SunflowerMama 11:56 AM 08-20-2010
So I have a new dcb that is used to sleeping in bed with mom. It was a struggle to get him to sleep but he went down...problem is he only slept for 40 minutes. I had him on a mat in my daycare room but the room is super small so if I tried to get him to stay on there for the remainder of rest time he would probably cry bloody murder and wake the other 5 up. My naptime is very important to me

and I'm tempted to ask mom how long he's used to napping at home. He's never been in a daycare setting (only nanny) and I'm concerned these short naps could be the death of me.
Do you think his naps could get longer the longer he's with me or am I doomed to keeping a 20 month old quiet for 2 hours everyday while the other kids sleep??
mncare 12:19 PM 08-20-2010
I have a co-sleeper as well. It has been a struggle from day one, almost a year ago. Good luck!! It is hit or miss around here with him.
alyssyn 12:44 PM 08-20-2010
I have a 5 mo. old dcg and she is alert for 2 hrs and sleeps for 20-40 minutes.
This is her daily routine. Every 2 hrs. alert;20-40 min. nap.
DCMomOf3 12:45 PM 08-20-2010
Would you feel comfortable just laying him back down every time he gets up after his short nap until he gets it? I did that with my 18mo. It only took 2 days for him to get the routine and now even if he's awake he'll stay on his mat until the lights go on and music/movie goes off. He did cry and be loud at times but my others luckily slept through it.
Good luck!
SunflowerMama 01:46 PM 08-20-2010
Originally Posted by Quincy:
Would you feel comfortable just laying him back down every time he gets up after his short nap until he gets it? I did that with my 18mo. It only took 2 days for him to get the routine and now even if he's awake he'll stay on his mat until the lights go on and music/movie goes off. He did cry and be loud at times but my others luckily slept through it.
Good luck!
This is what I would love to do but just him being up playing in the hallway woke the other kids today so I know if we did this in the dc room there would be no nap on those days. It wouldn't be a huge deal but the rest of my kids nap 3+ hours so it would make for a cranky afternoon

.
DCMomOf3 01:58 PM 08-20-2010
Ouch, that would be cranky alright. If he has a morning nap you could cut that out, but otherwise, I think having quiet things for him is what I would do; like crayons, books, etc.
tenderhearts 02:18 PM 08-20-2010
I would put him in a playpen until he gets it, maybe with a few toys for the 2 hours. Good Luck
Francine 01:46 AM 08-21-2010
Originally Posted by tenderhearts:
I would put him in a playpen until he gets it, maybe with a few toys for the 2 hours. Good Luck
I agree, if you can I would put him in a room by himself in a Pack & Play until he starts napping the same schedule as the rest of the kids. After a while I would transition to mats in the room with the other kids.
athomemommy 11:46 PM 08-31-2010
What if he cries the whole time?