Anonymous wrote:We the teachers can see the difference in the behavior of 3 yr old who does not nap. Lots of whining, very tired, does not cooperate, in the center of many situations requiring the teacher's immediate attention. Affects the group and the other kids' greatly, taking my time away from them. Sets example for other kids who may refuse to nap, and then you have more tired kids in the afternoon/next day. Parents, please be patient and teach your children good sleeping habits. A 3 yr old dropping to sleep exhausted at 7 pm is nothing to be proud about. A shorter nap, surely, but still a nap. Even 40 min nap is better than no nap.

At 3, my kids could go all day at home on the weekends and extended breaks without napping and not be whiny or overtired. Sounds like you can’t manage a room full of young kids and were resentful about having to do extra work once they were no longer sleeping for 2 hours in the middle of your shift.

Anonymous wrote:3 yr old should nap. It is not OK for a 3 yr old not to nap. If kids "drop" nap at that age it is mostly because of parental incompetence. 5 yr old does not have to nap. Quiet time for 30 min, then books for 1 hr.

Both my kids dropped nap between 2.5-3. I still had them do quiet time, but they just didn’t need to sleep in the middle of the day, which actually led to easier bedtimes because they were tired in the evenings. They are now in elementary school and are really active kids who are early risers and they never nap unless sick. Some kids just don’t need as much sleep as others, they seem to get this from my DH.

It’s parental incompetence to assume all kids need the same. Makes me think you don’t have a very good understanding of raising children if you can’t get the concept of them having individual needs.

OP, to answer your question, our preschool had them lay on their cot for an hour (this is in VA). After that there was a quiet corner of the room with books and such. My kids seemed okay with lying down that long even if they didn’t sleep. 2 hours is a really long time.

Go to nook and read a book.

Anonymous wrote:We the teachers can see the difference in the behavior of 3 yr old who does not nap. Lots of whining, very tired, does not cooperate, in the center of many situations requiring the teacher's immediate attention. Affects the group and the other kids' greatly, taking my time away from them. Sets example for other kids who may refuse to nap, and then you have more tired kids in the afternoon/next day. Parents, please be patient and teach your children good sleeping habits. A 3 yr old dropping to sleep exhausted at 7 pm is nothing to be proud about. A shorter nap, surely, but still a nap. Even 40 min nap is better than no nap.

Please tell us where you teach. Thanks.

We the teachers can see the difference in the behavior of 3 yr old who does not nap. Lots of whining, very tired, does not cooperate, in the center of many situations requiring the teacher's immediate attention. Affects the group and the other kids' greatly, taking my time away from them. Sets example for other kids who may refuse to nap, and then you have more tired kids in the afternoon/next day. Parents, please be patient and teach your children good sleeping habits. A 3 yr old dropping to sleep exhausted at 7 pm is nothing to be proud about. A shorter nap, surely, but still a nap. Even 40 min nap is better than no nap.

Anonymous wrote:3 yr old should nap. It is not OK for a 3 yr old not to nap. If kids "drop" nap at that age it is mostly because of parental incompetence. 5 yr old does not have to nap. Quiet time for 30 min, then books for 1 hr.

My son stopped napping at 10 months. My daughter napped until she was around two and a half. What makes you think you know what's good for every child? Please cite your expert credentials.

Books. They can also bring in writing pads for drawing. But have to stay on cot entire time silently

Anonymous wrote:3 yr old should nap. It is not OK for a 3 yr old not to nap. If kids "drop" nap at that age it is mostly because of parental incompetence. 5 yr old does not have to nap. Quiet time for 30 min, then books for 1 hr.

Lol not at all. My kids all dropped naps at 3 and were in bed asleep by 7pm. It was great. My friends’ kids who napped until ages 4 or 5 couldn’t sleep until 10pm at night because of the nap.

Anonymous wrote:3 yr old should nap. It is not OK for a 3 yr old not to nap. If kids "drop" nap at that age it is mostly because of parental incompetence. 5 yr old does not have to nap. Quiet time for 30 min, then books for 1 hr.

LOL

3 yr old should nap. It is not OK for a 3 yr old not to nap. If kids "drop" nap at that age it is mostly because of parental incompetence. 5 yr old does not have to nap. Quiet time for 30 min, then books for 1 hr.

I think mine makes them lie down for like 30 minutes then lets them play quietly. The daycare wants them to nap if at all possible, both because they get a break and because the kids are better behaved post naps. My 4yo never naps at home, and naps maybe a third of the time at school. I like hate the post nap late nights but I get why the school encourages it.

I have an almost 5 year old in daycare (oct 3 birthday) who is required to lay on his cot for 2 hours. The teachers told us it was a DC regulation for child care centers. They can look at books but not get up.

Mine will fall asleep 75% of the time so it kills bedtime.

They can quietly look at books or have a few other quiet play options. I agree just laying for two hours isn’t fair to kid.

We let kiddos play quietly on their cots if the parents do not wish for them nap or if they themselves don't nap.

Do they just have to lay in cot? For how long? Or do they have an other place they can quietly play? Or….something else?

Were you able to negotiate anything if they just wanted them to lay there for 2 hours?

My 3yo should not nap (pushed back bedtime until 9 or later which does not work with my other kids). Just found out the school id planned for him to start soon requires them to just lay there for 2 hours which seems way too long if you don’t need to sleep.