Babies Not Napping Anymore??

[Registered]

Im registered but chose to log out for some reason.

Is it just me or are more and more infants and babies not napping during the day as much?

1st was a 4 month old. Screamed ALL day but would not nap.

2nd was a 17 month old refused to nap regardless of how tired she was

3rd a 15 month old will now not nap but 5 mins at a time. And screams inbetween.

4th a new baby who I JUST met the mom and she claims baby ( a 4 month old ) NEVER naps!!

Babies need sleep!!!! so why is this happening so much? These four kids were all in the last 5 months. Its not even like i can transition them. They are flat out non sleepers.

[nannyde]

Because we believe that they should set their own schedules and that we should solve all crying by measures that stop crying.

When I started caring for kids it was just KNOWN that kids six and under needed sleep during the day. When I was in first grade we even put our heads down on the desk after lunch and rested.

Then we decided five year olds didn't need it... then four... then three... then two... then one... and now what YOU see is that it is all the way down to babies.

There is NO age now that there isn't an "exception" to being human. You have the experience of having four very young babies/toddlers and they are all the exception to being human. The exception is now the rule.

As shocked as you are that babies could not need sleep is as shocked as I was the first time I had a parent of a five year old say they didn't need sleep.

You may think it's understandable that SOME five year olds don't need a nap. That would have shocked me in the begining of my career thirty years ago. It would have shocked me like this is shocking you.

Bit by bit... year by year.. it is going out of our social consciousness the primal understanding that our young need LONG ... DEEP.... sustained.. uninterupted... SLEEP. We now believe that there are many who really don't need it. The ones who cry are the ones...

If we must solve all crying by stimulation and action then we will must understand that the young will stay up to receive it.

[countrymom]

because everyone wants their children sleep all night and they are put to bed at 7pm. Maybe I'm old fashion but I think thats how children grow.

[SandeeAR]

Mine are in the bed from 9-10:30 and 1-3, period. They can sleep or stay awake, but they are in the bed. I have one 18 mo, that has NEVER slept well here. I recently found out that when she cries at night, parents get her and put her in their bed. The sleep problem, became a HUGE problem here. She will scream, not cry scream for 20-30 min, sleep 10-20, scream another 10-20, sleep, rinse, repeat. When I found out Dad was getting her and putting her in their bed, I told Mom, he needed to start coming each day and nap and crawling in bed with her.

I also, started writing down the time she screamed and the time she slept on her daily report. Mom has decided to let her CIO at night now. She has slept thru the night 2 nights. Hoping it carries over here and she starts to sleep here too.

My others, 22 mo, 13 mo and 4 mos are all great sleepers.....until the screamer wakes them up

[cheerfuldom]

I really think that 99% of issues with the kids is the parents are too weak to say no (by words or actions) and too undisciplined to have a daily routine. People are scared by the words "routine" or "schedules". First of all, it requires a four letter word WORK, that is time/commitment/dedication that a lot of parents can't or won't do. Secondly, there is this trend that any boundaries or restrictions for your child squashes their development and individuality so routines are seen as a kid-squasher. It's very popular to parent "child led" to show that you are in tune with your child and able to adapt your life to each unique thing that comes about in their upbringing (or so the current trend says) Naps, calm, quiet, peaceful, etc. are not encouraged by society as seen by the frenzied pace of the parents and the slew of child entertainment by way of computers/toys/sports/lessons/attention. I have a lot to say on this subject because I think that not only are the non-napping trends alarming, the reasons behind them are even scarier. I get A LOT of flack from friends and family for keeping my children on a routine. We miss some things in order to head home for nap time. My kids don't "cat nap", sleep in the car, pass out at random places, stay up all night and such. Its really shocking what I hear from daycare parents and others. Getting up at 3 am and playing with the 6 month old because thats what she wants to do, let preschoolers stay up past midnight, letting kids fall asleep in front of a TV, etc. I think that parents think if a child is not crying, they are fine but they fail to realize what they are doing in order to keep the child from not crying, its usually HOURS of constant one-on-one attention and soothing. If they just get their sleep habits correct, there would be no need for that. I just don't even know how parents tolerate that constant crankiness. I have a 12 month old here that supposedly only needs 30 min. to 1 hour nap a day, ha ha! she comes here and will crash for up to 5 hours! she is SOOOO exhausted and unhappy all the time. Instead of putting her down to sleep, they take her for long walks and outings to keep her happy and because she does not fall asleep away from home, they think she is not tired.

[Sunshine44]

Parents will not get them on a sleep schedule! I have friends that complain constantly that their kids do not nap or go to bed without rocking/laying with them. That doesn't fly in my house with my OWN kids. They sleep in their bed and I don't put them to sleep. NEVER have. My kids learned to self soothe. I'd say the only way these kids will learn to sleep is to let them cry. But parents don't believe in crying anymore...

[Meeko]

Amen to every single previous post. Children NEED sleep!!!!!

[awestbrook713]

I try to get the kids in my care to nap but when I talk to the parents about napping only a few of them say there kids will. My own children go to bed by 7pm every night and sleep through the night, when people find out what time I put them to bed they think its too early but my kids need to be woken up to get ready for school so apparently they need it. We just started putting our 7 month old down in his crib and letting him cry himself to sleep, I hate hearing him cry but we check on him a few times and soon hes fast asleep. Kids need sleep, or else they become miserable or out of control, I try to have a quiet time where the kids lay on mats for an hour each day just so they have some sort of rest period.

[Cat Herder]

Amen to every single previous post. Children NEED sleep!!!!!

I am with you Meeko....

[Unregistered]

I'm a parent and had the opposite problem. As much as we begged our provider to put our infant down for two naps, she only got one, one to two-hour nap during the day! It was awful and by 6 p.m. every night she was exhausted. At home she takes two—sometimes even three!—naps a day. We have a new daycare now and already she is taking two naps for her. Like us, she couldn't understand why the previous provider could/would not put her down in the afternoon. Our evenings are much more pleasant and we are able to keep her awake through dinner and for playtime afterward. Her bedtime is already moving back and she is waking up less at night.

[Registered]

Thank you for your responses. I to am alarmed for these children. I fully believe that children need their sleep. Thats why it concerns me so much.

When I posted this I withheld the fact (I think without rereading) that 3 of the mothers are very young. Im talking teens hardly into 20 tops. I am not judging for I was a young mother but I can't help to imagine how much harder it is for the parent..... My children were and are cranky if they don't get their sleep. Cranky kids are obvioulsy harder to deal with. Are the young moms and dads capable of taking care of a baby who doesn't get enough rest? I again am not knocking young mothers please don't take it that way. But patients is a learned skill that we don't fully have developed till well into life.

I hope I am not turning this into a debate. I am just very concerend for my little ones and their families also. I will do my part to help the children sleep. I was just wondering if others also saw this alarming new trend.