Share Your Nap Routine

[newtodaycare22]

My nap time has been declining lately, as some of my 3-4 year olds get out of the habit of naps. Here is what they do now:

Get down from the lunch table. Take out their mat and 2-3 books. Lay down to read for 10 minutes and then they must try to close their eyes.

Books are becoming excessive now and they are sneaking toys to the nap, which I hate because there simply isn't a room to use without toys accessible.

Does anyone not let their kids have books, even if they don't sleep? It seems mean, but the mess and non-sleeping is killing me

[Cat Herder]

Books at naptime are only for those who have already had their full nap and are waiting for everyone else to wake up, here.

[newtodaycare22]

Books at naptime are only for those who have already had their full nap and are waiting for everyone else to wake up, here.

I would LOVE to do that. But...I have at least 1-2 kids a day who honestly do not sleep at all (3 year olds). They lay quiet for 1.5 hours and that just seems mean to make them lay there without at least a book I am completely amazed by how they don't fall asleep with how quiet they are. I would !::

[Zoe]

I have two rooms that I use for nap/quiet time. The nappers go in one room and actually nap. They don't get any books or toys, just a pillow and blanket on a mat or bed. I have 2 5yo girls, one being my daughter. They go in my DD's room and lay down for 30 minutes. They are allowed 3 books and can watch a video. When the 30 minutes is up, I let them play quietly until nap/quiet time is over.

This is very convenient for me as I have 2 rooms. I don't know what I will do next year when my DD is at kindergarten.

If you want to give your older kids books, I think that's fine, but do a quick check of any toys and take them away asap. If it's going to take away from the point of nap/quiet time, then they shouldn't have them.

[laundrymom]

We eat lunch, change diapers, and lay down on cots with blankets
Everyone here naps from 1-230/3. I check email, read, whatever until naps over. In within sight and sound at all times.

[SilverSabre25]

Separate nap room here...eat lunch, change diapers/potty, lay down, white noise on, lights off, door shut. Most days, everyone naps a good two hours. Some days more, some days much less. 2-3 yos.

[cheerfuldom]

I wouldn't allow the toys or books. Do you put on any music? I would also cover any accessible toy areas with sheets. It takes an extra minute to cover everything but the kids will learn that this is sign for no toys. They do this a lot at Waldorf schools to keep kids focused on a particular activity.

[newtodaycare22]

I wouldn't allow the toys or books. Do you put on any music? I would also cover any accessible toy areas with sheets. It takes an extra minute to cover everything but the kids will learn that this is sign for no toys. They do this a lot at Waldorf schools to keep kids focused on a particular activity.

Covering the toys is a good idea.I do put on classical music. That helps some of the pass out, but some of them are still wide awake. Maybe I'll invest in some sheets to cover the toys. I think that will help!

[Blackcat31]

My dck's all get down from the lunch table,
go to the bathroom,
wash their hands,
brush their teeth and then
get a mat/cot and pillow.

They all have a designated spot on the living room floor where they put their mats/cots and pillows. Then I put on a CD of audio books and no one moves off their mat/cot until nap time is over at 2:00.

Sleep, don't sleep, daydream, talk to yourself inside your head, listen to the story or just lie still, I really don't care which but rest time is rest time and there is no special requests or exclusions made in that area.

EVERYONE rests. period.

FTR; these kids are all age 13 months to 4.5 years old. My 13 month old is a new cot/mat rester and has been a star pupil since the 2nd day we tried it which was about 4 weeks ago!

[nannyde]

eat lunch at eleven
play toys and poop
change diapers
put all of them to bed at 12-12:15
turn out lights
shut door and get them back up 2.5 hours later

[Symphony]

We eat lunch, they free play for about 30 minutes while I clean up the kitchen and change diapers. I turn on the white noise CD and everyone gets in their bed. My own boys who are home will stay up with me for another 20 minutes so we get some time with just each other.

That is MWF

Tuesday and Thursday, the older girls (three 5year olds) are allowed to stay up so long as they stay in the one play room. The room closes off with large glass french doors so I can see them, but we can't hear them. There has only been one time when they have had to come take a nap and it was right around christmas time.

I am SUPER strict about staying in your bed and no playing with toys. Big no no. I do tell the older girls I will check on them in one hour and if they are awake I will get them, but they never have been.

My kids are 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, and 1.

[Meeko]

Clean up toys
Eat lunch 11:30 - 12
Put down blankets
Listen to story or watch a quiet, short video.
White noise machine on and lights out at 1PM.
Everyone sleeps until 3PM, when I get them up to potty and snack.

[nannyde]

Does anyone not let their kids have books, even if they don't sleep? It seems mean, but the mess and non-sleeping is killing me

I don't allow anything during nap. I only provide care to children who need a full afternoon nap.

I don't associate books with ANYTHING sleep related. I know a lot of providers use books for before nap or the THING kids can do instead of nap but I have found that the kids don't have that much care for looking at books. They would rather get up and would rather just play. Books don't mean anything more to them than one toy would.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

My nap time has been declining lately, as some of my 3-4 year olds get out of the habit of naps. Here is what they do now:

Get down from the lunch table. Take out their mat and 2-3 books. Lay down to read for 10 minutes and then they must try to close their eyes.

Books are becoming excessive now and they are sneaking toys to the nap, which I hate because there simply isn't a room to use without toys accessible.

Does anyone not let their kids have books, even if they don't sleep? It seems mean, but the mess and non-sleeping is killing me

Got tired of the mess too. Now I don't give that few minutes to read or look at books. It's straight to potty and then cots. If they don't fall asleep they lay quietly until nap is over. I don't allow anything during naps. If even one child woke up and found little Jane reading or some other quiet activity, they would make themselves stay awake from then on so they could play or read also. Plus once they have anything at all to do, then comes the noise. They get tired of that book, have to get up to get another (or ask me for one), get a puzzle maybe, soon they're bored of that puzzle and need something else. Pretty soon you're spending the whole nap time entertaining one child and they're getting one on one attention which is WAAAY worth making themselves stay awake for every single day. If I only gave a couple quiet activities (like one book and one puzzle), they'd be bored with it after the first 5 or 10 minutes and then right back where they would have been to start with, with nothing to do but lay there. But of course since they've been given something to do, they won't be satisfied to just lay quietly after that. At least that's how it goes here... We don't have a seperate nap room either and everyone sleeps in the same room together. So if one makes just a little too much noise, everyone wakes up. If a parent come early (during nap), the others get woken up. But really, all of our consistant schedule children go to sleep and don't want to get up when it's time! The only time someone doesn't go to sleep, most of the time, is when they aren't used to staying at daycare during nap time.

[nannyde]

I don't allow anything during naps. If even one child woke up and found little Jane reading or some other quiet activity, they would make themselves stay awake from then on so they could play or read also. Plus once they have anything at all to do, then comes the noise. They get tired of that book, have to get up to get another (or ask me for one), get a puzzle maybe, soon they're bored of that puzzle and need something else. Pretty soon you're spending the whole nap time entertaining one child and they're getting one on one attention which is WAAAY worth making themselves stay awake for every single day. If I only gave a couple quiet activities (like one book and one puzzle), they'd be bored with it after the first 5 or 10 minutes and then right back where they would have been to start with, with nothing to do but lay there. But of course since they've been given something to do, they won't be satisfied to just lay quietly after that.

See above

My work here is done