Advice / Opinions please? (Childminder issue)

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yes all good in theory walking your child but if the cm has say 6 children and school bags /book bags/drawings/ect how can she hold her hand or if she has 3 toddlers its hard id sit a talk to her as she has to make sure it safe for all the children as well as respect parents wishes i have a little girl the same who i look after want to sleep at 3pm and when she is tiered she will just sit on the floor ,screem , paddy ect my cshool run is only 5 mins 2 but with 3 toddlers ,one 5 year old who has no road scence an 7 year old plus my kids 8, 10 and all the stuff it makes it hard good luck.

yes thats a good idea, though then the childminder has to store the trike at her house and also inpractical if she has a double buggy with a baby or whatever. What about a buggy board, though I have had kids fall asleep on both a buggy board and a trike when i used to mind

A more helpful point.

If the childminder thinks she is too tired to walk do you have a tricycle with a parent handle. Your daughter could sit in that, peddle (sp?) if she wanted to or be pushed.

All of you who say a 10 minute nap won't make any differnce haven't met my 3 year old. If she has a nap of 5 minutes in the car or two hours she still will not sleep till much later that night. I just accept it and if she has a nap, know she will have a late night.

I kind of think that an under three who is at nursery all day and then going to the childminder is having a very tiring day, and probably is over tired. A ten minute or even hours nap shouldnt make adifference in the evening and might even be a good thing. I think you just need to be a bit firmer at bed time and your probs will be solved!

When my ds went to nursery aged 6mo he napped on the cushions at the side of the room - he even spent 40mins of his 2hr trial period asleep whereas at home, if I was around, the only acceptable place to go to sleep was on my lap or in my arms (the buggy or occasionally the car seat was sometimes acceptable too). It wasn't until he was 10mo that I actually managed to get him to have a nap apart from me so, yes, they can be very different in different circumstances. But we have always found that if ds has had a reasonable nap in the afternoon he will go to sleep much more easily and probably earlier - if he is overtired it takes much longer to get him to bed.

my friends 7yr lies in bed shouting muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumy im thirsty/need a wee/not tired/cold/hungary etc

and has done for many years, may be the odd night she doesnt moan with mummy

yet NEVER does it with daddy if mummy is out with me

It could be over tiredness or maybe even an attetion thing. Is she better on the weekends/days she doesn't go to the CMer?

Agree with blondes I think a well rested child is able to cope with bedtime routine and settling down to sleep better than one that isover tired and unco-operative.

Oviously falling asleep later in the day can affect bedtimes but if she is falling asleep at 3 then a short nap shouldn't impact too much on a 7.30 bedtime. I remember reading somewhere in sleep being in 40 minute cycles so I would try letting her sleep for 40 mins, she should be easier to wake after this time and also wake up happier. Evenings are lighter now so a good run around in the park/garden after supper and before bedtime routine should help. I'd give it a go for a week and see what happens.

Maybe your dc is over tired and can't relax/settle herself

what's your bedtime routiine?

I'm a beleiver that sleep breeds sleep and those children who sleep a bit during the day sleep better at night

and often over tired children can't sleep till late then next day they are tired and same thing happens

it's a vicious circle

when you say she's awake what is she doing? Lying in her cot/bed chatting away?

oh no ! perhaps you need to rethink bedtime strategies?

I'd wonder if she wasn't sleeping for long enough - 10 minutes is a bit pointless, as takes the edge off but wouldn't rest her properly.

If she is tired then she should be allowed to nap, but for a proper length of time - minimum of 30 mins I'd say, then she'd have more energy to wear herself out before bedtime!

oooh nannynz..... been there done that.

I used to care for a child who apparently when she had a nap at mine, she would NEVER go to bed/sleep at home....apparently.

I tried the not allowing her to have a nap but to be honest she was a (and I am putting this politely) very challenging child and she became beyond horrendous by 4pm if she didn't have a nap.

So, rightly or wrongly I omitted to tell the parents that this child was having a sleep and strangely enough I never got anymore comments/demands about her not being tired enough to go to bed, (just about her 'acting up' behaviour towards mum and dad which they were well aware of (sorry I am digressing a little - this child and family are a whole saga in itself)) in actual fact I got feedback saying how much better she was sleeping!!! go figure!!!lol

It is not something that I do - fib or omit information to parents and I was not proud of that situation. its hard balancing the parents wishes with the childs needs.

I have a 22 month old who I have shortened her nap to 30 mins as Mum was having problems getting her to sleep at night. She falls asleep in the highchair very often but rarely sleeps in the day when at home. When I wake her up she cries every time and although I can deal with it I hate to do it and feel terrible everytime. Since she's moved to a bed even the 30min nap is apparently causing a problem but Mum has agreed for me to keep it as she will fall asleep on the way home and that will be later and therefore more detrimental to bedtime! I have seen many children behave differently with me than at home with the amount they sleep, what they'll eat etc so I can easily believe that your daughter is different with her childminder.

It can be difficult to know if someone is doing something because it suits them, I do know childminders who manipulate childrens sleep patterns to suit them, e.g. so all children sleep at the same time but if you trust her then hopefully you trust that she would not doing that.

As it's only 5mins I agree that a 3 year old should have no problems walking it but then it may not fit with other pick ups. It's very hard for childminders at times as you try to meet the needs of the parents but can only judge by how the children are while in your care and need to meet their needs as well.

Good luck

very true nannynz

i have told little white lies at times to ex employers, saying didnt have sleep when they did, and as you wrote if i said didnt have a sleep then went to bed easily, if i said had napped then next day the mum would say, xxx was up till 11pm etc

child napped every day - was i wrong to tell lies? i dont think so,child was happy as slept during the day, parents happy as slept at night

again i pp for 2weeks when dc was at school think 5/6yrs and child slept 7-7 (tho woke up at 5am and wanted to watch tv) and first 3 days i said go back to sleep till clock said 7, 4th day onwards i woke the child after 7am

teachers remarked how much more cheerful&attentive my charge was - this was because was having 3hrs sleep extra a night

as soon as parents back, then charge went to bed at 8pm onwards and up at 5am to watch tv, i told mb to tell dc to go back to bed and ban tv before breakie, but she didnt as 5yr screamed so i told her not to moan to me she was tired and personally i would ban tv till 8am when i arrived if not ready for school, ie dressed&breakfasted

sorry slight woffee/hijack

toddler years, maybe your child is playing you up as hasnt seen you all day, or just knows she can iyswim

try walking for a week and see what happens

also ALL day at nursery (9-3ish) is tiring and your dd is still 2, though nearly 3

my 4yr is shattered after being at nursery all day and needs either a catnap or chill out time infront of tv for 10mins

Get the CM to walk your child home...

I worked for a parent who wanted their 18 month old not to nap as they could not put her to bed at night until after 10pm.

I then had the child for two weeks sole charge - she was in bed by 7pm slept until after 7am and had two hours nap in avo.

It worked out that if I told mother she had napped in day the parents couldn't get her to sleep, but if I said she didn't nap they had no problem getting her to sleep. So for the it was the expectation of her not sleeping at night if she'd had sleep in day.

Maybe this could be happening with you. If you know she's had a sleep you think she's not going to go to bed at night therefor not being as forth right at getting her into bed in comparison to the days when she hasn't napped.

ah yy walk not buggy

as nursery is so close agree make child walk, may annoy cm, so give her the choice, car/buggy and no sleep or walk

tbh unless got other school pick ups if only 5mins walk then you/cm and child can walk it now that nice weather is coming