I work alone and at the moment I have 2 nappers and 3 non nappers. I do have them do a little quiet time after lunch but if I am not in the room with them they get rowdy no matter how many times I go in there and discipline them. I feel like I don't get a break....ever.

I eat lunch standing at the counter while catering to the little ones and then spend naptime disciplining the olders ones in order to get them to be quiet for at least 30 minutes.

Then my own SA kids arrive and the chaos continues....

There are days when I feel so suffocated by children that I can hardly breathe. I love kids and I love what I do but I need to find a way to get a breather during the day.

What do you all do?

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That is the very reason I don't do non-nappers. All my kids, even those who only nap for part of our nap-time, lay down on their mats for the entirety of nap time.

When we did have bigger kids, they had mats that were in a seperate area and got to watch a movie during nap time. But they had to stay on ther mats and quiet.

Personally, I would make a quiet time non-negotiable. It will make a world of difference to you.

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I'll be honest, quiet time is non negotiable in my home because of this very reason. Everyone under school aged lays down for at least thirty minutes. I don't even entertain then "my child doesn't need naps" speech. My own kids dropped naps around 2 1/2 and they were still expected to spend some time quietly in their rooms.

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How old are your non nappers? If they are too young to understand "quiet time" I would make them nap with the rest of the kids
and if they are old enough to understand "quiet time" then I would give 1 reminder and simply let them know the rule:
You're either quiet so the rest of the kids can nap, or you are napping too

babies nap at their own schedule so when I have a young baby I just don't get a break

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They are old enough to understand quiet time as they are all 4 Y/O. It is frustrating because the second I leave the room they act up. If I put the TV on for a treat they are quiet BUT I have a DCF who does not own a TV and is completely against the idea. I am not a huge TV fan for my own kids either so I agreed to not allow TV unless it was movie day....dumb mistake.

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Maybe you should have a system... if they participate in quiet time today, they can do so again tomorrow...if not, then they get a nap the next day.

Or straight to nap time today if they aren't being quiet.

Be firm! Good luck!

Like Blandino...that is the very reason I don't take non-nappers/resters.

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all my 4yrs old do take a nap

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exactly this!!

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I do not keep kids who do not nap. We already work long, hard days... we deserve a break in there somewhere.

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SAME HERE!!!I tell the parent that rest time is my only break of the day & I do not provider care for non-nappers. Period!

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You can ALWAYS change the rules-
I don't do a lot of tv but I also need the break if I have non nappers. If you don't take care of you who will take care of them??
Non nappers who are not school age have books. I am also going to start Audio books. Sometimes they lay in the living room instead of the nap room if I need to keep a handle on them. Most fall asleep at some point(in dont have any now yay!
When SA is here they watch a movie and read so it gives me two hours. Non- negotiable. And like PP said- if you don't lay down quiet you nap!

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I let my non-nappers watch TV. I stress that it is quiet time and if they are not quiet they'll get to go into another room and lay down themselves.

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Like someone else said you can change the no t.v. rule. If non t.v. parent doesn't like it they can leave. I never feel obligated to 'keep' a rule if it isn't working out for ME.

Luckily I don't usually have 4 year olds anymore as the state provides free Voluntary Pre Kindergarten. I used to have some 3's or 4's who didn't sleep but it was rare. Most did sleep. My granddaughter was one who didn't so she could either watch t.v. or do something quietly. If she wasn't quiet then she would need to lie down.

When I had a lot of older ones, like during summers, etc., I got to the point where we went to the park every day. By the time we'd walk there, play and walk back home they were pooped and all slept.

Laurel

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mine too. Non negotiable!!!! If they have outgrown nap time, they have outgrown my daycare. I haven't had an issue yet.

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As they act up, remove the offenders from the nap room, and place them somewhere quiet where they can't observe you or anyone else, and have them stay there. It may take a few weeks, but your non-nappers will likely turn into nappers after doing this. I agree with the others, though, that kids whose parents don't want them to nap do not belong in my daycare. I require naps-I can't make a kid go to sleep, but I DO make them stay in a quiet area with ONE book, and with no television for the entire nap time. All of my kids nap, but on occasion, the oldest resists, and he goes to a nook that is separated from the rest of the house (he always falls asleep there).

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You don't, if you have babies who are not on a schedule. I remember those days. When my youngest who are now 13 and 14 mo. old were younger, they rarely took naps when the other kids did. I rarely had a break. But now that they are older, they are on the schedule of the other children and do nap at the same time. All my kids nap now and they all want to by the time nap time comes around!

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Oops, I see that they are 4. They definitely should be taking naps or at least resting quietly.

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I am in the "I don't take non nappers" camp. Now, I never think I can "do something" during nap time though because I have to be close to settle them if someone starts to stir too early. But, it is usually at least quiet for a while. And quiet is good even from my rocking chair in the playroom.

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I play audible books. I turn it down a little at a time.. They have to lay still to hear.....then.....they are asleep. I would definitely turn them into nappers! I've also heard that keeping it cool helps to either fall asleep or stay asleep.

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I never plan anything during QT, that way if I can get to something it feels like a bonus.

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Audio books are great! I was a 4 year old teacher for a while before opening my family child care. All my kids napped (even "non-nappers"). Maybe try rearranging them to make sure they aren't near each other. Every single time they move, tell them not to move. Its annoying but it works. After a week or so they will be much quieter and lay still if they don't sleep. I also have a two-way baby monitor in the nap room. I still have to check on the kids in person, but the monitor helps to catch every move they make. I can be in the bathroom and see one move and tell them to stop moving on the monitor. They cant get away with anything
One week later, they are all napping and I barely have to say anything to them anymore.

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I would take my break in the same room and also play audio books. I would also separate them so they are nowhere near each other. I would make sure I got at least 30 min of quiet.

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Exactly. All children (ages 2-5) take naps here.

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Totally agree!! On top of home daycare I'm an artist, so I use naptime to work on and fill orders, ( which is also my way of relaxing/decompressing) plus I do my DH's book keeping. If the kids don't nap then I can't make ends meet and my family suffers financially for it.

Families that so much as hint that their child might not nap don't even get a second interview.

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Non napping isn't an option here either.

Now, when they age out of naps, over age 5 ... I personally decide when that time is... Not the parents or child. At that point until age 6 they do one hour of quiet time. And by that time ey understand what happens if they aren't quiet.

Children over age six are in school so they won't nap when they get here either. But when my school kids get home, sometimes I have my two smallest napping. The rule here is if you wake a little, you have consequences. So they grab a snack and do homework while the littler ones finish.

I do have 3 separate areas I can nap them though.

I don't do tv during nap, only soft music.

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Honestly, I don't take non-napper for this reason. The hours of 12:30-3pm is such a needed time that I refuse anyone who isn't down with napping. I have also refused any school agers on days school is closed for this reason. I am by myself, have a small house and need for the little ones to have their quiet time. I just don't have anything or anywhere for them during these hours.

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I don't take non nappers, but I have some 5 year old kindergarteners who don't nap, who come 2 or 3 days a week. I tell them to go play in the playroom quietly, and advise that they will have to take a nap if they are too loud. Sometimes i let them play on the ipad. All activities that they do are in a separate room away from me. I can hear them, but they know to play quietly.

If they are 3 and under, I'd sit with them until they slept. If they don't sleep, I'd take them outside all morning and wear them out with races and obstacle courses so they did sleep. In the winter we did indoor obstacle courses and pillow piles. 3 and unders will take a nap at my house all my 4s did too.

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I started with only SA's when my own kids were littles.

I know you said one family does not like TV BUT could you assign each of the three kids to bring in one educational video a week (think public library lending room; cool family involvement project)??

For 3 days each week they could watch the educational videos, draw pictures and practice writing in their own marbled journal to show their parents at pick-up. First one who acts up goes to bed...

1 day a week they could do an audio book, dry erase markers/boards or felt stories; self led (again public library class sets). Same behavior policy .

Fridays popcorn and disney/pixar day.... tell the no tv family they can pick up early or cope like everyone else (they do it in public school too, btw).... You can even let them bring the movie if it makes them feel more secure.

ABCmouse, Time4Learning and other pre-k sites may be a good alternative, too. Rotate "Mouse Master" (he/she who commands the mouse) and let them do each course as a group project.

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Thanks Cat Herder, these are some really great ideas!

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Yep! With the exception of my 8 yo sibing SA. She is allowed to rest quietly on her cot for the first 30 min, then she is allowed to read *quietly* for 30 min. If she does BOTH of those without waking anyone up or keeping anyone awake then I come in and get her and she gets to do quiet activities in the back room with me (I have an assistant who stays in the napping room the whole time). If she does not do both of those things she stays on her cot the whole time, no books, no toys. She only tried that once, since then she has been quiet (and even slept about 1/2 the time)

You can't make anyone sleep, but you can require quiet, and term if they have outgrown napping before they have grown into being quiet without sleeping

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For non nappers, once they have "rested" for 45 minutes I have lots of quiet activities for them to use. Small "big kid" legos, magnets, colorforms, comic books, puzzles, maze and other activity books, single person travel games like tanagrams and Rush Hour. They spread out a blanket separate from each other and they can choose their activity. Quiet is a must. They are apart from each other so talking/interacting is less tempting.

I am downstairs, but because my home is split level I can see them through the stair railings. Also, my only non nappers have to be around the age of five. If someone says they have a 3 or 4 year old that doesn't nap they need to find a better fit for childcare.

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