quiet time means her too. Eventually, she'll lay down for 15 minutes before popping up to tell me she needs something, water, potty again, more stuffies or books(NO). Then for the next 45 minutes I repeat it's quiet time, sssshhh to this one particular child. If I'm lucky everyone else falls asleep and stays asleep for an hour. Except of course needy child.

I do not have no one of this problems. I do not read any book before nap and no one ask me about anything. Usually the two or three boys are asleep when the last one comes to bed.

See? You all make it sound so easy.

Try to change your pre-nap routine and it will be easy too.

[Annalee]

Naptime is non-negotiable here....once the soft music CD goes in I do not hear a peep. My clients call me "magical". But it is not me, it is the role modeling my kids do for each other. Each have their own nap space with their own nap things...I provide nap materials but they learn quickly whose belong to whom. Even my infant will go to sleep alone in his pnp because that is the only time he is in his pnp....We begin this at birth and after 12 months children are placed on a mat. Of course there are days that all may not go smooth but, on the average, I look very forward to nap so I can regroup for the rest of the day!

[ColorfulSunburst]

once the soft music CD goes in I do not hear a peep.

same here