DD hasn't napped at daycare in quite some time (she is 2.5 yo now). Some other kids her age still sleep for 2-3 hours so I think she has been getting really bored during nap time and creating a fuss. I think one of her teachers is going to call me tomorrow to discuss this so I'm curious to hear what they will propose. Just wondering if any parents or teachers have come across this before? How do you keep the non-napper occupied and away from other kids in a small space? I know on some days, when they have extra staff, someone can take her to the playground but they can't do that every day.
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At our pre-school the non-nappers are in a different class entirely or taken to that class during nap time, but it is also because they are 4-5 yr old. My four year old still needs her nap. This is very interesting that your DD no longer naps... Does she nap on weekends or at home?
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@T-Mom: yeah, there's no place to take her really. She just has to stay there. She rarely ever naps at home, too. Kid just isn't tired AT ALL! I need some of her energy.
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Is she at a home daycare? Do they have different rooms?
Not quite the same thing, but DS naps on demand, so he isn't always asleep during the afternoon nap time. All of the toddlers/preschoolers nap in the living room, so one of his teachers will take him into the kitchen for some one-on-one play time. They try to do quiet play with him so he doesn't wake the other kids, like reading books. Since your DD is older, can they do art/crafts with her during that time to keep her quiet?
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@Honeybee: no, it's a center so it's just one big toddler room that they do everything in. they do arts/crafts, read books, have her help the teachers, etc. during nap time. but nap time is 2-3 hours and she is still in the same room with all the other kids so I guess it's easy for her to bug them. i'm still waiting for them to call me today ....
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@Andrea: Hmmm, I mean it makes sense that they would want some uninterrupted time during naps do take a break, get stuff done, etc..., but I know my DD isn't capable of spending more than 15 minutes (up to 30) in independent time... Can she go to the older classroom for nap time each day?
I don't know your feelings on tv watching, but I know I saw an epsiode of Supernanny where Jo encouraged the parents to have their 3 year old non-nappers watch a movie for 1 hour during the their siblings' nap time every day. It kept the kids quiet/resting, and gave the parents an hour break every day.
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@Honeybee: They still nap in the older/pre-school classroom and I don't think she can just go in there because they need to keep to the required student teacher ratios. Unfortunately or fortunately, they don't have a TV at daycare.
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At my daycare they tell all the 2-3 years olds to lie down and "rest" during naptime even if they arent sleepy, and usually they all do fall asleep in the end
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wow what a sticky situation. I mean they can't blame you or be upset that she just doesn't nap... you would think they should have a separate room she can play. Idk how any kid would get sleep with another child awake in the room!
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@Andrea: Hopefully they have a better solution! Did you talk to them yet? I'm kind of curious about how this all works out.
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@Mrsbells: DD just isn't tired so unfortunately that doesn't work. She is still full of energy at the end of the day when I go to pick her up.
@Coco Bee: They better not blame me/be upset! I pay them way too much money and they are just gonna have to deal with her non-napping ways....
@Honeybee: No, I'm a bit annoyed that the teacher didn't call me today. She was gone by the time I did pick-up so I told another teacher that they need to call me tomorrow.
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@Honeybee: Their plan is to make her a special box of toys and books that will only be for her and will only be available during nap time. She can't go into the older kids' room and there isn't always staffing available to take her outside, as I had suspected.
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At the daycare I work with, we try to have "nap boxes" for the kids who don't nap. If that doesn't work we try to find other solutions, but it can be hard since nap time is when staff usually take their breaks and the ratios change for kids during nap time. Some of the classrooms have a couple different nap boxes that are themed, like art, puzzles, etc. The staff in the room usually sits with the child who isn't sleeping and can interact, play, and read with them. Hopefully the teachers can work with her and understand that she just isn't sleepy and find a way to make it work!
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@creativemomma15: Oh good, so it sounds like this is a method that works at your daycare with the "nap boxes".
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at our preschool, if they don't want to nap during the designated naptime, there is a rule that they can do whatever they want as long as they stay within the confines of the mattress - so i see some of the kids just laying there flipping through books while the others nap.
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Yes, it definitely works for us!
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@Mrs. High Heels: I wonder how they get kids to actually stay on the mat? My daycare doesn't seem to be able to get DD to do that.
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@Andrea: Oh that's a good solution! I like the idea of a "nap box." That might be something we implement for DD when she drops her afternoon nap.
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