Nap Time...STILL SLEEPING :)

[thecrazyisout]

So my kids are still sleeping and it is 3:15...went down around 1:15...ALL FIVE OF THEM! YAY! But my question is, how long do you let you kids nap...do you let them nap as long as they need, or wake them in order to not disturb their afternoon routine.

We usually....wake, wash hands, snack, free play, outside play until mom and dad arrive. So therefore, not too much structure in the afternoon.

[Zoe]

I try to stick to the 2 hr schedule as much as I can. That's really because the kids don't get cranky when I wake them up. Also, if I go over too much, there's a chance the parents will be coming soon and wonder why their kids are still sleeping. If I know for sure when pick up is going to be and I know that I can give them snack and everything beforehand, I may let them sleep longer.

[youretooloud]

That's hard.. it seems so rude to wake someone... But, maybe you could wake them gently? With music, or light, or just being busy in the room?

I always feel guilty waking kids, but the parents start coming at 3:00-ish, so I just make some noise and once one kid wakes up, they all start to wake.

[daycare]

I have a few that if you dont allow them to wake on their own when ready its like the devil possed them or somehting....lol

I turn on the lights and open the blinds and quietly ask those kids that are awake to get ready for snack. I let the others continue sleeping, even if it is after 4:00. I figure that they are sleeping for a reason so i will let them...

[Meyou]

I put them all to bed between 12:45 and 1pm. Everyone is sleeping by 1:15 and they start waking up at around 2:45. At 3:15 I open the nap room doors, turn on the hall lights and allow the kids that are awake to play normally and not quietly. That usually has everyone up by 3:30. I try to keep on schedule too because by the time we have a snack and change bums it's usually 4pm by the time we get back outside and I like the kids to get at least an hour before the mamas and papas arrive.

[happykidschildcare]

I turn on the lights and ask whos ready to get up, usually that raises them, if they want to continue their nap they can, Ive learned over the years not to wake some due to the ultimatly crankiness I will have to deal with til departure. Some kids need to wake up on their own, let them sleep. Our nap times are also 1-3 ...by 4 pm I get them up & ready to go.

[TBird]

My daycare kids could sleep all day long, but I really think it's appropriate to wake them up after 2 hours (2.5 hours tops). One of the kids loooooves his sleep and really gets irate when I wake him up, but sheesh...we have to do snack and then get ready for pickup...his dad comes early. Most days I have my daughter do the dirty work. I figure they'll take it easier on the cute preteen...

[nannyde]

2.5 hours and yes we wake them up. We have kids leaving early so we get them up.

[Candyland]

And from a parents point of view...I really wouldn't want my kid sleeping later all afternoon (+3 hours) and then expect him to come home with me and get a decent night's sleep; granted most of ya'lls kids are there early!! So, I would appreciate an earlier naptime, like 1ish.

[FrustratedMommy]

Wow, that really shows me that my daycare provider really is letting the kids sleep too long. My 3.5 year old is usually still sleeping when I arrive at 4, or sometimes 4:15. She will not fall asleep until 10pm, even though it is lights out at 8:30, and her older sister will be asleep by the time I get to the end of the lullaby. Her older sister got kicked out of this daycare at 3.5 because she stopped being able to sleep. I have asked the lady to have my younger one ready to go at 4, because I have to pick up my older one by 4:30, but when I arrive at 4:00, she is still sleeping and has not started snack yet. It is very frustrating, because I get off at 3:30, and I try to get them and get home as quickly as possible so I actually have time to play with them before I start to cook supper at 5:30. It is the only time I get with them.

She is very sweet and loves and my 3 year old. It is so hard to find a daycare here in Aylmer. They are in short supply. I would like to get my little one in school in Sep 2013, so that would mean only 1 more year at this place. Is it worth it to move her and disrupt her life for a year? The lady is very kind and warm, but she often doesn't take the kids outside, and there is no stimulation in her program. She does not have time since they sleep from lunch until closing. She closes at 4:30, but the kids are barely finished after nap snack by then. Is this normal?

[daycare]

Originally Posted by FrustratedMommy

Wow, that really shows me that my daycare provider really is letting the kids sleep too long. My 3.5 year old is usually still sleeping when I arrive at 4, or sometimes 4:15. She will not fall asleep until 10pm, even though it is lights out at 8:30, and her older sister will be asleep by the time I get to the end of the lullaby. Her older sister got kicked out of this daycare at 3.5 because she stopped being able to sleep. I have asked the lady to have my younger one ready to go at 4, because I have to pick up my older one by 4:30, but when I arrive at 4:00, she is still sleeping and has not started snack yet. It is very frustrating, because I get off at 3:30, and I try to get them and get home as quickly as possible so I actually have time to play with them before I start to cook supper at 5:30. It is the only time I get with them.

She is very sweet and loves and my 3 year old. It is so hard to find a daycare here in Aylmer. They are in short supply. I would like to get my little one in school in Sep 2013, so that would mean only 1 more year at this place. Is it worth it to move her and disrupt her life for a year? The lady is very kind and warm, but she often doesn't take the kids outside, and there is no stimulation in her program. She does not have time since they sleep from lunch until closing. She closes at 4:30, but the kids are barely finished after nap snack by then. Is this normal?

then it sounds like if your daughter is having a hard time going to bed at night, you should let the provider know. I let the kids I care for sleep as long as they need to. If they sleep past our normal wake up time, I will tell the parents that. If the parents told me that they were having a hard time going to bed at night, I would be sure to wake them up at the normal wake time of 2.5 hours...
I do have some kids that if i try to wake them, it's like they were possessed by a monster and they will go nuts, screaming, kicking and yelling. I even have one child that I have to call the mom to come and wake her because it is so bad. When it happens, it upsets all of the kids. I think that this is becuase the girl does not get naps at home but needs them. She only comes here part time so when she is here she is really catching up on sleep.

Another thing that you have to think about, is that all kids are different. I have two older kids that are teens now. When they were younger, I always had them on the same schedule, but they were always so off. My son would fall asleep in two seconds and my daughter would take hours to go to sleep. Nothing more than they just were different and one took longer to unwind than the other.....

as for not simulation or outside play, I am not sure what her services offer. The outside plaything would really bother me. Kids need to play outdoors and burn energy for at least an hour a day. SOme offer just a babysitting service, which sounds like what she offers and some offer lots of fun and exciting activities. Also, I don't think it would hurt your daughter to move her for one year. Soon she will have to do this every year as she promotes through school... I would be looking to move care if this was the case. I would be upset that like you are too for the reasons you listed..

I think you need to talk to you provider....

[spud912]

Originally Posted by FrustratedMommy

Wow, that really shows me that my daycare provider really is letting the kids sleep too long. My 3.5 year old is usually still sleeping when I arrive at 4, or sometimes 4:15. She will not fall asleep until 10pm, even though it is lights out at 8:30, and her older sister will be asleep by the time I get to the end of the lullaby. Her older sister got kicked out of this daycare at 3.5 because she stopped being able to sleep. I have asked the lady to have my younger one ready to go at 4, because I have to pick up my older one by 4:30, but when I arrive at 4:00, she is still sleeping and has not started snack yet. It is very frustrating, because I get off at 3:30, and I try to get them and get home as quickly as possible so I actually have time to play with them before I start to cook supper at 5:30. It is the only time I get with them.

She is very sweet and loves and my 3 year old. It is so hard to find a daycare here in Aylmer. They are in short supply. I would like to get my little one in school in Sep 2013, so that would mean only 1 more year at this place. Is it worth it to move her and disrupt her life for a year? The lady is very kind and warm, but she often doesn't take the kids outside, and there is no stimulation in her program. She does not have time since they sleep from lunch until closing. She closes at 4:30, but the kids are barely finished after nap snack by then. Is this normal?

I think the nap time issue could be resolved with a talk to your provider (hopefully). Our nap time is from 1 to 3, but I let the kids sleep as long as they need. With that being said, if it is encroaching on their pick-up time, I will wake them up 30 minutes prior so that they can go potty or have their diaper changed with enough time to eat their snack. I always tell parents this from the get-go and to let me know if there are issues with sleeping, I can adjust the wake up time.

As far as the lack of outdoor play and stimulation, those are entirely different issues that may not be properly addressed. I would first talk to your provider to get clear specifics as to what is going on during the day and depending on her responses, evaluate if you can compromise. If not, then I don't think there is anything wrong with going somewhere else for the last year. Just make sure you interview several places, ask a lot of questions, call references and go with your gut on the best place.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

Originally Posted by FrustratedMommy

Wow, that really shows me that my daycare provider really is letting the kids sleep too long. My 3.5 year old is usually still sleeping when I arrive at 4, or sometimes 4:15. She will not fall asleep until 10pm, even though it is lights out at 8:30, and her older sister will be asleep by the time I get to the end of the lullaby. Her older sister got kicked out of this daycare at 3.5 because she stopped being able to sleep. I have asked the lady to have my younger one ready to go at 4, because I have to pick up my older one by 4:30, but when I arrive at 4:00, she is still sleeping and has not started snack yet. It is very frustrating, because I get off at 3:30, and I try to get them and get home as quickly as possible so I actually have time to play with them before I start to cook supper at 5:30. It is the only time I get with them.

She is very sweet and loves and my 3 year old. It is so hard to find a daycare here in Aylmer. They are in short supply. I would like to get my little one in school in Sep 2013, so that would mean only 1 more year at this place. Is it worth it to move her and disrupt her life for a year? The lady is very kind and warm, but she often doesn't take the kids outside, and there is no stimulation in her program. She does not have time since they sleep from lunch until closing. She closes at 4:30, but the kids are barely finished after nap snack by then. Is this normal?

I agree with the other responses you received. Ask your provider if she will wake your daughter sooner (or discuss what you want her to do if perhaps your daughter doesn't want to get up yet). If she has gotten a full nap (about 2 hrs) the provider shouldn't have a problem waking her, as long as your daughter wakes up okay. Are the other children still sleeping as well?There's one girl here who will sleep until almost 4:00 sometimes (they normally wake up at 3 and have snack at 3:30). Her dad has came in before at 4:00 and she's still sleeping, but if I try to MAKE her get up (resorting to physically picking her up, off the cot), it doesn't go well for anyone. Her dad has also came in after one of these times of making her get up, and she's still sitting in the floor crying and hasn't eaten snack or anything. He would rather I let her sleep if she just won't get up, otherwise she stays in her mood the rest of the evening. Since her dad picks up at 4, he's able to get her up without too much fuss (children are always happy to get up if mom or dad are there).

The other issues you mentioned, I would also recommend asking your provider what the daily schedule/routine is. If there are no structured things going on, but you otherwise like your provider, is there anyway you could enroll her in a part day preschool (maybe one she would go to 3 days a week for a couple hours)? Your provider may be looking at this as just a babysitting type thing where she keeps the children safe and provides some toys for them to free play with, but not as a structured preschool type program. How many children does your provider care for at one time? If a seperate preschool is out of the question (the extra cost, transportation, etc), I don't see anything wrong with enrolling her in a full day preschool (one that serves mainly preschool age children, provides a structured preschool program, but is open before/after preschool for the parents who need childcare also) for her last year. With Kindergarten entrance requiring so much more in academic/social areas your daughter will be needing preschool anyway. If your provider doesn't offer preschool activities and learning you will be wanting to find somewhere that does at least a year before she goes for her kindergarten entrance test.