Lunch and Nap Schedule

[jenboo]

Im thinking of possibly tweaking things and would like to hear what works for you.
For those who have kids approx 12-24 months, what time is lunch and nap.

Im currently doing lunch at 1130 and nap at 1230. Most kids sleep 3 hrs.

Im wondering if I should have lunch at 11 and nap 12-3pm. Ive been noticing some heavy eyes at lunch...

[Bluemoon5]

I have 12-18 month olds. We eat lunch around 12:15 and nap 1-3. I'm at a center so I don't really have much freedom to change things around. If I did, I would probably choose to eat and nap slightly earlier. We have several kids who get tired before lunch, then don't eat lunch because they are so tired, then wake up early from nap because they're hungry. A vicious cycle. Also, when kids first start some have a hard time giving up their morning naps. I'd love to have more flexibility in scheduling.

On a side note, I would LOVE if my kids slept 3 hours. Some of my groups used to, but this current group Doesn't. Sleep. Ever.

[Cat Herder]

I have 14-30 months, currently.

I do lunch at 12:00, then the playground until 12:50 (allows them to burn off calories/have bm before nap ), clean up/diapers, with nap from 1:00-3:00 waking naturally.

Breakfast is at 8:00, morning snack at 10:00, so lunch any earlier would be too soon, here. If anyone needed an earlier nap, they can lay down after morning snack for up to an hour, easily.

[springv]

We do nap/rest time from 12-2pm. The younger children get laid down at 11:30 and get up at 1:30

[Ariana]

I have 5 kids aged 14 months to 2.5 yrs. I do lunch at 12, naps around 12:30 - 3pm to give everyone a solid 2 hours if needed.

I am definitely finding many of them are ready earlier than that for nap and have also thought about moving the lunch and nap earlier.

[jenboo]

I have 12-18 month olds. We eat lunch around 12:15 and nap 1-3. I'm at a center so I don't really have much freedom to change things around. If I did, I would probably choose to eat and nap slightly earlier. We have several kids who get tired before lunch, then don't eat lunch because they are so tired, then wake up early from nap because they're hungry. A vicious cycle. Also, when kids first start some have a hard time giving up their morning naps. I'd love to have more flexibility in scheduling.

On a side note, I would LOVE if my kids slept 3 hours. Some of my groups used to, but this current group Doesn't. Sleep. Ever.

Poor kiddos. Sounds like a hot mess!

[jenboo]

I have 14-30 months, currently.

I do lunch at 12:00, then the playground until 12:50 (allows them to burn off calories/have bm before nap ), clean up/diapers, with nap from 1:00-3:00 waking naturally.

Breakfast is at 8:00, morning snack at 10:00, so lunch any earlier would be too soon, here. If anyone needed an earlier nap, they can lay down after morning snack for up to an hour, easily.

I dont do a morning snack. I also find that if I give the toddlers a quick morning nap,, they don't sleep well in the afternoon and start crashing before pick up.

[jenboo]

We do nap/rest time from 12-2pm. The younger children get laid down at 11:30 and get up at 1:30

Do they have issues making it to pick up without getting overtired?

[jenboo]

I have 5 kids aged 14 months to 2.5 yrs. I do lunch at 12, naps around 12:30 - 3pm to give everyone a solid 2 hours if needed.

I am definitely finding many of them are ready earlier than that for nap and have also thought about moving the lunch and nap earlier.

I have one who is falling sleep at lunch most days. If I let her sleep at all in the morning, she doesn't take the long afternoon nap age needs and is miserable in the evening.

[Msdunny]

I do lunch between 11 and 11:30 - it usually depends on how playtime is going and if I seem to have hungry kids. I don't do a morning snack because I found they wouldn't eat their lunches, no matter how late I moved it. We then lay down for naps at 12:30 and sleep until 3.

[CountryRoads]

We are sitting down and eating lunch by 11:15 then down for nap by 12:00.

All my kids sleep until at least 2:30. I start turning on lights at 2:45 to wake up any kids that are still asleep and we have snack at 3:00.

[Jupadia]

My kids are all 12 months to almost years. We do am snack at 9am, lunch at 1130am afternoon snack at 3pm. Exception being at 330 if so some reason I do school pick up, its only my kids so 90% of time my in laws pick them up and drop off. The kids nap at about 12 for 2 hours.

I use to do 12 for lunch but a couple years back changed it when my son started school, that way when I have to do pick up everyone's awake and we can get to school on time at 3pm for dismissal. The extra time also helps if I have a kid who sleeps a bit more or for snow suites during winter.

[Valerie928]

I have all 3 and under. Lunch is a 12 and nap is 1-3. I won't nap them any longer when they are over 18 months here because majority of my parents try to put their kids to bed way too early because they don't want to parent.

[flying_babyb]

Center here: Our schedule is as fallows
Breakfast 9
diapers 10
On a good day we may be able to sneak in some art
outside 1030
lunch 11
1130-1150 diaper check, going down for that well needed nap
230 Dinner (yep a full dinner, just like lunch)
300 diaper check (cause ours ALL poop like clockwork the minute the meal is done.)
330 structured teacher led activities
400 Outside again (if its not pitch black out)
430 Diapers
5 music, momvement, other infant class gets sent to my room and i spend the next half hour saying "N DONT CLIMB THAT. Go climb the climber. Get off that chair. NO you cant bite the babies toe!"
530 Snack so I can clean the room, animal crackers or goldfish
6- Peace at last the kids go home.

[Msdunny]

Center here: Our schedule is as fallows
Breakfast 9
diapers 10
On a good day we may be able to sneak in some art
outside 1030
lunch 11
1130-1150 diaper check, going down for that well needed nap
230 Dinner (yep a full dinner, just like lunch)
300 diaper check (cause ours ALL poop like clockwork the minute the meal is done.)
330 structured teacher led activities
400 Outside again (if its not pitch black out)
430 Diapers
5 music, momvement, other infant class gets sent to my room and i spend the next half hour saying "N DONT CLIMB THAT. Go climb the climber. Get off that chair. NO you cant bite the babies toe!"
530 Snack so I can clean the room, animal crackers or goldfish
6- Peace at last the kids go home.

That's a lot of food each day. Do your kids not eat dinners with their parents at the end of the day?