Parents Want Me To "Shorten" Nap Time

[Unregistered]

I have "those" parents, the ones that don't like to hear their princess cry. Princess, 2 years fights bedtime and they comply with her and fight with her, run to her and so on. Obviously she is getting what she wants so why not. So, because she fights them they blame the nap here 1-3. I mean it can't be at all their parenting or lack of. They want me to get her up after one hour because they think she is fighting them because she is not tired at bedtime. She fights them because they play into it her game. Have you guys ever been asked to shorten nap time? I am not planning on listening to their request anyways. But just wanted to see how you would handle this. Thanks

[Homebody]

I have "those" parents, the ones that don't like to hear their princess cry. Princess, 2 years fights bedtime and they comply with her and fight with her, run to her and so on. Obviously she is getting what she wants so why not. So, because she fights them they blame the nap here 1-3. I mean it can't be at all their parenting or lack of. They want me to get her up after one hour because they think she is fighting them because she is not tired at bedtime. She fights them because they play into it her game. Have you guys ever been asked to shorten nap time? I am not planning on listening to their request anyways. But just wanted to see how you would handle this. Thanks

I've never been asked to shorten a nap yet, and I don't blame you for not wanting to change your schedule. Recently a toddler I watch started to fight his naps and bedtime at home, but I wasn't having any problems with him myself. I told his mom what our naptime routine was and that I use a fan for white noise and play lullaby music during nap. So, she started doing this at home, and she hasn't had any more issues.

Do you have any problems with her napping for you? If not then maybe tell them about your routine and such, and see if it works for them.

[Jupadia]

At age 2, no I would not shorten nap time. At 3 I may depending on child cause some of them that turn 4 before the end of the year will be attending Jr. kindergarden all day and won't nap there. But not till just a couple months before school. Even then I'll hand out books or a board puzzle for them to do at the start of nap so they fall asleep later. Even then it can depend on child
Mostly I find parents have to change how they handle bed time. I had one at age 4 still needed full 2 hour nap cause mom would go lay down with him to go to sleep at night and he would play more then try to sleep. Cause of this often he was not falling asleep till 10 or 11 at night. So he very much needed nap here without it his behaviour was a really bad.

[Baby Beluga]

Is she naturally waking early from nap, on her own? If not, her body still needs to rest and sleep. I would tell the parents this.

[hwichlaz]

Our school has nap time for the first trimester of senior kindergarten, thank goodness. So kids that haven't been ready to wean off a nap the summer before are still covered.

[Blackcat31]

My policies state that ALL children rest during afternoon rest time. If a parent feels their child no longer needs this rest period, they must submit their notice of withdrawal from my program as their child is no longer a good fit.

I refuse to discuss actual rest time or modification or adjustment of MY program's schedule.

I am in charge of the rules and policies in my program and as a parent they get to decide if those rules and policies work for them/their family/their child etc. and that is the ONLY thing parents get to dictate here.

I would ask that parent if they are submitting notice of withdrawal since your program no longer meets their child's needs?

[hwichlaz]

In the past, I've let parents know that I'd make an attempt to shorten nap time. Then I do nothing. And the parents report the placebo effect. :P

[Ariana]

Every parent I have ever had has at some point asked for this. My rest period is from 1-3 for sleepers and 1-2 for non sleepers. Every time I have had a parent request a shorter nap time that kid is the one that falls asleep within the first few minutes of nap time because they are so tired. I let them sleep for the duration of nap. There is just no way a kids nap, at 2 is interfering with night time sleep. In fact IME a longer, better nap helps night time sleep!

After the age of 2.5 I let the parents know that adjusting their kids bedtime is the best option when they nap here. I did this with my own kids. The bed time moved up by an hour when they napped. Everyone gets 1 hour of quiet relax time whether they sleep or not.

My kid gets rest time at school right now and I would not dream of asking the teachers to not let her sleep (she doesn’t). If she needs it she can sleep. I will deal with her being up late if it comes to it. Its not a big deal!

[Unregistered]

This girl has been here since she was 8 weeks. She never ever gives me a hard time about her nap. I have to wake her up most days at 3. Her parents just fall for her antics at home. She is quite the handful at home and she is good here. I will not be changing her schedule here. I will tell them I did, . I forgot to add that they put her to bed too early. So really all this is just their issue to figure out.

[ColorfulSunburst]

Recommend them to put her for night rest later then they do it now.

[Mom2Two]

I wouldn't shorten a nap on request. If a two-year-old child falls asleep and stays asleep, they obviously need the nap.

I might wake a child up at two hours for a family who was trying to get a child to sleep through the night and was trying to create a good schedule.

I don't require naps for older children, but it's the child's behavior that guides that choice.

[Ariana]

This girl has been here since she was 8 weeks. She never ever gives me a hard time about her nap. I have to wake her up most days at 3. Her parents just fall for her antics at home. She is quite the handful at home and she is good here. I will not be changing her schedule here. I will tell them I did, . I forgot to add that they put her to bed too early. So really all this is just their issue to figure out.

Let them know that it might be time to move her bedtime up an hour. Kids need to spend time with their parents and if they don’t get enough of that time they will wake up to get it. My 5 year old goes to bed at 7 because she refuses to nap during the day. If she napped it would be 8.

[Sunchimes]

I had a parent make that request recently because he was staying up so late. I agreed, but I didn't mention that I agreed because it suited me better. He is a great napper. He would sleep all afternoon if I let him, and Mom said let him sleep. But, as the kids aged, the other 2 were only sleeping 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Then we had to entertain ourselves outside of the playroom until he woke up. It was throwing off snack and was a pain, but if you wake him up, he has a full on, snot-slinging, screaming tantrum. Long ones!! Last month, he started staying up late, and she asked me to shorten his nap. So, since it was to my benefit, I agreed. After a couple of days of tantrums, I had the brilliant idea to remind him before he went to sleep that his momma said to wake up happy. I told him it wasn't my idea, but we had to listen to mom. It works as long as I remember to tell him. I wouldn't do it otherwise. PS. He is still staying up until 11:00.

[Jdy2222]

I have a little one like this, younger though. He sleeps a lot here, but not at home. Most mornings he comes in ready for a nap and it's a fight to keep him up until naptime. Never, ever does he cry at naptime or wake and need attention and he'll sleep up to 3 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon if I let him. But at home ... parents sleep in the same room as him and wake at his every request, so he's up a lot at night (sometimes hourly) and not getting a good nights sleep.

I have suggested that he is old enough to sleep through the night (he's 10 months) and suggested that he doesn't need them to replace his pacifier throughout the night but they are opting to do it their way, which means tired baby.

I am concerned that he sleeps so much here, I'm sure it's not helping his night sleep, but if they'd train themselves and him to get him to sleep at night he'd not be sleeping so much with me. So ... I care, but I know he needs the sleep and he's super grumpy without it so I don't encourage him to sleep and we aren't quiet to accommodate but I don't deliberately wake him either.

[TooManyKitties]

Ugh, that’s rough. It’s so hard when parents won’t do what’s best for their kids.