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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>How Long is Your Nap Time?
DBug 10:23 AM 04-15-2010
I'm extending my naptime to 2 hours, up from 1.5 hours, at the same time as cutting out the hour-long morning nap for 3 of my little ones (1 f/t, 2 p/t). I keep thinking parents are going to be worried that I'm letting them sleep for too long, but the ones I've talked to are actually quite happy with it. What's the normal amount of time for afternoon nap? When my own kids were that age, I let them sleep for 3-4 hours each afternoon. That worked for them, but I'm guessing that's too long for most other kids. My dck's range from 9 months to 4 years, with most of them being around 18 months.

For those that wake your dc kids up, how long is your naptime?
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laundryduchess@yahoo.com 10:27 AM 04-15-2010
mine nap from 1230 (ish) to 3. they start waking up at 230 and they lay quietly on their cots, I wake change and feed them at 3.
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momma2girls 10:30 AM 04-15-2010
Mine is from 1:00-3:30, some start waking up at 3:00, but do lay quietly, til I come and wake up everyone at 3:30 for snacks and afternoon activities. Everyone probably falls asleep around 1:30.
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momofsix 10:35 AM 04-15-2010
Mine all lie down at about 1:00 and are usually up by 3:00, anyone still asleep at 4:00 I will wake up.
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newtoeverything 12:12 PM 04-15-2010
12:00 to 2:30 here. It depends on the day and how much activities we did, but for the most part they all sleep that long - and need it!
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SunflowerMama 12:17 PM 04-15-2010
My nap time is from 12:30/12:45 - 3 but my 4 older kids (all 3yrs old) all sleep until I wake them at 4p (I don't let them go past 4p).

My younger ones (under 2) usually sleep until about 2:30/3.
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melissa ann 04:17 PM 04-15-2010
My naptime is from 12ish to 2:30-3:00. Sometimes my 5 yr old sleeps during that time too. Gramps believes grandson (dcb) is too old for a nap, but he's ususally the first one to go to sleep and sometimes the last to wake up. He's 4. He also gets here at 6am so by noon, he's tired.
I don't normally let them go past 3:15, though.
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originalkat 04:21 PM 04-15-2010
Mine is about 2 1/2 hours
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emosks 05:10 PM 04-15-2010
Our infant naps from 9:30-11:30 and 1:30-3:30.

The rest of them nap from 1-3.
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Unregistered 01:40 AM 04-16-2010
naptime at the daycare i worked at (and where my children attended) was from 12:30 - 2:30 SUPPOSEDLY!

in reality, they would lay them down at 12 and let them sleep as long as they would stay asleep. that ticked me off! as a parent, there is nothing worse than not being able to get your child to go to bed at night because they slept too long at daycare! ESPECIALLY since you are PAYING daycare to care for your child - not let them sleep as long as possible so they can have peace!

since i worked at the daycare as well, i would ALWAYS wake up the children i cared for right on schedule. i know how hard it is as a parent trying to get your child to bed and i respected that. my co-workers would get annoyed with me waking the kids up, but OH WELL - i was't there for my co-workers, i was there for the kids and the parents!

some kids (once they turn 4) don't even take naps. i think it's downright CRUEL to force them to lay on a mat for 2 - 2.5 hours. you can always pull them to the side and do a quiet activity while the younger ones sleep. people pay good money for you to treat their children like they would treat them - and most parents wouldn't force their child to stare at the ceiling with no intention of sleeping for 2 hours or more.
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momofboys 04:33 AM 04-16-2010
NAptime at my home is from 12:30 until about 3:00-3:15. I only have my 2 year old & another little boy who is almost 2. I have a little girl who only comes 2 days a week & she is 4. She naps still but for shorter timeframes, usually only until about 2:30. But she still does appear to need the nap, she gets up everyday at 6:00 am.
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toddletots 04:43 AM 04-16-2010
To the original poster, what are your reasons for cutting out the morning naps? I work in a center, and Have ages 16 months to 24 months in my room. At 16 months many of these children still need 2 naps a day. They are forced into getting one nap which is unfair to the child, my other children and myself. I am in a room with 7 by myself, when a child needs a nap, I have to beg the infant room to take them(usually they refuse, and not because of ratio or space for the child to nap!) or put up a pack n play in my room, and the rest of us have to go to the lunch room outside my room and do table activities for an hour+. Usually I have to listen to them cry for an hour, because the lunchroom is now a temporary classroom. I get no extra help. I'm told to deal with it.

Our center nap time is 12:30 to 3:00 for the children in my room up to the preschoolers. State mandates that all children must be on their cots for no more then 30 minutes if awake. This has never happened. they can get off their cots at 1:45, when staff lunch breaks are done. We do have parents that request their children be woken up at a certain time for easier bedtimes, and the occassional one that doesn't want the child to sleep at all. If they fall asleep then they can sleep until 1:45 and are woken up. All children are woken up at 3:00. We sleep as a group in our lunch room, so cots and blankets have to be put away for snack at 3:30.
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DBug 10:06 AM 04-16-2010
Originally Posted by toddletots:
To the original poster, what are your reasons for cutting out the morning naps?
All 3 of the little ones that I'm working on cutting out morning naps with, don't take am naps at home on the weekends, and for 2 of them, they really don't need them here either. 1 would talk or cry for the hour, and the other is just so well-behaved, she'll sleep anytime, anywhere, but she really doesn't need it. The third (the f/t of the 3) skipped am nap the last two days, but this morning she was exhausted. So, I put her down at the usual time and she was out like a light. I'm thinking she still needs the am nap, and I'm fine with letting her sleep. I have a baby that naps in the am too, so it's not like she's the only one.

From what everyone else says, the average is 2 - 2.5 hours, so I guess I'm not that far off. I guess I just feel a little guilty getting the extra half-hour break . But the parents are happy and the kids are happy, so I guess I should be too!
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Daycare Mommy 10:36 AM 04-16-2010
I don't have a set time. We aim for 2 hours, and that's generally what we get, but sometimes if they are very tired from lots of outdoor play in the morning they'll sleep up to 3 hours. I don't wake them. When the first one or two wake up, I open blinds and they make noise, so everyone else follows in getting up within 5 minutes or so.
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toddletots 05:40 PM 04-16-2010
Originally Posted by DBug:
I guess I just feel a little guilty getting the extra half-hour break . But the parents are happy and the kids are happy, so I guess I should be too!
If the parents are happy, and the kids are happy, and most importantly you are happy, fantatastic. I would love to have some extra quiet time.
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Lori D. 11:36 AM 03-05-2013
As a daycare provider and mom for over 25 years, I can tell you that there was never a child born who didn't need & require a sleep period during the day. Children need sleep to grow & thrive in this fast-paced world we live in. The typical nap time for a toddler through age 4 or even 5 is one to three & one-half hours per afternoon.
There is a big difference between being tired out and being sleepy. Some children, obviously, require more sleep than other children. Those children deserve the same amount of consideration as the child who is not sleepy. They should be able to count on two or 3 hours every single afternoon to sleep if need be. The morning full of activities will tire out any child, even if they never become sleepy. It is not a punishment, to expect any child to follow the rules & rest quietly for a period of time, as every child needs & deserves rest. Two hours is certainly not an overly-extended period of time for an afternoon rest for a young child. The sooner they learn that rules will be in place in every aspect of their lives, and learn to follow them, the more well-adjusted they will be.
As far as the "unregistered" comments above, I beg to differ. Yes, you are paying your provider to care for your child. BUT, the daycare provider's job description does not consist solely of sitting for hours on end playing tiddly winks with your child & making sure he or she is constantly entertained. Part of caring for the children is making sure they have clean bedding and sanitized surfaces and equipment, preparing & serving nutritional meals, much more paperwork than you can even imagine, and yes, taking care of herself as well, so that she can be the best daycare provider she can be. Those things all take much more than a couple hours a day, and the average daycare provider, I can assure you, never even gets a lunch hour or two ten minute breaks, which is probably guaranteed every employee in every state. A daycare provider works long into the night even when her last child leaves before night falls. Many people do not have the luxury of leaving their job at 5pm and never having to think about it for the rest of the evening, but in my experience, the ones who deny a child care provider the luxury of a little down-time in the afternoon, are generally the ones who do have that luxury!
Many parents are experts in their field. All daycare providers are experts in their field; we are trained to be.
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LoraJenkins 11:55 AM 03-05-2013
My naptime is between 1 and 3 pm. The older children sometimes wake around 2:30 but lay on their cots quietly until I open the blinds. Sometimes I will let them sleep until 3:30 if they were especially crabby before nap.
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LittleD 12:00 PM 03-05-2013
In Ontario, we have the Day Nursery Act which states the following:
(5) Every operator shall ensure that the daily program in each day nursery operated by the operator and in each location where private-home day care is provided by the operator is so arranged that,

(a) each child over eighteen months of age up to and including five years of age that is in attendance for six hours or more in a day has a rest period not exceeding two hours in length following the mid-day meal;

(b) each child under thirty months of age that is in attendance for six hours or more in a day is outdoors for sleep or play or both for a period of up to two hours each day, weather permitting, unless a physician or parent of the child advises otherwise in writing;

(c) a child under 44 months of age as of August 31 of the year and who is unable to sleep during the rest period is not kept in bed for longer than one hour and is permitted to engage in quiet activities; and

(d) a child 44 months of age or over and up to and including 67 months of age as of August 31 of the year and who is unable to sleep during the rest period is permitted to engage in quiet activities. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 262, s. 53 (5); O. Reg. 505/06, s. 11 (1).

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/reg...262_e.htm#BK26
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Patches 04:13 PM 03-05-2013
2 hours
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LK5kids 04:17 PM 03-05-2013
12:30-2:30/3:00. I don't let kids nap past 3:00.

State regs. reqiure any child not sleeping after 1/2 an hour must be allowed to get up. I can't require they stay on their mat and play quietly.
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jenn 04:39 PM 03-05-2013
We start anywhere from 12:30-1:00, depending on how quickly we move through lunch. I like them to be down and settled by 1:00. They sleep until they wake up, or I wake them up at 3:00. I transition my littles to this schedule as soon as possible. If they have to have a morning nap, I make it as early and short as possible so that everyone is down at the same afternoon times.
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My3cents 04:44 AM 03-06-2013
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
naptime at the daycare i worked at (and where my children attended) was from 12:30 - 2:30 SUPPOSEDLY!

in reality, they would lay them down at 12 and let them sleep as long as they would stay asleep. that ticked me off! as a parent, there is nothing worse than not being able to get your child to go to bed at night because they slept too long at daycare! ESPECIALLY since you are PAYING daycare to care for your child - not let them sleep as long as possible so they can have peace!

since i worked at the daycare as well, i would ALWAYS wake up the children i cared for right on schedule. i know how hard it is as a parent trying to get your child to bed and i respected that. my co-workers would get annoyed with me waking the kids up, but OH WELL - i was't there for my co-workers, i was there for the kids and the parents!

some kids (once they turn 4) don't even take naps. i think it's downright CRUEL to force them to lay on a mat for 2 - 2.5 hours. you can always pull them to the side and do a quiet activity while the younger ones sleep. people pay good money for you to treat their children like they would treat them - and most parents wouldn't force their child to stare at the ceiling with no intention of sleeping for 2 hours or more.
Most parents stick the child in front of the TV and let the TV be the babysitter.

I don't feel kids should be entertained by adults every waking hour.

I will say that I feel a balance is needed in this area. I don't let kids sleep past 3, unless the child has been ill and truly needs it. I do let them play on their mat quietly until everyone wakes up, books. My kids are little so even quiet play would be loud for them. They just don't understand the concept of quiet yet for more then a few minutes. They will engage in books quietly. It also gives them a chance to fully wake up. Older kids do understand and don't need as much rest so they are allowed to get up and do a quiet table activity. We usually go down after lunch about 12:30ish, they listen to music and me doing the dishes and clean up till they crash. This is how I roll. I don't have parents complaining and come rest time my kiddo's are tired. I think rest time depends on your kids ages and your space and how you prefer to do things. While the kids are sleeping I take a break, and prepare for the afternoon snack and activities and do paperwork and clean up. I am not letting the kids sleep so that I can sit on my A$$ and eat bon bons. I need to refresh and get things done.

Not cool that you were just told to "deal" with it at your center.
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