2 Hour Naps @ Daycare?

[Unregistered]

daycare naps

What many child care centres fail to realise is that you cannot force a child to sleep at night if they are not tired. You can have all the bedtime routines in the world, soft music, mummy lying there, it wont work if your child is not tired because they had a long afternoon nap. It is common sense.
What they also fail to realise is that a child going to bed late at night is not only difficult for parents, but it means the child GETS LESS SLEEP. The child wakes at 5.30am as per their normal body clock, gets a total of 7 or 8 hours sleep and is sleep deprived, irritable, uncooperative, difficult and unhappy. The child suffers. The child is not getting enough sleep.

I have read a lot on this thread about 'the child needs to nap' 'the child must need the sleep' but timing that sleep so that the child is able to receive a good 12 hours within every 24 hours, is very important.
My child naps at daycare, she then doesnt get enough sleep at night, we call the following day 'disabled day' - I know my child better than my left hand. I have a bedtime routine that works very well when she doesn't nap during the day. Why would she go to sleep at night if she is not tired?? she doesn't and either would I.

[SignMeUp]

Then, conversely, you cannot force a child to sleep at nap time if they are not tired. Why would they go to sleep at nap time if they are not tired??

[daycarediva]

This is such an old thread.

The same is true for nap time at daycare. You cannot force a child to sleep. The parents who say "these providers are so mean to force children to sleep for X time in the afternoon and now I can't get them to sleep at night before they took a long nap at daycare/preschool/whatever"

^ contradictory statement.

I also don't know a single parent who keeps the evening/bedtime routine consistent. There is real life. Errands, phone calls, rushed meals. Our schedule is always busier/more active for the children as well. It is also so consistent here that after lunch, the kids start prepping themselves for story/cuddles and rest time. At lunch, the kids are saying "I'm so tired!"

I find that children who spend the most 1:1 time with their parents are the easiest to get to bed. Most kids realize that the bedtime fight is a good way to get some easy attention. It's also typically positive attention (more reading, back rubs, snuggles with parent/s).

EVERY MONDAY MORNING like clockwork I have cranky, miserable, whiny kids who are unable to participate to the point that I do NOT plan anything but a laid back/easy going day. Nobody napped, they were dragged from activity to activity and place to place. Late bedtimes. Lots of excitement. Nap times gradually (and noticeably) decrease from Monday (a good 3 hrs) to Friday (60-90 minutes). They get up happier and come in happier as the days progress. I offer children books, busy bags, quiet puzzles and sensory shakers on their mats. They always lay down and go to sleep instead.

I am REQUIRED by the state to offer a rest period. If the children sleep, they sleep.

Sleep begets sleep. Hyperactivity in the evening is most likely an overtired kid. My own 6 year old naps on weekends and breaks from school. He has no problem with bedtime. He comes home from school exhausted by Friday without a nap all week. He sleeps a good 2 hours on weekends and 8-6 M-F. He often falls asleep during our reading in bed.

[lovemykidstoo]

Maybe if parents didn't come at 5:00 to pickup and expect kids to settle down and sleep by 7:30, they may have better luck. Could any of us get home at 5:00 and go to sleep for the night at 7:30?

[Leigh]

Maybe if parents didn't come at 5:00 to pickup and expect kids to settle down and sleep by 7:30, they may have better luck. Could any of us get home at 5:00 and go to sleep for the night at 7:30?

I thought the same thing. The kids that I have heard of having sleep issues are the ones who come home at 5:30 or 6, feed their kids and put them straight to bed. Thing is, these providers' observations about naptime come from experience, BUT medical EXPERTS state the same: Kids NEED naps. 12 hours at night is NOT what kids need. They need daytime rest. Until at least age 6. It really saddens me when I hear that "MY kid doesn't need a nap" when the kid is 18 months, 2 years, 3 years old. The ONLY response to that is YES.THEY.DO. The thing for parents to work on is to find a way to make daytime naps work with nighttime sleep. Weekdays AND weekends. KIDS NEED IT!

[Unregistered]

My 6 year old should not be required to nap

My 6 year old should not be required to take a 2-3 hour nap. She does not nap in school. if you lay her down with nothing to do for hours then of course she will fall asleep. If she does take a 2-3 hour nap then she won't go to bed at night. I was told that she could look at books while the others napped, but then they made her lay down for nap anyway. Not happy.

[Blackcat31]

My 6 year old should not be required to take a 2-3 hour nap. She does not nap in school. if you lay her down with nothing to do for hours then of course she will fall asleep. If she does take a 2-3 hour nap then she won't go to bed at night. I was told that she could look at books while the others napped, but then they made her lay down for nap anyway. Not happy.

So switch daycares then.

Why keep her somewhere that isn't doing what you agreed upon?

As a parent it is YOUR responsibility to find care that meets your/your child's needs. It's NOT the providers responsibility to offer only what you want.

As a self-employed business owner, SHE gets to decide what services she will offer. As a parent, YOU get to decide if those services work for you.

If not, find care that will.

[laundrymom]

So switch daycares then.

Why keep her somewhere that isn't doing what you agreed upon?

As a parent it is YOUR responsibility to find care that meets your/your child's needs. It's NOT the providers responsibility to offer only what you want.

As a self-employed business owner, SHE gets to decide what services she will offer. As a parent, YOU get to decide if those services work for you.

If not, find care that will.

happyfacehappyfacehappyfacehappyfacehappyfacehappyface

[Josiegirl]

Maybe if parents didn't come at 5:00 to pickup and expect kids to settle down and sleep by 7:30, they may have better luck. Could any of us get home at 5:00 and go to sleep for the night at 7:30?

Ummm yes

[Unregistered]

So switch daycares then.

Why keep her somewhere that isn't doing what you agreed upon?

As a parent it is YOUR responsibility to find care that meets your/your child's needs. It's NOT the providers responsibility to offer only what you want.

As a self-employed business owner, SHE gets to decide what services she will offer. As a parent, YOU get to decide if those services work for you.

If not, find care that will.

I didn't post that to be hateful. I just wanted to share that I too have a problem with my 6 year old and napping at daycare. She is still there because she has been there since she was 1 and it is a very special place for her. The provider asked that she stay even when school started. I have looked into before & after school care and summer care for her. It will be a sad day for all of us when we have to move her.

[Blackcat31]

I didn't post that to be hateful. I just wanted to share that I too have a problem with my 6 year old and napping at daycare. She is still there because she has been there since she was 1 and it is a very special place for her. The provider asked that she stay even when school started. I have looked into before & after school care and summer care for her. It will be a sad day for all of us when we have to move her.

I wasn't replying with anything but sincerity... Apologies if it came across as hateful in anyway.....that was certainly not my intent.

My post was made in response to what you shared...

If YOUR child is having sleep issues because of a promise (being allowed to skip nap) then the problem is that she has outgrown her care environment and the solution is to move her to a more age appropriate place.... the problem has NOTHING to do with what the provider does as part of HER daily routine (including requiring ALL her daycare kids to nap).

Whether she (and you) love her provider is a moot point as it plays no role in what SHE needs and she needs to have an environment that meets her needs and the current one is not doing that.

I'm sure leaving her provider will be hard but it's a natural progression of life...she'll probably miss her Kindergarten teacher too...kwim?

[Thriftylady]

I agree that it may be time to move the oldest. It can be very hard for in home child care providers to combine the different ages. Just because you make a move doesn't mean that once in awhile before and after school. It doesn't mean anyone is or has done anything wrong. It just means your little one is growing up and her needs are changing. It really is a positive thing more than it is a negative. Sometimes keeping things they way they always have been just because they have always been that way is the wrong thing to do. Would you not send her to school just because she has never been there and that had been working fine? Of course not, school is part of her growing up! It is a good thing! This is the same really. It may be sad in some ways, but it is also pretty awesome in others.

[e.j.]

Ummm yes

:: Most days, so could I!::

[Play Care]

I wasn't replying with anything but sincerity... Apologies if it came across as hateful in anyway.....that was certainly not my intent.

My post was made in response to what you shared...

If YOUR child is having sleep issues because of a promise (being allowed to skip nap) then the problem is that she has outgrown her care environment and the solution is to move her to a more age appropriate place.... the problem has NOTHING to do with what the provider does as part of HER daily routine (including requiring ALL her daycare kids to nap).

Whether she (and you) love her provider is a moot point as it plays no role in what SHE needs and she needs to have an environment that meets her needs and the current one is not doing that.

I'm sure leaving her provider will be hard but it's a natural progression of life...she'll probably miss her Kindergarten teacher too...kwim?

This.

Kids grow up and move on. That's a fact of life. Your daughter would probably love a program meant for school aged kids.
I know your case is different as the provider wanted your child to stay, but as the parent you do need to do what's in your child's best interest.

[Unregistered]

There have been studies that have been conducted that show that napping during the day affects sleeping during the night inversely. This is a result of this study conducted by the National Institute of Health.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075238

This study actually shows that sleeping during the day affects cognitive skills adversely. The reason is that naps during the day (especially when they are not needed anymore) cause restless and less quality sleep at night, and this affects cognitive skills poorly. I don't think we need a study to figure this out as it is common sense.

I agree that all children need naps but to a point. Both of my children stopped taking naps at 3. They naturally weened themselves from napping. Now my 6 and 4.5 year old are at pre-school and the 4.5 year old is forced to rest/nap. He won't sleep at night and won't get up in the morning. We have very good routines. The 4 days he is not in daycare he sleeps on time and gets up by himself feeling energetic and happy. I can't say the same thing for the 3 days he is in daycare!

The nap laws were probably established because children were getting hurt in daycares. Let us rememeber that the laws in place to protect the children! Everyone needs a break, yes I get it! But if you don't get a break, the children get hurt. Remember the real reason why there are laws in place to begin with.

I also have learned that no one will raise your own child like you. Never forget that and never stop being an advocate for your own children because no one else will. And if your demands are not being honored I would suggest look arround until you find a high quality daycare that will honor them. It may cost more but it is worth it in the end!