Lunch Time Dilemma...Move It Or Not?

[SilverSabre25]

dcg will be two mid-February; she's been here for a year so she's knows the routines pretty well. Lunch is at 12:30; naps immediately after at 1.

She used to be good with this routine like everyone else. Lately, she gets EXHAUSTED by lunchtime and is falling asleep on the floor. Like now; it's only 11:30 and I just had to wake her up. When you wake her up, she cries for ten or fifteen minutes and I have to keep getting her up because she keeps falling back asleep.

I've been considering moving lunchtime back...partly to accommodate her and partly for other reasons (like not having to deal with AM snack). Would you move lunch and naps back? What time would you move it to? Noon, or 11:30?

My main concern with moving naps earlier is the two kids that don't sleep very long...earlier nap will means that they're up earlier. Is there a chance that they will sleep longer if I have naps earlier?

Or should I just leave the timing the way it is and put her down for a nap 1.5 hours before everyone else naps?

The other concern is that half my kiddos don't even get here until 9:30 or ten. I worry that an earlier lunch and earlier nap will mean that they aren't going to fall asleep as easily.

Gah! Why can't things be easy? I HATE having to change routines!

[jen]

Can she take a morning cat-nap for 1/2 hour? I have one who will be 2 next month who needs a little morning snooze sometimes.

Otherwise, moving to 11:30 works too. We do lunch early and then only serve pm snack.

[momatheart]

Well if the majority get there later chances are they have slept in. Then you will probably not have them napping early.

What time does this little girl get there in the am? If early enough lay her down after she gets there and see if she won't nap for a bit. She will grow out of that earlier nap soon enough I don't think I would change everyone just because she can't stay awake. She will adjust back to your schedual.
Maybe, she is getting sick?
Have her parents been keeping her up later?

Keep on YOUR schedual I bet she will adjust back soon.

[Little People]

We do lunch at 11:30 and naps at 12:00 - 2:00. My littles ones would not make it till 12/12:30. Then we have snack at 2:30 and my SA get snack at 3.

Sometimes when my little ones are getting sleepy, we put on a music tape and dance. That will get them awake and they will last till nap.

[SilverSabre25]

I've been dealing with this same problem since...gosh, I don't know...it's been a couple months now. She's here three days a week (W-F), gets here around 10. Prior to a couple months ago, she was on the exact same schedule and had no problem staying up until 1 PM nap. That's part of why this is so puzzling to me. The ones who get here later are all ones who are part time.

I should ask what time she goes to bed and what time she wakes up in the morning. I do have several kiddos whose parents are asking me to shorten their naps, so if I move nap earlier maybe I can get away with not actually shortening the nap.

[momatheart]

I bet you could get away with not shorting nap if you moved it back.

Get your questions answered regarding that little girl and then start Monday with moving the nap time. Do that for the month of Feb and see how it goes. You can always go back to the old way.

That way too you won't have to serve an am snack. Have lunch at 11:30 or 11:45. 12:15 put them down for nap. That other child who is so sleepy put her down at noon.

[MarinaVanessa]

We do lunch at 11:30 and naps at 12:00 - 2:00.

Me too. Families that sign up know that there are no pick-ups or drop-offs during nap and EVERY child participates in nap. If they sleep in late each day and don't want to nap then they aren't a good fit here, sorry.