2 Hour Naps @ Daycare?

[Blackcat31]

I am completely shocked that so many people think that if a kid happens to fall asleep while being forced to lie down and stay quiet for 2 hours, he/she MUST need a nap. WRONG. I have 4 1/2 year old triplets who have always woken up on their own between 5:30 and 7am. I can count on one hand the number of times they have slept past 8:00 in their lives. Even when they don't fall asleep until midnight, they wake up by 6-7am. So Laundrymom's idea about waking them up 3 hours earlier? Ummmm...you want me to wake my kids up at 3:30am? Horrible advice.

On daycare days, my kids are up at 6:30am. Their school puts them down at noon for a 2-hour nap that turns into a 3-hour nap. They often don't fall asleep until the 1:30-2:00 mark, and they let them sleep until they wake up. Then at 3:30 they give them a nice sugary snack. So is it any wonder why my kids aren't ready for bed by 7-8 at night??? Why is it that during the summers they can fall asleep by 7-8pm and wake up at 7am and go through the entire day without a nap, but during the school year, they suddenly NEED a 2 hour nap and only sleep from 11pm-6:30am? They literally lie in bed awake for hours before falling asleep around 11pm, 1-2 hours after MY bedtime. It's actually unhealthy for a toddler to sleep to regularly sleep so little at night. They need a good, long stretch of sleep at night much more than a nap during the day.

And, honestly, I couldn't care less that the teachers need a break and quiet time during the day. That's a piss poor excuse to force my kid to lie down quietly for a 2-hour stretch. Child care centers and preschools should provide enough coverage to allow their teachers to take official lunches and breaks - my children shouldn't have to be forced to sit on a cot to accommodate such a break schedule.

If you KNOW your children do not require a daytime nap, why would you enroll them in a program that gives them a nap then?

There are LOTS of providers that don't require kids to nap/rest and there are also providers who are required by the state to give children in their care a rest or nap time.

NOT all facilities operate the same way, which is why it is extremely important that you, as a parent do YOUR job and find a provider that meets YOUR family's needs.

If I knew my child did not require a nap and the facility I had them enrolled in made them take one, I'd be finding a new daycare.

Providers do what works for them and parents need to do what works for them.

Seems like an easy solution to me.

[SilverSabre25]

And, honestly, I couldn't care less that the teachers need a break and quiet time during the day. That's a piss poor excuse to force my kid to lie down quietly for a 2-hour stretch. Child care centers and preschools should provide enough coverage to allow their teachers to take official lunches and breaks - my children shouldn't have to be forced to sit on a cot to accommodate such a break schedule.

That costs more. Are you a parent who is willing to pay the extra cost? Most aren't. And if you are, I recommend checking into a nanny or other type of caregiver who can provide the nap-less schedule...but you'll still have to pay for it.

[MyAngels]

I am completely shocked that so many people think that if a kid happens to fall asleep while being forced to lie down and stay quiet for 2 hours, he/she MUST need a nap. WRONG. I have 4 1/2 year old triplets who have always woken up on their own between 5:30 and 7am. I can count on one hand the number of times they have slept past 8:00 in their lives. Even when they don't fall asleep until midnight, they wake up by 6-7am. So Laundrymom's idea about waking them up 3 hours earlier? Ummmm...you want me to wake my kids up at 3:30am? Horrible advice.

On daycare days, my kids are up at 6:30am. Their school puts them down at noon for a 2-hour nap that turns into a 3-hour nap. They often don't fall asleep until the 1:30-2:00 mark, and they let them sleep until they wake up. Then at 3:30 they give them a nice sugary snack. So is it any wonder why my kids aren't ready for bed by 7-8 at night??? Why is it that during the summers they can fall asleep by 7-8pm and wake up at 7am and go through the entire day without a nap, but during the school year, they suddenly NEED a 2 hour nap and only sleep from 11pm-6:30am? They literally lie in bed awake for hours before falling asleep around 11pm, 1-2 hours after MY bedtime. It's actually unhealthy for a toddler to sleep to regularly sleep so little at night. They need a good, long stretch of sleep at night much more than a nap during the day.

And, honestly, I couldn't care less that the teachers need a break and quiet time during the day. That's a piss poor excuse to force my kid to lie down quietly for a 2-hour stretch. Child care centers and preschools should provide enough coverage to allow their teachers to take official lunches and breaks - my children shouldn't have to be forced to sit on a cot to accommodate such a break schedule.

I agree with BC - why haven't you moved your children to a program that meets your needs? You are in charge of making decisions that are best for your kids, and it doesn't seem like you're doing that in this case.

[Unregistered]

Just my opinion

I just stumbled across this post and figured I would add to it. At my current Center we have different nap times for different ages. I'm with 3 year olds and they have nap scheduled from 11:30-1:30. Does that work? No. Do we all take our lunches during that time? No. The other day I arrived at work before 7 and was given a break 2:30-3:30. That hour is the ONLY time during the day I can sit down. We're not allowed to sit outside, can't have a desk to sit at while the kids are working at the table (and my group never even does that anyway) and maybe possibly sit during circle time (again these kids won't sit at all so I'm standing 9 hours out of 10 working ones with no second of rest. I have no assistant to help with anything,
If kids need to go to the bathroom we have to wait until everyone is ready (some arrive late and are still eating at 8:30 while others ate at 7:30 and need to go potty). After nap we have to wait until everyone is awake so we can go as a group. Even in there it's a constant go because of everything they are doing. At lunch we eat in the gym/cafeteria and are serving them and they always want more something. These kids kick me and scream at me and throw things at me. They tell me no and hey don't have to. Today I felt horrible but went to work anyway because I know we're short staffed. The director said she'd let me leave if she could find someone. Parents asked if I felt ok. Kids were asking. It wasn't until I nearly passed out on the playground that I was finally sent home. I can barely talk my throat is bright red and one teacher said she thinks I have strep throat. I had fever and feel awful. After getting home and being able to put my feet up I felt better. Now this isn't supposed to be a pity post. I'm just saying that many times we feel we have no choice but to be there because there is no one to cover us. Same as how sometimes we just need a moment to rest. I've heard so many parents say it can't be that hard - I have a 3 year old - but do they have 14-15? I live in Texas and the law states that I can have 15 by myself. At 4 years it's 18:1 ratio. I don't care who you are but that's a lot to handle. By nap time I need a moment. And so do the kids. By 10 they're all crying and cranky. If they don't nap they start falling asleep during centres around 4 or 5. I've had several who sit down start crying and screaming and fall asleep. During the nap time that is our prep time. To do our room newsletters lesson plans and any other prep. No sitting down or having a moment to relax. I understand parents needs but at the same time they need to understand exactly what we do during the day.

[Unregistered]

Interesting post. I have the opposite problemt. I agree you need to have a strong bedtime routine. Stick to it. My son challenges it every once in a while. Those days he does i just put him back in bed until he understands this is how it is. It is exhausting but so worth it in the long run. I think he challenges me as he develops. He is two and goes to sleep every day at the same time. I have the opposite problem. My daycare provider complains he only naps for 45ylmin to an hour. At home on the. Weekend he naps 2 to hours. I think its too exciting for him over there. I feel like he is catching up from his long week. I wish he napped longer during the week so he wouldn't be as tired on the weekend an i could do more with him. He is in day care six hours a day

[kimmills]

I agree with what others have said here. It's a standard requirement of 2 hr nap time and nothing that day care centers can do about it. Also most day cares wouldn't take your arriving unannounced too lightly.

[Unregistered]

Because a child takes a nap at daycare, has nothing to do with a child not going to sleep at night. It is nothing but a blame game by the parents. Be a parent, not their best buddy and parent your child. So many times over the years, I have been confronted with...Please don't let Susie sleep more than 45 min, she doesn't go to sleep at night. I do nothing different, Susie still sleeps 2 to 2.5 hours per day, BUT I tell parents she only slept 45 min and amazingly her sleep issues have subsided. No change in sleep at daycare and a little white lie to parent, works everytime.

And special requests to keep Susie up, when you are a one person team with 1 daycare space in your home, it is very hard to allow 1 child to stay up while the others sleep. It just doesn't work. 1 kid stays up then you have 2 wanting to stay up. Nope, not going to happen. Most home daycares are small group care. If you want special you need to hire a nanny for one on one care. A provider has to do what is best for her and her group, not 1 individual child.

I never understood why parents would put their kids to bed at 7:30/8, don't they want to spend time with their kids? My own kids never slept 12 hours at a time and they were in daycare for 8 years, went to bed at 9pm and up at 5:30, napped everyday till went to school. Sometimes parents need to step back and regroup and ask themselves if their request to their provider is doable in a group setting.

Really?? You sound like you have it all figured out and that you are able to judge as a result of your vast wisdom. It may come as a surprise to you, with such insight as you have, to find out that people are different. Dont you dare judge a parent, with your sanctimonious diatribe, who struggles to get their kid to sleep at night when they nap. I myself could not handle a nap after the age of 2 and still sleep at night. My first daughter stopped napping at 2 and a half and if she inadvertently dozed off in the car, we were lucky to get her to fall asleep before 11pm. Of course, according to your wisdom, that is a result of our poor parenting.

Grow up please and stop acting like you know it all. You dont seem to have the foggiest idea of the nuances involved here. Make your opinion but keep your judgments to yourself!

[Unregistered]

Children and sleep

Here's some information regarding children and the suggested amount of sleep that they need.

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/children-and-sleep

http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.org/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/expert-answers/faq-20057898

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/howmuch.htmlhttp://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx?item=1

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/body/not_tired.html

Don't underestimate the suggested sleep guidelines. They are there for a reason. Sleep is at the center of health and development, especially for children.

[ColorfulSunburst]

Really?? You sound like you have it all figured out and that you are able to judge as a result of your vast wisdom. It may come as a surprise to you, with such insight as you have, to find out that people are different. Dont you dare judge a parent, with your sanctimonious diatribe, who struggles to get their kid to sleep at night when they nap. I myself could not handle a nap after the age of 2 and still sleep at night. My first daughter stopped napping at 2 and a half and if she inadvertently dozed off in the car, we were lucky to get her to fall asleep before 11pm. Of course, according to your wisdom, that is a result of our poor parenting.

Grow up please and stop acting like you know it all. You dont seem to have the foggiest idea of the nuances involved here. Make your opinion but keep your judgments to yourself!

calm down.
Parents have no any rights to change any daycare schedule. If a child can not be in the schedule he has to leave the daycare but not trying to change the schedule.
ex.: I like to sleep in the morning till 11am but my boss has no wishes change my work schedule so i have to wake up at 6am or retire.

[craftymissbeth]

This is the thread that will not end... yes, it goes on and on my friend... ::

[cara041083]

In my daycare the kids nap from 12-2 and once they don't nap any more then they have quit time from 12-2. If they fall asleep then they sleep other wise they watch a movie or read a book

[SunshineMama]

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

What do you mean by forcing? Are they holding your children down until they fall asleep?

All of my daycare kids, and my own children, nap for about 2 or more hours (and my own kids sleep about 11 hours at night as well). Kids play hard at daycare, and need rest for their bodies and minds to grow. A 2 hour nap, or even more, isn't abnormal at all, in fact, it is the standard. If your children are falling asleep, that means that their body needs it. If they weren't tired, they wouldn't be falling asleep. My kids would be super crabs if they only napped 45 minutes to an hour. Naps make happier, healthier kids.

I do not, however, have my kids over 5 nap. Is your 6 year old sleeping for the entire 2 hours? Maybe they could read a book, or do another quiet activity? My 5 year old daughter does not nap, but she sleeps 12 hours at night.

[Unregistered]

At my daycare we are scheduled for a 2-2 1/2 nap time and whoever doesnt want to sleep doesnt have to but they still have to rest even if its just for a little bit, specially the little ones, since it helps their development. I was also thinking, shouldnt the 6 year old be in kindergarten? And if he/she is in fact going, even if it's half day, don't you think he/she be tired from playing pretty much the whole morning? Usually if the kids are not tired they won't sleep so there's not really a way to 'force' them. However, I do wake them up after a max of 2 1/2 hours because then it can get tricky for parents to get them to bed early at night and I believe daycare is a provider/parent teamwork and I know that parents get home tired too and the last thing they want is having their child running around the house at 10 o'clock at night.

[grateday]

To be honest I rarely get a break Naptime Routine

Although there is a routine, who actually sleeps week to week varies.
There are many reasons why kids don't sleep:
Stimulated by other children in the room
Stimulated by the room and what is in it-sound/light/heat/texture
Wanting to play and seeking stimulation and would rather not sleep
If its Monday and they are coming in from a different weekend routine at home
If they are older than 3 sometimes it is more difficult
If they did or did not sleep the night before, if they did not nap the day before
If there is no routine at home or differs greatly from your own
If they are naturally irregular sleepers
If they naturally require less sleep than another child
Varies on the individual need of the child
The crasher kids that the only time they sleep is when they crash out of exhaustion (No one's fault)--Kids that have a lack of ability to feel sleepy
Also, if there is a new child in care or if the child is not regularly in care can effect the kids napping
Lack of physical activity earlier in the day or stimulating activity
Too many interruptions in routine of a day
Kids picking up on stress and purposefully acting up because any attention is better than no attention
Nutrition Nutrition Nutrition- Sugar, caffeine, highly preserved/processed foods, food additives, artificial colors, lack of variety in diet and nutrition. Being hungry or thirsty and not having that need met prior to nap
(None of these things are to say that something is someones fault, just things to investigate as a parent and provider)
Lack of comfort in the environment- this includes whether the child feels loved and accepted in the daycare



Effect of kiddos starting the nap at 3pm
***Can cause a late going to bed time but not always because it depends on the needs and what is going on with that individual child

Effect of kids state of mind not resting at all in my childcare:
***Short fused children-less able to deal with one another
This is in the form of crying, yelling, hitting. They become so tired they cannot use proper social skills with one another. They can get more clumsy and fall more often because they are paying attention less. Finally, they are less able to follow any sort of rules or really pay attention to any sort of activity or teaching.

This is a safety risk because:
-They can hurt each other
-Get hurt

This can cause a major stress in the childcare if children are not in sync and able to focus. It can lead the provider to make decisions about whether or not a child should be in there care.

Should a provider force a kid to take a nap? No
Should the parents work with the provider? Yes. Yes. Yes.......I am not saying providers are perfect parents and they always do things just so with there own kids or that other children's parents should listen to a daycare provider but there should be some agreement and some sort of meeting the daycare in the middle somewhere or it just is not a good fit for your setting. Some parents and providers are very my way or no way. It really is a team effort for the parents, provider, and all of the children. It is not a mistake but a constant learning experience, always question what is ethical and right and how it can be improved. It can work but we have to make it work together.

Says the provider who's kid crashed on a Monday at 5pm because of many of the reasons above=)

I have had rigid parents here but they usually had been through a few childcare's and have an older child. I have had disagreements with more rigid parents. I have had disagreements with other parents and I like that they are open enough to speak with me and I with them. Rigid first time parents don't usually like my style from the get go and just go straight to a center or struggle to find care.

Rigid parents want everything just a certain way for there child with disregard for you, disregard for other children in your care. They want more than what you can provide. I look at it as though the children should all have the same level of care. If they have an allergy or disability - I work on that but above all they are all getting the same level of care. It is not fair and children know when someone is treated different and then they all want what the other has.

[Unregistered]

kindergartner napping?

My provider whom I have been with since my oldest was 1 and is now a kindergartner and currently my 4 year old child goes too makes my 6 year old lie down with the group if he needs care for a day that school is out. I have asked my provider if he can stay up during nap time and do a quiet activity as he is very able to do so and she said he has to 'nap/lie down' with the rest of them because she doesn't have a spot for him and doesn't have a helper to be with him. I don't know, I am totally fine with my 4 year old napping as it's the schedule and it's never been a problem, but I just don't see why she would make a kindergartner who is used to a full day program at school lie down. He hates it. I am just curious what other people's take on it is.
I am very thankful for my provider as I have been with her for so long, but I don't see the rationale.
Thanks.