"Scheduling" Naps...

[NiftyNanny]

Hi,
I've been asked to come up with a "typical timetable" for a childminding day - for a piece of course work.

How would you go about allowing nap times for a 6 month old?

Should I allow for "during this time the baby will be encouraged to sleep for up to 1.5 hours" as obviously it will be different from child to child and perhaps the parents wishes.

I'm not sure what they want me to write, as in the nursery room I worked in, the 6 month old would get sleepy and drop off in the afternoon in a bouncer, but they might want me to show that I'm scheduling a time for a baby to be put in a quiet room to sleep.

There's also supposed to be a 2 year old who'll nap as well, so I'd expect to put them in a quiet/sleep room for a while in the afternoon, so it's more the morning schedule I'm worried out.

I just think it's a bit daft to ask me to timetable for:

6 months
2 1/2
4 year old dropped off and picked up at nursery 9.30 - 12.30
6, 8 and 10 year olds to be dropped and collected from local schools

Surely no CM would care for this spread!

Definitely a schedule, how else could you cope and do the school runs?

I think the 6 month old would nap in the morning just after arriving (earlyish -- say 8:00). Then the 2 1/2 and the six month old would both fall asleep in the double pram on my way back from the school run to get the 4 month old 12:30 (so they eat lunch before I left on the school run).

I do actually think you could have this spread of ages, especially with syblings involved.

I'm working in a spreadsheet with time slots in rows and each child in the columns!

I am a bit loathe to write that I will give them a nap or rest in the pushchair although that was the first thing I thought would happen.... but would it be "enough"?

Good point about sibl ings.

You probably shouldn't listen to me. My rules on parenting are far more relaxed that ofsted when it comes to safety and my standards are probably higher and lower in varying areas on nutrition.

For example, don't really care if you dilute the juice for a two year old, but might have a fit if you you give my kid nutrasweet. Oh and forage frais is not a helthy source of calcium, but cow's milk is.

I would schedule in a nap for 6 m/o in the morning and both of them to sleep in the afternoon after lunch, but put an asterix next to the scheduled time to state that this would depend on child/parent etc.

Currently the 4 month & 6 month old I care for have naps on demand in a cot in a quiet room, as do the 11m to 2.5 yr olds who have set naps that their parents dictate (usually 1 in am child not to be woken, 1 in pm, mum prefers child to be awake by 3)

2.5yr up sleep if they ask for it & I put them in a quiet room

My 3 & 4 year olds attend nursery either 9:15 to 11:45 OR 12:45 TO 3:00 (Try fitting 2 nursery runs and lunch into that hour)

My reception age doesn't nap after school - but last years did

Currently that is all up to 10 yo who def doesn't nap

Oh I do school run for 6 yo am - he doesn't nap either

BTW although I do Childminding on a big scale those ages are within a normal range for a childminder working alone possibly with another in the age 5-8

I'm big on schedules anyway, so I like to have scheduled naps.

Maybe 6 month old would nap after 4 year old is dropped at nursery - 9.45-10.30.

Then 6 month old and 2.5 year old would both nap after 4yo is picked up but before afternoon school run, so 1pm-2.30pm approx.

OK 12 month old naps on school run 8.30
13 month has just given up morning naps.
21 month old doesnt nap mornings.

12.00 pick up 4 year old from Reception till after Christmas.

Lunch at 12.15, in bed for all three by 12.45

12 month will sleep till 1.45
13 month will sleep till 2.45
21 month old will sleep till 1.15

12 month old will often nap for ten minutes on afternoon run at 3.00

Obviously the amount they sleep is approx.

I also have at the 3.00 pick up, a 5 year old and a 9 year old.

OK

Technically according to "Birth to Three" children should be allowed to nap as and when they like, with no regard to any schedule

How practical

Thanks for all the ideas!
I am usually quite good with stuff like that, but have never really seen a baby in a setting other than a nursery where you're not moving around for pick ups and so on.

So... I think I'll put it after drop offs rather than just after arrivals and let them have another one in the afternoon.

Now to stop being lazy and type it up!

KatyMac when you say "on demand" - do you just take them through when they start going woozy?

Basically - but after a few weeks or so you know the signs and anticipate it. It works really well and the children get in to their own routine very easily

Just like you know when they want a bottle

But the problem always comes when the parent says "I want to change their schedule" it all falls apart then