2 Hour Naps @ Daycare?

[SomeSimpleGuy]

My daycare is forcing my 6 and 3 year old children to nap for over 2 hours!

First , is this even legal?

Does anyone , anywhere make there children nap for that long?

Sometimes , I know they nap there for over 2 hours.

My wife doesn't seem to believe me, but I stop in unannounced , and am frequently dissapointed.

I think a 45 min to 1 hour nap is more than standard?

Please help me :confused:

Thank you in advance

[Childminder]

Our scheduled rest time is for two hours here also. Imo the three year old needs at least that depending on what he/she sleeps at night. The six year old if here would lay down for a quiet time at the same time and if he/she falls asleep then he/she needs the sleep, if not then he/she would be up after a 30 minute rest and participate in a quiet activity until the others wake.

Here is the recommendation from the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Sleep/

[shelby]

I know when I was teaching in daycare before I started doing my own, that we were required by the state for nap time to be at least 2 hrs. they stated that 2 hrs was the min. I do not require my older ones to nap, but they have to stay quiet ... and they have to rest for at least an hr. no playing no talking, etc.

Really this is the only time I can even think some days.. It is my break where I can get some stuff done like the dishes done from lunch etc.

[youretooloud]

Two hours is the standard required nap time. It's not even a choice the daycare has. It's been that way since at least the early 80s. In fact, now that I think about it.. I went to a daycare in the early 60s and I had to take a nap then too.

However, I don't understand why a six year old is napping. Can't he or she do quiet time? As far as our own state, it's only required UNTIL kindergarten, and the grade school kids still must rest, but there's no required time limit, and they aren't expected to sleep. In fact, i'm surprised your six year old is sleeping.

[daycarediva]

It's required here as well up to age 5. Rest periods for kids are 5-12. If your 6 year old is napping, then he/she needs the sleep.

[BusyBee]

2 hours is totally standard. Dropping in at naptime? I personally would not be too happy. Any other time of the day is kosher, but naptime is not cool imo.

[Snowbunny]

I agree with BusyBee...dropping in at naptime would not make me happy. And, if you wake a child, you've qualified for a $10 penalty. A 2 hr. nap is about average for my toddlers/preschoolers. Like the other posters said, if a school age child is falling asleep, then they needed that nap.

[cheerfuldom]

Were you not aware of the napping policy before enrolling your child?

I know about a half dozen local daycares in my area and they all nap for at least 2 hours, if not more.

My group is 4 and younger and everyone naps for 3 hours here. I dont take kids that dont nap so I wouldnt even accept the 6 year old into care.....but I know the private school that my daughter will be attending requires a 2 hour rest/nap period for both preK and kindergarten and that probably does included some 6 year olds. I know a lot of places have gone to half day kindergartens but all the full day ones that I know of, require a nap/quiet time period.

[saved4always]

I have watched many children over the years and most took a nap that lasted about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. A few regularly slept even longer. Most of the children I have cared for were between the ages of 3 months and 4 years old. They would get here very early in the morning and were definitely ready for a rest after lunchtime. I have never heard of any provider in my area purposely napping children for only 45 minutes. When I did in-home childcare, nap was generally from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (some would sleep a little longer...I did not wake them unless they were going to go past 3:30). Nap time at the center I work for now is a scheduled 2 1/2 hours. Children who wake early are given a quiet activity until rest time is over. This seems to be standard for our area daycares and inhome childcare providers.

[Countrygal]

I just had this issue with a dcd. He wanted me to shorten the nap time. This is disruptive to the other children and his child, in particular, seemed to need the nap, usually slept longer than the others, and was extremely hard to waken.

A daycare has a schedule. If a parent asks for one or two children to be different than the others in that schedule it causes problems for everyone. I consider it quite rude and unthoughtful, actually. Why should your three year old only take a 45 min. nap when all the other ones are taking 1 1/2 to 2 hr naps? And what should he do while they are napping? Should he be allowed to wake up everyone else because he is whiney and crying because he was woken up? Can you imagine what it would be like if all four or six are then woken up earlier than they wanted and are all whiney and fussy for the rest of the day???

My kids are all required to lay down for one hour. They always fall asleep and sleep between 1 1/2 and 2 hours. The older ones are allowed to get up after 1 hour whether they sleep or not and do a quiet activity. This is their "special" time without the littles.

[MaritimeMummy]

In my opinion, if your children are sleeping those two hours, they NEED it, and aren't being FORCED into anything.

here at my day care, all my kids must have a rest period of 30 minutes. They lay on their mats during that time with a blanket and a look quietly at books. If they fall asleep during that time, they needed it, and I allow them to sleep as long as they need without taking them up, whether that is 20 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or 3 hours. I stop being quiet in the house after 2 hours so the children can rouse on their own, but I NEVER go in and wake up a sleeping child by telling them it's time to get up.

If they don't fall asleep during that time, they can get up and play quietly.

So again, if your children are sleeping, it doesn't matter their ages, they needed it. You can't force a person (baby, child, or even adult) to sleep if they don't want/need it.

I also agree with the others who say that dropping in at naptime is not acceptable.

Was this not something that was discussed during the interview process? Was it not clearly defined in a parent handbook or contract? What exactly were your expectations? Did you lay them out to the provider? Providers cannot read minds. If she is allowing them time to sleep and they sleep, and she doesn't know that you don't want them to sleep, she can't possibly know that you're angry and will continue doing it.

And yes, it's legal. You can't withhold sleep from a child who needs it. THAT is illegal.

[Truly Scrumptious]

I agree with KHiltz...you can't force anyone to sleep if they don't want to. And 2-3 hours is the standard naptime for child cares here. In my experience, parents that want their children to sleep less during the day are having a hard time enforcing bedtime in their own homes.

Dropping in at naptime is rude and inconsiderate and would be cause for an immediate dismissal.

And, if you're so frequently dissapointed when you drop in, then find other child care. But, you'll be hard pressed to find a child care that will let parents be in charge.

[Blackcat31]

My daycare is forcing my 6 and 3 year old children to nap for over 2 hours!

First , is this even legal?

Does anyone , anywhere make there children nap for that long?

Sometimes , I know they nap there for over 2 hours.

My wife doesn't seem to believe me, but I stop in unannounced , and am frequently dissapointed.

I think a 45 min to 1 hour nap is more than standard?

Please help me :confused:

Thank you in advance

I am sorry that you are frequently dissapointed in your child care and the services they are providing, however, this is an excellent example of why communication is extremely important between parents and providers.

You need to talk openly with your provider about what your expectations are. Are your child falling asleep and actually sleeping the full two hours or are they laying on their mats awake the entire time?

If they are actually sleeping the full time, they are obviously in need of a nap that long. If they are just laying there awake, it may be time to find other child care that better suits your childrens needs.

I also want to point out that the amount of time a 6 year old needs for nap and what a 3 year old needs for nap is probably very different.

Please communicate with you provider about this issue. Whether other providers have 2 hour, 4 hour or no nap time at all should make no difference in what YOUR children need. Whether others agree with your provider or with you should really have no bearing on this, as it is YOUR job as a parent to know your child's needs and find suitable care that meets those individual needs.

Not all providers have nap times and not all providers discourage drop ins during the day (including nap time). I hope you can work this out with your provider and do what is best for your children.

[AnneCordelia]

At my daycare all children under at 4 have a 2 hour nap. This is clearly laid out in my handbook and all my clients understand that their child is not an exception.

All children 4 and over are able to stay up for nap time but they must have a quiet activity (book, colouring, puzzles).

[Unregistered]

Affecting bedtime

I agree that if they fall asleep they needed it, or fell asleep from boredom of not being engaged by the preschool teacher, I did ask before I enrolled my son was told he did not have to sleep but had to be quiet during this time, ok fine. Since he started I struggle every nite to get him to fall asleep he is still awake very late, come to find out he is sleeping for 2+ hours everyday. No wonder I can't get him down at a decent time. We were spoiled at his previous school, Holy Cross rocked! But we had to move out of state, I'm talking to them tomorrow about these 2 hour naps at his new school, we may be on the search for a new place.