I have a family who has currently enrolled their one year old daughter with me. They want her to nap 9-11 and then again at 1 for a minimum of 1.5 hours. My question...is this normal?? It seems like an excessive amount of sleep in such a short period of time. If dcg doesn't want to sleep, I am supposed to let her scream and cry until prolonged intensity lasts more than 10 minutes. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.

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You are providing group care. What works for your GROUP?

Most young toddlers need 14-15 hours of sleep per day. They usually get 10-11 at night, at least around here. So, that leaves 3-4 in the afternoon.

With my group, 2x a day nappers go down for 45 minutes in the morning, then again for 3 hours in the afternoon. I can't do 2 hour morning naps, because we'd never get to go outside, and the older kids (when I have them) would bounce off the walls.

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I tell all families that once their child turns 12 months, that they will transition to the toddler schedule, which is one nap a day. Most children do fine with this. I do give a little transition time, but in my 15 years experience, I have found that they usually don't need it.

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Here, a one year old would usually need a morning nap.. Our naps are usually from 8:30ish - 9:30ish and then from 11:30ish to 3ish or whenever they wake up. So, yes, the end of morning nap and the beginning of our afternoon nap are about 2 hours apart depending on how long it takes for them to eat breakfast/lunch.

But you need to do what's best for your group. At 1 years old, she should be just fine adjusting to when you normally nap the morning littles. I almost always wake my morning nappers after 45-60 minutes, also. That way they don't get out all of their sleep in the morning and then aren't tired for the afternoon nap.

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I usually try to do what they ask unless it doesn't work for my group or if it isn't want the child needs. Then when DCP asks how was nap I simply say good and not offer times.

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::Smile:: "my nap schedule is...."

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Thanks. I am in a unique situation. I am transitioning from SA to full days, so in the mornings, I only have 1 kindergarten boy and won't have more kids until July, so other kids don't really factor atm. It just seems wrong to me to make a baby scream and cry, just to force a nap 2 hours from wake up. She normally welcomes the morning nap, so that is not an issue, but the pm is always hard. I don't know if I should do what others have done and fake her nap times (mom sends a communication book that she wants me to fill out daily). Letting a child scream, when it is obviously that they aren't tired, just goes against everything I believe in, but I don't want to risk losing this family, and the income. I should mention, I do still have to work around school times, which adds to my frustration.

Edit: DaisyMamma, I think I may have to try that and hope I don't get questioned.

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Well, honestly I'd start shortening the morning nap and trying to lengthen the PM one. Kids usually drop to just one nap sometime between ages 1 and 2. I always start dropping the AM one if the PM one is rough. I'd simply tell the parents that she's showing signs of being ready to shift her naptimes and that this is what works for you.

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Also...can she have a stuffed animal or a book to lay down with, since she's over a year?

Sometimes, I think they need rest, not just sleep. So, a "friend" to talk to or a book to look at helps them settle down. Most of my kids LOVE their bed...even if they're not tired yet. Well, not this new one (see my other post)

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I have a 4 month old that naps from 9-11 and 1-3 who sleeps 12 hours at night...but she is only 4 months and not 12 months.

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I would cut her morning nap short, let her sleep as long as she wants in the afternoon, and then say "Yep, she had both of her naps!" and not get too specific.

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Yeah, I would say 2 naps a day can be normal around a year old, and even a few months after that. But, I agree with the others about shortening that morning nap, and giving the child a longer nap after lunch. Before you know it, the child will be able to stay up for longer intervals, in time just needing one nap a day. I would just tell dcm she is getting the two naps also, and mention the afternoon nap is longer if she wants specifics.

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This is a great skill that I see so many of the new babies I care for lacking. It is great when you can lay a child down in a pack and play to rest and relax, sometimes with a book or a toy, and then they get used to the idea that just because you are awake, doesn't mean it's time to scream and wake the whole house up- it's time to unwind. I find so many babies I have cared for recently have their every need met, so they can't just relax and chill out-they demand instant gratification in the form of being brought out of the pnp and out to play the second they wake up.

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I don't think that sounds like too much sleep to me for a 1 year old. I would call it normal-I've had plenty of kids nap like that. What are YOUR scheduled nap times for kids this age? Can you move her to something that works better for you?

I TRY to accommodate parents' schedules to the extent that it is reasonable, because God knows they are not going to try to match up to ours! If it doesn't work for you, however, just change it. Move the 1st nap to 8:30, wake at 10. Then at 1PM, put her back down with your other kids. My own child would take a 60-90 minute morning nap, and then as much as 4 more hours in the afternoon between 12 months and 24 months! I just let him sleep on his own schedule as long as he was still sleeping at night and not waking before 6:30 AM (9PM bedtime).

As far as letting her scream and cry for 10 minutes...this is probably may have been from their pediatrician. Mine advises to enforce rest times even if the child chooses not to sleep after 12 months. Does she go to sleep after screaming and crying? I've seen more than one kid who can only get to sleep by crying-it's just normal for them (even if they are being rocked to sleep)-apparently how they soothe themselves!

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Just because she's crying about it, does not mean she doesn't need her rest. OP, you're the adult, YOU (and her parents) decide what's best for her, she does not. Most of us here take issue with requests like "I don't want her to cry" or "I don't want her to nap".

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At 12 months old most are still taking 2 naps but like others have said, I shorten the morning nap and keep the afternoon one longer because it works better with the group for going outside and for me getting some quiet time in the afternoon. Two hours between naps isn't that long either - my younger ones are back down 2 hours after they wake up, but usually try to extend that as they get to 8-9 months old. I usually try for 9-10/10:30 in the mornings and 1/1:30-3ish in the afternoons.

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Thanks everyone for the hints and tips. I will try them out.

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