Childminder Clubs - Help re: NAPS

[HellyBelly]

I'm after some advice again please.....

My mindees naps are at different times of the day which is causing problems when wanting to go out. (My own ds (2½) hasn't had naps for ages but is a great sleeper at night. I'm trying to re-introduce an afternoon nap as I think he needs it with everything that's going on since becoming a childminder).

Mindee 1 (23 months) - requested by parent that he has his nap between 11 - 12.30

Mindee 2 (2½ yrs) - isn't ready for a sleep until after lunch

If I continue with this routine when the 2 mindees become more or less full time, the routine will be:

First mindee arrives 8.30am
Second mindee arrives 9am
9-11am: play/go out
11-12.30: Mindee 1 - Nap
Lunch
1.15-2.45: Mindee 2 - Nap
2.30pm - Mindee 1 - collected
3pm - School Run
5pm - School Mindee - collected
5.30pm - School Mindee - collected
6.30pm - Mindee 2 - collected

Doesn't really give much time for all to play at the same time (i.e. messy play) or attend groups/outings etc.

As I'll be having mindee 1 every day from October (was just 2 days), I don't think the mum will mind me changing the nap routine for him, so he goes after lunch. I've tried it today though, and am worried that because he was tired, that's why he didn't eat much lunch??? (not sure as never really eats that much anyway - he likes junk!)

Any experience in changing nap routines??? Does it settle down and work well after a while??

Not sure really what I want people to say, just some advice would be nice

Hi Katymac - you know I'm new to all this and only just got full enough to need to worry. Do you really think they would actually go to sleep on a mattress etc. Did think about this but then was worried they'd start playing as it's a room they don't really play in normally. I could try that, read them a story all in the room and see what happens. It's just I have a ds that is such a monkey, he'd never just stay on it unless he was actually asleep. It's been hard enough just getting him to nap again. I reckon the female mindee is much more likely to stay on it, she's very good like that. Will give it some serious thought!!

Many Thanks

I'm just impressed you are going back to lunchtime naps again though. My DD is also 2.5 and I find on the days she does nap - about once or twice a week, I can't get her back to bed in the evening as she is too full of beans. So at present I'm ploughing through the late afternoon grumps.
As to changing a little one's nap time. I have found that when the children are with me, to an extent it happens naturally. I tend to go out and about in the mornings as that is when playgroups are on around here, and if a child falls asleep in a buggy then fair enough, but more often than not I find that they have decided that they are enjoying what they are doing too much and stay awake all morning. If you can get lunch into them reasonably early ie 12 and they nap afterwards you still have time to fit the nap in - just and the parent should still find that the child is tired again by bedtime. I found that if they woke later than 3.30-4.00 then a 7 o'clock bedtime would be a problem. But you are not proposing this. I guess the only problem wuld be if the parent expected the mindee to have a second nap later for her.
I also found that neither of my children and some of those I minded were tired by lunch and didn't eat too well so I always make sure that tea is a big cooked meal and they all eat much more at this meal. If they are hungry after an afternoon nap they coauld always have fruit to tide them over to dinner.
The only time I had problems was when I was collecting DS from nursery at 11.30 and one mindee kept falling asleep in the pushchair on the way back for lunch. It was completely impossible to wake her, and one day a week she was collected at 1.30 often not having had lunch . I was supposed to wake her on this day, but sometimes it was totally impossible to do.
But the parents would much rather that I went out and did activities with the children, provided that they do get enough sleep one way or another.
They don't seem to be worried about a slight change to the ruotine at all

Well alison222, I'm not doing too well today with ds having an afternoon nap!! I put him and mindee in their beds at around 1.30(ish) and ds is still wide awake making noises! Luckily, mindee is sleeping through his racket!! Sometimes he seems to need a nap and other times, he's just not tired. I had a feeling he wouldn't sleep today as he didn't look tired enough. Should I bother worrying and trying to get him to nap or should I just forget it????!! HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPP!

I'm also finding it really hard to get the nap to be when I want. The local toddler groups finish at 12 o'clock and I have to get home, make lunches, get them to eat it and then to bed. Today I left toddlers at 11.50pm so I could get back and sort lunch. Made lunch, washed their hands, sat them at table and they were given lunch at around 12.30pm. Female mindee takes about an hour to eat and that's not including pudding. Really need to sort this out somehow. I reckon I should leave toddlers at 11.30 from now on so that I have time to get back and put lunch on the table for 12 o'clock and try and get nap time to be 1pm (as they take a while to go to sleep!)

Sure it will all get better from next week as all the new permanent (well, until one leaves!) arrangements start. It's hard when the days/times keep changing, as they are at the moment.

Oh great, ds crying out now I WANT MY HOUR BREAK!!!!!!!

Mindee asleep. DD snuggled up watching care bears dvd. She is shattered and in need of nap, but bad mum keeping her awake so she goes to bed tonight.
Means a grumpy tea-time probably though.
I too left toddlers group at 11.30 to walk home so they could eat just after 12. This meant pitta bread, cheese, salad etc though as no time to cook. Have just made shepherds pie while mindee asleep with 2.5 year old helper - munches on raw carrots and watches.
What is an hour break BTW????
however have had coffee and snuck on here for 10 mins while care bears on . but got to go now and make sure she stays awake.

Not easy either way though

IME it's well worth leaving Toddlers at 11.30 ready for lunch at 12 and bed by 1 .

Would you believe ds has finally gone to sleep and I need to wake them up in about 10 mins!!! Typical!

As for the hour break, never had it (apart from a couple of times after this thread started), just liked the sound of having some peace whilst I eat my lunch!!

Don't you just love children

I did get an hour occasionally though.
As to eating lunch, I have given in and now eat mine with the children, and try to eat much the same, whether it does help with table manners in the long run is debateable sometimes when I watch them but......

I'm a bad bad childminder.

I stay to the bitter end at our morning activity group, feed mindees whatever it is parents have supplied (I'm a naughty naughty childminder who does not want to provide food because I know they won't eat what I eat!!)

And if any children have any naps, it coincides with school runs.

This doesn't look good, bad bad childminder, think I will report myself to OFSTED tomorrow

(I would like to add that parents do know all this!)