Frustrated with daycare unable to get boys to nap

I know my 11 month olds are not going to get naps like we can at home. At home they nap 9:30-11:30 and 3-4:30. But when they go to daycare they get like one 20 minute naps and they are there from 6:30 am to 4:30 pm (I hate that I have to keep them there due to my work schedule 7-4 pm).

I asked her to give them naps, and the afternoon is the most important. I have to get them to nap when I get home and wake them up by 5:30 or they wouldn't wake til 7 pm! I know they are active in the day there and its much harder to put babies to sleep in a day care. I wouldn't even totally mind it if she skipped the morning nap. :lazy: My one boy is sooooo grumpy and cries allllll evening when I have to wake him from his nap at 5:30. But he would cry if he didn't have it also.

Would it be so rude to really put my foot down and ask them to try to start winding them down around 2 pm? She says they fight it, which I don't doubt but after being up all day since 5:30 am I could probably do it if I walked in, but of course I can't. I just get 2-3 hours a day with my kids and I'd rather enjoy it reading books to them and/or playing with them, not trying to soothe them because they haven't slept all day.

Can you sense my frustration? :grr:

 

Eleven month olds need daytime sleep. Any daycare provider worth their weight should know that. Is there a separate place for them to take their nap? Away from activity of older kids? Is it a home day care or a center? In my experience, you have less chance changing things in a center and a decent shot at changing things with a private provider.

 

I agree - naps are essential at 11 months. You are right to be frustrated. For me, this is a health issue with kids that young and I would be very concerned. I would be willing to work with the daycare provider to transition them to one proper long midday nap (maybe 11.30 - 2.30) instead of morning and afternoon naps and I would be willing to discuss what what kin d of nap routine I do at home and if we need to make nap routines more similar at home and at daycare, but I would insist on them getting at least 2 hours of daytime sleep when they are at daycare 10 hours per day.
This is an issue over which I would consider looking for a new daycare solution if things do not change quickly.

For what it's worth: Where I live every caycare provider to kids under the age of 3 is required to provide a separate room for naps with a designated crib/bed/mattress for every child. This is part of the licensing and inspection requirements.
When all children are required to nap or spend quiet time on their mattress at the same time every day, it is usually easier for them to wind down.

 

What kind of daycare is it -- center or home-based? We used a center, and they had a separate room for naps, but it was still always a struggle. They couldn't let a child cry (or even fuss mildly for more than a minute) or she would wake up all the other kids. My kids took a lot of 20-minute naps and were basically always sleep-deprived until we transitioned to the toddler room. There it was MUCH better because all the kids napped at the same time. It was a rough transition at first, but at 11 months, you're probably almost there.

If it's a home daycare with kids of different ages, I don't know what the setup is, but I imagine it's even harder to get kids to nap when they need to.

I feel your pain of having them be fussy in the evening, which is the only time you get to spend with them. I don't mean to be a bummer, but I finally just decided that there was nothing I could do about the daycare napping situation except wait it out.

 

your probably right about waiting it out. its an actual day care center and they do have a toddler room that is separate. the preschoolers are on the other side in another room so that shouldn't be much of an issue. i let them sleep tonight till when they got up which was close to 6 pm. it helped a little. i gave baths cus that helps too. thankfully they still went to bed at their normal times.

 

Oh man - no naps for 11 months old must really stink. I think if I were you I'd ask that they start your boys on one nap a day. Put them down at 12 or 1 and allow them to sleep for two hours. I'm sure your boys fight the nap, but at 11 months, they really really really need it. Perhaps if the daycare didn't have to fight with them twice a day, they'd be more willing to make the nap work?

Good luck!