How long is naptime/rest time for your 4 year old at preschool?

[Anonymous]

Nap time is not required by law.
Daycares do long nap times to get breaks to the detriment of those of us with 4 and 5 year olds that now have them awake until 10pm at night. It’s the reason we pulled our 4yo out of daycare.
The preschool we found ran from 9-2 every day with a 20 min rest after lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:4 yr old definitely needs a nap. At least 1 hr. They are very tired at school as the year progresses, and need time to rest their bodies/unwind.

Not true.
At 4 my kid was in bed at 7pm and slept until 7/730 most mornings. She was very active during the day and slept well at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think downtime is good for kids. A period of 30 minutes or so to see if they fall asleep, and then another 30-60 minutes of play quietly (read books, don’t get off your cot). I know the kid might not be sleepy but daycare settings are so stimulating I think it’s good for kids to have quiet time to … expand their imaginations, have independent play with basic toys, or just a load of books,
Daydream etc.

60 mins to look at books when you can’t read and have the attention span of a squirrel is too long. The kid ends up falling asleep out of boredom and the cycle continues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In VA, the required rest time for child day centers is 60 minutes. After the first 30 minutes, children who are not sleeping can play quietly or do some other quiet activity (http://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/licensing/cdc/intro_page/code_regulations/regulations/standards.pdf).

Be glad it's only 50 minutes...we were at a place that had a 2-hour rest period for all kids, regardless of age and whether they actually napped.

+1. This is our reality right now in a full-day program in VA, then she isn't tired for bedtime.

Your bedtime should be based on when she’s tired not the opposite. Kids need time with parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think downtime is good for kids. A period of 30 minutes or so to see if they fall asleep, and then another 30-60 minutes of play quietly (read books, don’t get off your cot). I know the kid might not be sleepy but daycare settings are so stimulating I think it’s good for kids to have quiet time to … expand their imaginations, have independent play with basic toys, or just a load of books,
Daydream etc.

60 mins to look at books when you can’t read and have the attention span of a squirrel is too long. The kid ends up falling asleep out of boredom and the cycle continues.

Maybe you should try that technique for bedtime at home.

[Anonymous]

You guys are crazy. Our 4 year old definitely still needs to nap for at least an hour. At home, she'll nap for 2+ hours and still be ready for bed by 7:30pm. Growing brains need sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are crazy. Our 4 year old definitely still needs to nap for at least an hour. At home, she'll nap for 2+ hours and still be ready for bed by 7:30pm. Growing brains need sleep.

I have three kids and they all had different sleep needs. One napped even in kindergarten, one stopped napping by 3 and is my happiest/easiest kid. There is not a one-size fits all to napping

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are crazy. Our 4 year old definitely still needs to nap for at least an hour. At home, she'll nap for 2+ hours and still be ready for bed by 7:30pm. Growing brains need sleep.

You have a high sleep needs child. Your 4 year old sleeps more than my 14 month old. She only sleeps 12.5 hour total a day. If her nap is 3 hours she sleeps 9.5 bedtime. 2 hour nap, 10.5 hours overnight. etc etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nap time is not required by law.
Daycares do long nap times to get breaks to the detriment of those of us with 4 and 5 year olds that now have them awake until 10pm at night. It’s the reason we pulled our 4yo out of daycare.
The preschool we found ran from 9-2 every day with a 20 min rest after lunch.

Rest time is required by law at any facility that has children under 5 for more than a certain number of hours (check local regulations).

Agree that it’s a problem for most parents of older kids if their child actually naps, but this is a widespread requirement. In MA where we were previously there were also some regulations against preventing a child from sleep or waking them….. unless you got a doctor’s note!

We also liked the switch to a part time preschool but that depends on family circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are crazy. Our 4 year old definitely still needs to nap for at least an hour. At home, she'll nap for 2+ hours and still be ready for bed by 7:30pm. Growing brains need sleep.

That’s great. I can’t believe you think this is common though, if you have talked to other parents of 4 year olds. Few would complain about this kind of schedule if it actually worked !

[Anonymous]

4 year olds do nap. Just because you let him not nap with you doesn’t mean daycare will coddle him and let him not nap. He will nap there and be fine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think downtime is good for kids. A period of 30 minutes or so to see if they fall asleep, and then another 30-60 minutes of play quietly (read books, don’t get off your cot). I know the kid might not be sleepy but daycare settings are so stimulating I think it’s good for kids to have quiet time to … expand their imaginations, have independent play with basic toys, or just a load of books,
Daydream etc.

This is our preschool’s practice

[Anonymous]

MD doesn't require naps in childcare settings, does it? I can't find any regulation that says that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MD doesn't require naps in childcare settings, does it? I can't find any regulation that says that.

Nope it does not. I've posted the COMAR regulations previously. It requires rest according to age, needs, and activity level. Rest does not have to mean sleep. It also doesnt mean 2 hours for 4 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys are crazy. Our 4 year old definitely still needs to nap for at least an hour. At home, she'll nap for 2+ hours and still be ready for bed by 7:30pm. Growing brains need sleep.

You have a high sleep needs child. Your 4 year old sleeps more than my 14 month old. She only sleeps 12.5 hour total a day. If her nap is 3 hours she sleeps 9.5 bedtime. 2 hour nap, 10.5 hours overnight. etc etc

My 4 year old also naps for 2+ hours at home and is ready for bed by 8. All the research suggests that kids at this age hugely benefit from a nap. I don't think this is a 'high sleep needs' situation (whatever the heck that's supposed to mean).