Nap Time

[gumdrops]

I have 2.5 yr old and mom wants me to shorten nap. We nap for 2.5 hrs and rarely does anyone wake up before I get them up. DCM complains that 2.5 yo won't go to bed until 11:00 or she gets up for 2 hrs in the middle of the night.

I agreed to shorten nap to 2 hrs, but she is not ready to get up.

How do you handle this? I am giving too long of a nap?

[Ac114]

Say ok and then don’t. Watch the bedtime problems magically disappear. I don’t shorten nap times for parents that want to have an easier night. I am with them 11 hrs a day. Nap time is set for a variety of reasons, including my mental health.

[Gemma]

I don't allow parents to manipulate my program.

[Cat Herder]

I tell parents to be sure to give their kids plenty of physical exercise after dinner to burn off the calories consumed and to follow a bedtime routine.

Naptime is not negotiable.

[rosieteddy]

how late do they get up?Maybe put them down earlier up no later than 3 pm.Then I would just tell parent you will "try".Or that you will wake them up first.

[gumdrops]

how late do they get up?Maybe put them down earlier up no later than 3 pm.Then I would just tell parent you will "try".Or that you will wake them up first.

I wake them up at 3:00. I don't know why any 2.5 yo would be up for 2 hours in the middle of the night, after having slept for an hour or two. I feel like I'm not getting the full story.

[Ariana]

I say “everyone has to lie down for rest time and it is up to them if they fall asleep or not. I don’t force kids to nap and if they fall asleep I do not wake them. If a child does not sleep they look at books quietly on their beds”. I have had parents tell me to drop naps and then post pictures online of their kids falling asleep in the car or in front of the tv. So napping is perfectly fine on their watch

At this age my own kids got one hour of quiet time and when they dropped their nap they lay quietly for an hour but did not sleep. Also if they fell asleep for an hour they went to bed an hour later, they weren’t up all night!! Parents seem to think they fall asleep out of boredom or just because they are lying down. The problems at home have nothing to do with me!

[Ariana]

I wake them up at 3:00. I don't know why any 2.5 yo would be up for 2 hours in the middle of the night, after having slept for an hour or two. I feel like I'm not getting the full story.

In my experience it is parents who give their kids the option and have no rules at home. The kids manipulate then all night long. Put your child to bed and leave the room.

[rosieteddy]

If they are up by 3 parent is doing something wrong.Maybe they are putting the child down right after dinner .No playtime or parent time.Smile and say sorry everyone is up at 3 .

[LittleExplorers]

I tell parents to be sure to give their kids plenty of physical exercise after dinner to burn off the calories consumed and to follow a bedtime routine.

Naptime is not negotiable.

This! I tell them if the child is sleeping, they need their rest. Ask them what their routine looks like. Do they have one? Do they go outside to play after daycare or plop the child in front of a screen? Do they feed them healthy meals or sugary snacks. Etc If they outgrow rest time/nap, they outgrow my program.

[Valerie928]

Say ok and then don’t. Watch the bedtime problems magically disappear. I don’t shorten nap times for parents that want to have an easier night. I am with them 11 hrs a day. Nap time is set for a variety of reasons, including my mental health.

This is how I do it. I just tell the parents what they want to hear in regards to naps. I never let them sleep past 3.