more than 2 hours sleep is "unhealthy"

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

A nursery nurse who weighed my DS1 2:9 years a few months ago, returned today as his weight was static. I mentioned he sleeps 3 and a bit hours most afternoons.

She was shocked and said this was really unhealthy and the reason he had a poor interest in food.

His weight had gone up so I wasn't worried but I felt a bit bad as this is my only quality time with my new baby and I would hate to lose this just yet and wake a very grumpy 2 year old.

Was she BU? Or am I?

Both my DSs (2.3 and 1.0) sleep 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon - DS1 will sleep over 3 hours sometimes then cheerfully sleep 12 hours at night (DS2 won't though before anyone gets jealous). It's bliss.

They're both very happy, bright, active little chaps the rest of the time .

Ignore the silly cow.

Thanks ladies, she is lovely but a bit overload.....she was here for over 2 hours and my DS kept saying "goodbye cheerio"

she was at YOUR house

omg

what a waste of 2hrs for you

DS1 used to have long naps. He never has a poor interest in food. He would go for a nap at 1pm, and if he was still asleep at 4 I would wake him. He'd go to bed at 7pm ish and would wake early, but it suited him. Everyone's different.

She's a nursery nurse. She's not your child's mother. Does he even know who Santa is at this time of year?

Why is a nursery nurse coming to your house? Is the health visitor service in your neck of the woods so crap they don't even bother sending out people with proper training any more? (Mind you, some of the stuff HVs dole out isn't any better...)

Ignore the daft mare and just hope anyone else subject to her idiot 'advice' has the sense to ask other people for their opinions too!

edam, around here nursery nurses are sent out to houses, etc, to do developmental checks. I guess they are about 10K a year cheaper than HVs.

Blimey, she sounds far too interfering. No-one knows your child better than you! You sound like you're doing fine.

The nusery nurse doesn't know what she is talking about. Some nearly 3 year olds still like a long nap like your DS others have grown out of them by the time they are 2. Your DS sounds like he is doing fine and that he needs that amount of sleep.
Also you have a new baby so it's the completly wrong time to try and potty train him unless he is asking to use potty/toilet.

So just ignore her and get on with what you are doing.

Well, that shows the danger of cutting corners by using unqualified untrained people to do a job that should be reserved for professionals. Wonder how much harm the use of nursery nurses is doing?

edam, how do you know the nursery nurse is unqualified and untrained?
Some nursery nurses have degrees you know.

but they ain't health visitors, they aren't regulated by statute and they don't have to have degrees let alone post-graduate training. And clearly this one speaks bollocks. To be fair there are HVs who speak bollocks too, but at least they can be struck off if they do real harm.

(Nursery staff may well be qualified and trained to be nursery workers but they are NOT healthcare professionals and the use of the word 'nurse' here is misleading. They ain't nurses.)

Why are you getting your 3yr old weighed anyway? As long as they are happy and healthy then that is all that matters.

I say keep the 3 hour nap and dump the nursery nurse.

When I am working out I try to sleep at least 12 hours a day, this usually involves a big nap in the afternoon (if I can swing it obviously!).

Sleep v. good for you, especially for a growing body/brain.

My DS sleeps for 4 hours every afternoon, and he is 2.4. I do worry soemtime sthat its not "normal", but he obvioulsy needs it.

at maduggar.

"Nursery nurses" should have sufficient knowledge to carry out a 2 year/3 year check. But yes the title nursery nurse is misleading, very left over from Victorian times, I think. Having a BTEC in Childcare doesn't quite have the same ring to it, though.

He needs sleep to grow and learn, unless he sleeps all day (and all night) and has no physical activity, he is fine and he probably needs it. It is actually very healthy for him to have a nap.

Thanks all. He is in bed as I type!
She weighed him as at his 2 year check his weight was static, but its now fine so hopefully she will only come once more next month then leave us to it. Fingers crossed!

from 4 to 5 DD1 didn't put any weight at all, but still growing not skinny either, she back on her curves again, getting a bit chubby actually. And it was still within normal (went from little above the curve to a little under it). the curves are a normalisation of a lot of children I think that one child grow more by plateaux.

My 19 month old sleeps most days for 3 hours in the afternoon and then for 11-12 hours each night. I see this as a blessing, his 6 year old sister is a terrible sleeper, and i am exhausted by her. As long as they are alert, and healthy and happy when they are awake, whats the worry.