AIBU to think it's ridiculous that so many toddler events are 1-3pm?

[MRex]

I've just been looking up some afternoon activities. The local children's centres have multiple events targeted at toddlers that I'd love to go to, but they're all 1-3pm. Then there's a local imaginary play, gym classes and forest play, that all have their only afternoon classes starting at 1pm. All these classes are advertising because their morning sessions are full, but the afternoons aren't. Most of the children I know nap sometime between 11.30 and 3, surely most under-3s do, and any nap time will not be over by 1pm minus whatever lunch, getting ready and travel time so realistically 12/12.30? Not everybody has a school run, and those who do surely still have their toddlers napping anyway. AIBU to wonder why so many toddler events are at times that don't suit actual toddlers?

Would of been a perfect time for me. Nap at 11 awake at 12-12.15 quick dinner and then go to the activity. All mine stopped napping at around 2.

I agree. Lunch here for 1 year old actually is 12.30 and afternoon nap 1.30-3.

In fact he naps at 8.30-10 used to be till 11 so morning things were out of bounds too !

Mine sleeps 10:30 til 12ish, so I'd LOVE afternoon activities. Where we are, everything is 10-11:30, so we miss out.

There will never be a time suitable for all. For many that would fit in well especially if around school runs and things.

I used to work for a children's centre. I agree morning sessions were always more popular, but afternoon sessions are tricky to manage time wise.
No time suits everyone. 2-4 runs over school pick up, and no everyone doesn't have a school pick up, but it automatically rules out a lot who do. 1-3 tends to fit with both school pick up and also nursery drop off/pick up times, so will work for the majority of other commitments (nap times aside). In my experience, baby sessions (under 18mths) tend to be put in the mornings, to accommodate nap times, many older than 2 are dropping naps anyway, so it's not such an issue.

Dc1 dropped naps entirely at around 13 months. Dc2 is just hanging on to a nap at the moment but I can't see it lasting much longer, she's 19 months at the minute. If for whatever reason, I can't put her down in her bed, she'll stay awake all day with zero issues.

Of my friends, I don't know anyone whose 2-3 year olds still nap. Around here we have similarly timed activities and they seem to work fine. I imagine it really varies on the individual children.

Both mine stopped napping by 18minths. 1-3 was perfect. In fact those sessions were just as busy as morning ones.

It's not just the mums having school run, it's the staff and facilities aswell.

Mine dropped all naps at 18 months so it would have been handy to fill the day

Morning sessions are always more popular for a reason. Afternoons are usually taken up by naps and also school run if you have older DC.

Both of mine stopped napping around their second birthdays. Dd2 hardly napped before then either.

Yeah I find that annoying, it's exactly when my daughter naps.

Mine carried on napping 2 hours a day 1-3pm right until they were four!! On preschool nursery days the nursery workers used to report they'd often fallen asleep head on their paintings !!
I worried they'd fall asleep in the classroom when they started School!
However we still went to afternoon groups on one of my days off with my getting them down late morning for a shorter sleep.

Thing is someone would never be happy with whatever time they said.

That time is perfect for my dc 🤷🏻‍♀️

Would have been perfect for me: nap over by lunchtime.

I agree completely. My 3 yr old goes to nursery in mornings but even when she didn't she would awake from her nap around 2:30 so we could never attend any of the more interesting toddler groups.

Some kids sleep in the morning, some kids in the afternoon. The 1-3 suits those who sleep in the morning. If you want to do morning activities then you need to sign up before it gets full.

I think it’s the perfect time, hence why so many activities are 1-3

The one dd loves the most is 1 till 2 30.
She's too grumpy in the morning likes to chill a bit with toys . Which works as I get stuff done.. Dinner prepped housework etc.
Eat lunch and go.
Then straight to school run.
Home wash uniforms etc and cook bath and bed.

We struggle to get anywhere for a 9.30..

DS goes down for a nap at 2:30/3 (and at 9:30....) so he'd just nap after, mornings are worse he gets up around eight at the moment has breakfast, plays for a little while then goes back to bed until eleven thirty and if he doesn't have lunch by twelve I'm for it. He's bloody ravenous.

It may well be that the people running it have older kids at school, so they're only available up until school run time.

My youngest stopped napping at a year old so we went to sessions at that time.

There aren’t many afternoon things for under 3s at all really round here as I think companies recognise toddlers nap and then people have the school run. What I struggle with more now is a lot of activities for 3-4 year olds seem to be in the afternoon during the week which would be fine if my child was a singleton but is a bit of a pain with the baby in toe. It’s also a pain that everything seems to be on Saturday morning so there are a million things she’d like to do which all clash. You basically can’t win them all but hopefully you’ll find something to suit you even if you need to compromise a bit.

You still have a children's Centre? Lucky you! Ours shut a couple of years ago.

Sounds perfect to me, there isn't a single preschool activity at these times where I live and the afternoon can be sooo long on a rainy day!!

I agree. Round here, things are either early (9.30ish) which is too early for us, or about 1pm. I know it wouldn't work for many, but what I'd give for a 4pm group, especially in the dark early evening when a late trip to the park is less viable
What we really need is a range of times, and not all the classes to choose the same slots.