Baby Waking Others/Screaming

[WBee]

I have a 5 month old infant who only sleeps 45 min. in the afternoon. I even kept him awake this am. (usually naps 30 min then). He sleeps 12-12 1/2 hrs. at home during the night in a sleepsuit and uses it here also-for now. DCM wakes him at 7 a.m. and drops off at 8 a.m. after he is breastfed. I bottle feed him 2x prior to p.m. nap. My other kids are waking too early due to his screaming and he has been w/me for 2 months, kept in another room w/one other infant-who also wakes due to the baby. All other kids used to sleep 2 hrs. but now he is here (5 days per week) and no one is adjusting. Other dcm's are asking why their kids are no longer taking the usual naps....ugh! And yes, he literally screams. No crying. This is the norm for him "here" I am told. Love his parents, they are great but should I ask them to keep him up in the evening? Maybe a 1/2 hr. nap then up again for a couple hrs.?

[Blackcat31]

I have a 5 month old infant who only sleeps 45 min. in the afternoon. I even kept him awake this am. (usually naps 30 min then). He sleeps 12-12 1/2 hrs. at home during the night in a sleepsuit and uses it here also-for now. DCM wakes him at 7 a.m. and drops off at 8 a.m. after he is breastfed. I bottle feed him 2x prior to p.m. nap. My other kids are waking too early due to his screaming and he has been w/me for 2 months, kept in another room w/one other infant-who also wakes due to the baby. All other kids used to sleep 2 hrs. but now he is here (5 days per week) and no one is adjusting. Other dcm's are asking why their kids are no longer taking the usual naps....ugh! And yes, he literally screams. No crying. This is the norm for him "here" I am told. Love his parents, they are great but should I ask them to keep him up in the evening? Maybe a 1/2 hr. nap then up again for a couple hrs.?

So putting it in perspective, you have ONE child that is disrupting the entire group of other kids and parents are now starting to complain about it...?


If I were in your shoes, I'd have to let the baby go. I simply cannot allow one child that doesn't really fit in disrupt everyone else.

My philosophy for group care is that each child is a PART of the group not the center of attention or that one child receives more one on one than the others.

I am sorry if that is not the advice you were looking for but that's all I've got. I'm at the point in my career where "good fit" means ALOT.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I have a 5 month old infant who only sleeps 45 min. in the afternoon. I even kept him awake this am. (usually naps 30 min then). He sleeps 12-12 1/2 hrs. at home during the night in a sleepsuit and uses it here also-for now. DCM wakes him at 7 a.m. and drops off at 8 a.m. after he is breastfed. I bottle feed him 2x prior to p.m. nap. My other kids are waking too early due to his screaming and he has been w/me for 2 months, kept in another room w/one other infant-who also wakes due to the baby. All other kids used to sleep 2 hrs. but now he is here (5 days per week) and no one is adjusting. Other dcm's are asking why their kids are no longer taking the usual naps....ugh! And yes, he literally screams. No crying. This is the norm for him "here" I am told. Love his parents, they are great but should I ask them to keep him up in the evening? Maybe a 1/2 hr. nap then up again for a couple hrs.?

Are you sure he sleeps 12-12 1/2 hours at night? That would mean they put him to bed at 6:30 or so? What time do they pick him up? It sounds like he gets little to no sleep at your house and is exhausted when he gets home, so they put him to bed, when he should be awake and being a part of dinner and wake time with his parents.

I would do a 3/4 hour schedule. Example:
wakes at 7 am, feed, play, down for nap at 9
wakes at 10:30, feed, play, down for nap at 12:30
wakes at 2, feed, play, down for nap at 4
wakes at 5:30, feed, play, down for bed at 8 pm
sleep until wakes at night and feed if needed, but right back to bed. If sleeps straight through, let him and enjoy it

If he is able, cut out the late afternoon nap once he masters sleeping longer int he am and afternoon. If he is bottle fed or drinking nice full bottles of BM, he should be able to go 3-4 hours between feeds, so that is also a factor in when you put him down for naps. Don't keep him awake int he hopes he will sleep longer the next nap. It actually makes it worse. Consistent naps and routine will help get him on track. It doesn't matter what they do at home, but just saying that if they pick him up at 5 and drop at 8, they are getting two hours of awake time with their baby and that is not enough and he is going to bed early and sleeping over 12 hours because he is exhausted. IMO, he is old enough to self sooth and should be in a space where he can fuss and not keep others awake, so if you have a room you can designate for him, it will help greatly. Lay him down, say night night, and leave. Jmo and how I would do it...good luck!

[WBee]

Are you sure he sleeps 12-12 1/2 hours at night? That would mean they put him to bed at 6:30 or so? What time do they pick him up? It sounds like he gets little to no sleep at your house and is exhausted when he gets home, so they put him to bed, when he should be awake and being a part of dinner and wake time with his parents.

I would do a 3/4 hour schedule. Example:
wakes at 7 am, feed, play, down for nap at 9
wakes at 10:30, feed, play, down for nap at 12:30
wakes at 2, feed, play, down for nap at 4
wakes at 5:30, feed, play, down for bed at 8 pm
sleep until wakes at night and feed if needed, but right back to bed. If sleeps straight through, let him and enjoy it

If he is able, cut out the late afternoon nap once he masters sleeping longer int he am and afternoon. If he is bottle fed or drinking nice full bottles of BM, he should be able to go 3-4 hours between feeds, so that is also a factor in when you put him down for naps. Don't keep him awake int he hopes he will sleep longer the next nap. It actually makes it worse. Consistent naps and routine will help get him on track. It doesn't matter what they do at home, but just saying that if they pick him up at 5 and drop at 8, they are getting two hours of awake time with their baby and that is not enough and he is going to bed early and sleeping over 12 hours because he is exhausted. IMO, he is old enough to self sooth and should be in a space where he can fuss and not keep others awake, so if you have a room you can designate for him, it will help greatly. Lay him down, say night night, and leave. Jmo and how I would do it...good luck!

Yes, Mom says she cannot keep him up past 6:30 p.m. (He gets picked up here at 4:00.)He goes down for the entire night at that time. She says,"He slept 12 hrs. again last nt. Not sure why he isn't sleeping for you?" OMG.... I do have a separate infant room where he is kept however, 4 out of the 5 days there is one more 12 month old infant in there w/him. I've even tried bringing the 12mon. old infant out w/the other kids but then he wakes them instead. Thank you for your response!

[mommyneedsadayoff]

That last nap will do wonders and keep him up later for mom. The 12 month old shouldn't need a nap that late in the day, so if possible, follow the above schedule, if possible, and he will stay up later for mom and dad and even out his wake/sleep time. Some babies do sleep 12 hours stretches, but napping during the day is essential, imo, so I find the balance of both day and night sleep to be integral to baby's overall mood and well being.

Just to add, based on my experience with that age, it will take some time and some crying to get it all accomplished, but if you hold out and stay consistent, it can work itself out and be smooth sailing for months to come!

[WBee]

That last nap will do wonders and keep him up later for mom. The 12 month old shouldn't need a nap that late in the day, so if possible, follow the above schedule, if possible, and he will stay up later for mom and dad and even out his wake/sleep time. Some babies do sleep 12 hours stretches, but napping during the day is essential, imo, so I find the balance of both day and night sleep to be integral to baby's overall mood and well being.

Just to add, based on my experience with that age, it will take some time and some crying to get it all accomplished, but if you hold out and stay consistent, it can work itself out and be smooth sailing for months to come!

I cometely agree. He has been here for 2 1/2 months now though. Used to cry all day. Now that is a little better but now its this nap issue.Baby was home yesterday. I asked dcm if she gave an eve nap like I had suggested and...no. Instead...skipped am nap,which I had tried here and informed her it didnt help. She said he fell asleep 1/2 hr later last nt. Not a big help!
She also gave me a "white noise" stuffed animal and binky to give him when he wakes. I give up! Do parents normally disregard suggestions? I told her today he cannot continue waking others. So now I'm supposed to keep him up from 8-1 and go into the infant room when he wakes to give him a toy & binky and "hope" the 12mon old sleeps through it? Wwyd at this point?

[childcaremom]

I am experiencing this with a slightly older child.

I offer suggestions. Mom agrees than does something else.

I have my star on the calendar for the end of the month. That will have been 3 months for little one to get on our schedule. It doesn't look like it is going to happen.

My last attempt was to offer sleep training advice. Told her to stick to our schedule no matter what.

Child was home yesterday. At drop off, mom mentioned that she didn't do morning nap. Um, what? Seriously. After she agreed to keep the same schedule until she was settled and adjusted.

So, now I will follow the advice that was given to me: Don't worry about what's happening on her end. Worry about what's happening on yours. So I"ve tried, I've given it an honest shot, and now I'm giving notice.

This one screams and keeps others up and then is crabby if she doesn't nap. Not fun (or fair) for any child in my care.

[WBee]

I am experiencing this with a slightly older child.

I offer suggestions. Mom agrees than does something else.

I have my star on the calendar for the end of the month. That will have been 3 months for little one to get on our schedule. It doesn't look like it is going to happen.

My last attempt was to offer sleep training advice. Told her to stick to our schedule no matter what.

Child was home yesterday. At drop off, mom mentioned that she didn't do morning nap. Um, what? Seriously. After she agreed to keep the same schedule until she was settled and adjusted.

So, now I will follow the advice that was given to me: Don't worry about what's happening on her end. Worry about what's happening on yours. So I"ve tried, I've given it an honest shot, and now I'm giving notice.

This one screams and keeps others up and then is crabby if she doesn't nap. Not fun (or fair) for any child in my care.

I hear you. It's comforting to know I'm not alone! Thank you and good luck! Looks like I'm going to get my stickers out!

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I cometely agree. He has been here for 2 1/2 months now though. Used to cry all day. Now that is a little better but now its this nap issue.Baby was home yesterday. I asked dcm if she gave an eve nap like I had suggested and...no. Instead...skipped am nap,which I had tried here and informed her it didnt help. She said he fell asleep 1/2 hr later last nt. Not a big help!
She also gave me a "white noise" stuffed animal and binky to give him when he wakes. I give up! Do parents normally disregard suggestions? I told her today he cannot continue waking others. So now I'm supposed to keep him up from 8-1 and go into the infant room when he wakes to give him a toy & binky and "hope" the 12mon old sleeps through it? Wwyd at this point?

Parents disregard suggestions all the time I would not keep him up. I would actualy be putting him down for naps even more frequently. Is it possible to move the 12 month old out of the room and just have the baby in there lone for a while? If not, then I would consider terming. We cannot control what the parents d at home, so you really have two choices. Terminate and let the parents work it out or find another provider. Or be prepared to do all the hard work and figure out a way to have a space for baby where he is alone and will not disrupt the others. If you choose number two, then just as I said above, he eats, plays and goes down for nap on a 3 hour schedule. Aim for three naps a day of at least an hour each and as he masters the first two, you can eventually drop the late afternoon nap. BUT, this means he will need a quiet place to cry it out where he is not disrupting the others. If you can move the 12 month old into the main area or in the room with the older kids (not sure of your setup) and can have a separate space, it will be much easier and then it is just consistency. Sleep begets sleep ( think that is the saying). Not putting him down for naps during the day does not mean he will sleep better later on. He will be over stimulated and have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep and will wake up even crankier. It is best to prevent this by putting him down for a nap in the am, afternoon, and late afternoon until he can wind down to just two naps as he gets older. Good luck to you and again, if it is too much and you just don't want to deal with it, then terminate and move on to another child that is a better fit!

[WBee]

Parents disregard suggestions all the time I would not keep him up. I would actualy be putting him down for naps even more frequently. Is it possible to move the 12 month old out of the room and just have the baby in there lone for a while? If not, then I would consider terming. We cannot control what the parents d at home, so you really have two choices. Terminate and let the parents work it out or find another provider. Or be prepared to do all the hard work and figure out a way to have a space for baby where he is alone and will not disrupt the others. If you choose number two, then just as I said above, he eats, plays and goes down for nap on a 3 hour schedule. Aim for three naps a day of at least an hour each and as he masters the first two, you can eventually drop the late afternoon nap. BUT, this means he will need a quiet place to cry it out where he is not disrupting the others. If you can move the 12 month old into the main area or in the room with the older kids (not sure of your setup) and can have a separate space, it will be much easier and then it is just consistency. Sleep begets sleep ( think that is the saying). Not putting him down for naps during the day does not mean he will sleep better later on. He will be over stimulated and have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep and will wake up even crankier. It is best to prevent this by putting him down for a nap in the am, afternoon, and late afternoon until he can wind down to just two naps as he gets older. Good luck to you and again, if it is too much and you just don't want to deal with it, then terminate and move on to another child that is a better fit!

I have tried moving 12 month old into room w/other kids. It didn't work out. Everyone hears rhe baby regardless of him being in the back room.
Thank you for your help!! 😉

[daycarediva]

I would try the later nap, as in you are waking him for a change before the parents arrive to pick up. That should keep him up later. I would put him down at 9:30/12:30/3:30.

I would give parents your schedule and ask that on weekends they stick to it so that baby can be happy and adjusted to group care. If I didn't see good progress at the end of a two week period, I would term. You've already stated it's affecting your group. You can either lose one family or all the others. KWIM?

It's also possible he is either held constantly while asleep, cosleeping with a boob in his mouth, or sleeping unsafe like a swing or bouncer. All of which you cannot replicate.