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happymom 07:50 AM 06-24-2020
Can anyone offer some advice for me?

My son turns 5 in October, and he has napped only one time in the last 2 weeks in daycare. They don't seem to mind, really, but they are a center so it's likely they have to tell us that......

Is there anything I can do to help? We have "nap" time on weekends and usually I can't get him to actually sleep, either.

Maybe he has outgrown naps? He will still have nap time in daycare through next summer, so we still have to get through 14 more months of naps......

Is there anything your kid's parents have successfully done to get a child to nap again?
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Blackcat31 08:11 AM 06-24-2020
I have several kiddos that don't nap.
They rest though...

Could you maybe teach your son to rest?
He can lay still and quiet and think about things.
Reflect on the morning activities or think about things he wants to do in the afternoon or after daycare....

It might be a good thing for him to learn how to do...a good quality to have is the ability to sit/lie still and think etc.
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happymom 08:31 AM 06-24-2020
He actually does rest well. I think he is good during nap time, unlike my oldest son who would come home with behavior reports for fooling around during nap.

I might just have anxiety about it because the final year before kindergarten was really hard for my older son. I'll just remind myself that a different kid + a different teacher will yield a different result. I really would prefer him to sleep because we figure if he sleeps he can stay up a little later at night (and we tell him that), but it hasn't made any difference.
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AmyKidsCo 12:35 PM 06-24-2020
Can you try to tire him out more? Wake him earlier, have him run around outside at night, put him to bed a little later, etc?
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happymom 01:00 PM 06-24-2020
We go outside after dinner every day and ride bikes and walk our dog, already.

Do you think waking him earlier would help? He doesn't have an early bed time, usually he goes to bed around 9...but with him not napping, I feel like I should put him to bed earlier since he is missing out on sleep from not napping...but if I take away that sleep and he naps, it's a win. If I take away the sleep and he still doesn't nap, then he will be sleep deprived?
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e.j. 01:09 PM 06-24-2020
If the kids here don't sleep during nap time, I tell the non-napper he needs to rest his body until the other kids who usually nap fall asleep. If the non-napper is still awake at that point, I let him quietly read books on his cot as long as he can be quiet. Often, the non-napper doesn't realize he needs the nap and will fall asleep before any of the other kids have a chance to nod off. Sometimes, if I know the non-napper can be quiet and not disturb the others, I allow him to do a craft at the kitchen table. If he gets too loud, he goes back to his cot and rests his body.

I had one little guy (4yrs old) who loved to listen to music. His mom asked if he could bring headphones and a portable cd player for nap time. I wasn't sure if he'd get bored or if he could be quiet enough but that was a really good solution for both of us. He ended up looking forward to nap time instead of dreading it.
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AmyKidsCo 11:52 AM 06-25-2020
Originally Posted by e.j.:
I had one little guy (4yrs old) who loved to listen to music. His mom asked if he could bring headphones and a portable cd player for nap time. I wasn't sure if he'd get bored or if he could be quiet enough but that was a really good solution for both of us. He ended up looking forward to nap time instead of dreading it.
Years ago I had books on tape for some non-nappers, and more often than not they'd nod off while listening.
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Cat Herder 04:57 AM 06-26-2020
Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
Years ago I had books on tape for some non-nappers, and more often than not they'd nod off while listening.
I've done that, too. Works pretty well but my ratio does not change at naptime so it requires no extra work from me.

I can see it not being something a center would be willing to manage though since that is when they cut down to one teacher for mandatory staff lunch breaks. If the kids don't stay on their mats the ratios goes back to two teachers required. At age 5 his classroom would be 30/2 awake, 30/1 during nap, here.

As long as he stays on his mat and does not require much interaction from the provider, it really should not be an issue for them at all.
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happymom 07:54 AM 06-26-2020
Sounds good, thanks for your advice.

Seems like it may be less of a problem than I am thinking it is in my head!

Thanks
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Cat Herder 09:51 AM 06-26-2020
Originally Posted by happymom:
Sounds good, thanks for your advice.

Seems like it may be less of a problem than I am thinking it is in my head!

Thanks
You may be thinking about the hundreds of posts about parents demanding for us to force their kids to stay awake when they are clearly tired to make their night easier. That is the nap issue that royally ticks most providers off.

I think you are good.
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CeriBear 10:01 AM 06-27-2020
I never force a child to sleep during nap time. With my 4 year olds all but about 2 of them still nap at least part of the time. I don’t think your child not sleeping will be an issue as long as he can be quiet and allow others to nap. It’s the non-nappers that make a lot of noise that bother me. If cuddling or playing with a teddy bear can keep a noisy child quiet during nap/rest time then I’m all for it. In fact I had a child one year that finally would drift of to sleep after I started him gently play with his “puppy.”
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flying_babyb 05:57 PM 06-27-2020
center teacher here. We really dont care if your child dont sleep as long as youve taught them to lay quiet! In our center, when the 4+ teacher goes on break, her kids come hang out in the foyer with the director and play quietly. If my coteachers back from break by then, they all sit at the table in the classroom and play with the quiet basket (books, puzzles, art stuff ect) that ONLY comes out at naptime.
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Ariana 11:16 AM 06-28-2020
This pretty much proves that once a kid drops nap there is nothing you can do to make them sleep! I tell parents this all the time but they seem to think if a kid gets bored or lays still long enough they will sleep! No they won’t

My own kids lay quietly in their beds with no entertainment and were fine for an hour. If nap time is longer than that you can maybe have an hour of laying quietly and then an hour of books or books on tape etc. I typically habe some sort of activity available for the second hour if they are not able to keep being quiet. There are also really cool “quiet bins” I saw on Pinterest. Maybe you could make those for the daycare to use? Each day there is a new bin of reuseable activities.
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daycarediva 10:46 AM 07-02-2020
Originally Posted by Ariana:
This pretty much proves that once a kid drops nap there is nothing you can do to make them sleep! I tell parents this all the time but they seem to think if a kid gets bored or lays still long enough they will sleep! No they won’t

My own kids lay quietly in their beds with no entertainment and were fine for an hour. If nap time is longer than that you can maybe have an hour of laying quietly and then an hour of books or books on tape etc. I typically habe some sort of activity available for the second hour if they are not able to keep being quiet. There are also really cool “quiet bins” I saw on Pinterest. Maybe you could make those for the daycare to use? Each day there is a new bin of reuseable activities.

I would actually ask if it's distruptive.... nope? no issue.

I don't care if kids nap (don't get me wrong for some reason that random day they all do is like a treat.... haha)

but mine rest quietly for a bit and then I have a bin of busy bags ONLY for rest time that they can chose.

Not quiet? No busy bag.

Seems to stop 99% of issues with KIDS.

Parents and napping on the other hand? I have one who wants to cut my 2yo's nap, who is out the entire time and begs to lay down/sleep more.
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Tags:5 year old, nap - fights it, nap issues, school age daycare kids
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