not looking forward to a new week

[newandlearning]

hi all..

please can you guys give me some ideas what to do with this 16 month old mindee .. since xmas she hasn't smiled for me at all.. she is here but she doesn't seem overly happy... she sleeps all morning so we don't go to groups.. I've suggested that it would be good for both of us to go to groups together and that I thought this would help us enjoy each other etcetc but the mum really wants her sleeping when she wants to (ie in morn) so that is what we are doing...

I find the whole sleeping in the morning a bit of a pain these days as it means I get no lunch time for me after lunch as the mindee then is active when everyone else here wants to rest and she annoys my own little boy when he's wanting to rest on the sofa..

please can someone give me some ideas on how I can make tomorrow better :( ... I really enjoy my days when this little one isn't here...

I'm half thinking of just going to the groups anyway??

[ajs]

will she sleep in a pushchair so you cna still go and she can still sleep

[manjay]

will she sleep in a pushchair so you cna still go and she can still sleep

I agree! Are the others missing out because you have to stay at home for this lo to sleep. that would be a big no no in my setting. I always discuss this at the outset with parents as I find it easier to let them know what we do and they then decide if their child can fit in.

I would put it to mum that it's not fair on the others and suggest you maybe give it a go for a few weeks and see how it goes.

[breezy]

I would go to groups anyway with a comfy pushchair for her to sleep in

[westbrom44]

I cant understand why the parent would rather have her child asleep and missing out on socialising with other children.

I go to groups in the morning and explain to parents that if their child needs a sleep then it will have to be in the buggy. I have found that the child doesnt go to sleep or sleeps for a short period and has a longer nap later.

I dont think it is fair that other children have to miss out either.

[sarah707]

All my groups are in the morning. Like Manjay says this is when we go out.

If the child needs to sleep I will accommodate that as much as possible.

However if parents are not comfortable with it then I am the wrong person to care for their child.

Hth :D

[ziggy]

I have a toddler who loves to sleep all morning but i go out when it suits me and he sleeps later. This job can be very lonely and i personally need to get out and about especially in the winter.

I would go and as others suggested let child sleep in buggy

[mufftie]

I agree with the others I'd go to the group and see how the child reacts she may well thrive and then have a lovely sleep on afternoon

[Ripeberry]

Give it a go and see what the child is like. She may still sleep all the way through it or she may want to join in. The only sticking point would be if the parents said she was not sleeping through the night if she sleeps later in the day.
But I would not stay in if I had other children as it would not be fair on them.

[newandlearning]

thank you ladies for your replies..

wot would you do re going to groups if this was the only child you had during the morning session..

it can be lonely just staying in and doing paperwork..

I sometimes want to be around more than a baby that isn't smiling at me. :(

[Fraggle1]

Hiya!

I would still go to groups even if I only had the little one that wanted to sleep in the morning. There is every chance that once she got there she may be so interested that she wants to stay awake and then have dinner and then sleep. It's such a shame to miss out on the groups and maybe she just needs a little help in changing her routine. however, if she did just want to sleep at least you are getting out and mixing with others which will make your morning more enjoyable :) xx

[boxtree7]

Sometimes you have to do what's right for you - it a long week if you can't go out in the morning. I would you use a comfortable pram and if the child sleeps during toddlers that's ok you are still meeting the child's and parents needs. Show the parent your pram and explain the importance of going to a toddlers. Good luck ..

[miffy]

Give going to toddler group a try - you may find it works out better than you thought - if lo is awake she may enjoy it.

Miffy xx

[Vickster]

My 11 month old gets tired at 11am, but I have found that if I let him have a quick nap on the way back from somewhere, that will see him through until after lunch when he can have a longer nap. Suck it and see. You are not a Nanny who can offer one to one care and if there are other children to consider then you have to do that. The younger one I look after lasts so much longer awake with me than at home as it is a different environment I guess.

[The Juggler]

i would not stay in all morning if I took on a new midnee who sleeps. they could sleep in the buggy if they like but as they age they will (I imagine) tend to want to join in wherever they are.

It's not fair if she is then disturbing your son. could he rest somewhere else - in a bedroom maybe so he is not disturbed?

I would maybe approach mum from a different angle i.e. social and emotional development. Tell her that she is sleeping when all the other childrne are awake and then you are doing all the activities play with her in the afternoon so she is missing doing things together with other children and not having a chance to interact with them.

I think I would say that you don't want the other children to miss out anymore on the groups and that you don't feel it is working. She can sleep in the buggy or a chair at the groups. Would she go for a short catnap in the morning and then a sleep pm (or is mum not likely to agree to that).

[Katiekoo]

Mine who likes a morning sleep gets to sleep in the buggy on the way to toddler group, then when I get there I'm allowed to wheel him right inside the hall so he can continue to sleep, he gets all his sleep and then a play plus I get to have a natter :D

[Ripeberry]

At our toddler group we have a 'quiet wall' Actually a corner where all the sleeping babies go and some are covered with a cloth (over the hood of the pushchair). Sometimes there can be 4 or 5 at a time!