How to manage toddlers nap times?

[Niksay]

I've worked as a nanny for years and have my own daughter, so I'm well used to getting one toddler to nap, but I'm starting minding after Christmas and suddenly worrying about it as I've never had more than one under 3 before!

My 13mo daughter did take 5-10mins of rocking to fall asleep which was fine as I could do that downstairs with the other kids playing in the living room and take up daughter when she was asleep (and I'd be able to do the same for any charges who needed rocking to sleep) and we were going to work on getting her to sleep independently. Then she got a bit ill, has been funny after her MMR set of jabs and is in the middle of a sleep regression and it's taking 20+mins to get her to sleep at both naps and her bed time

How do you manage multiple children when trying to get one or two down for naps who need to be rocked or held to sleep?! I am thinking that a walk in the buggy would work well most days (and it's a good time to head out to groups) but what about on days where a walk ins't feasible?!

[sarah707]

We play all morning - have lunch together - pop the children in prams and they sleep

You will be fine!

[moggy]

Once you get to know your mindees you will work out a way- and they won't all start at once so you'll have a chance. I put the easy-settlers down first straight into cots and just give them a moment to check they are settling, then save the one who needs rocking until last! They all nap at once in cots/buggies. There are days when I am jumping from cot to buggy to cot, shusshing and rocking and soothing, but generally it works fine and I get a hot drink for once!

[FloraDora]

I did the same as Moggy, easy to nap children first, then I had time for a child that needed extra settling.
I must admit though, I did have children that arrived needing rocking, but I soon got them to settle without. I did continue home routines, but set my own expectations too, most children saw the others happily settling on their own and so followed. I did play music or a story sometimes - that helped. One child did not have a comforter of any sort, totally rejected at home but here had a bedtime bunny, one cuddle of that and he was straight off. Often children follow different routines with the childminder than they do at home.

[bunyip]

I've worked as a nanny for years and have my own daughter, so I'm well used to getting one toddler to nap, but I'm starting minding after Christmas and suddenly worrying about it as I've never had more than one under 3 before!

My 13mo daughter did take 5-10mins of rocking to fall asleep which was fine as I could do that downstairs with the other kids playing in the living room and take up daughter when she was asleep (and I'd be able to do the same for any charges who needed rocking to sleep) and we were going to work on getting her to sleep independently. Then she got a bit ill, has been funny after her MMR set of jabs and is in the middle of a sleep regression and it's taking 20+mins to get her to sleep at both naps and her bed time

How do you manage multiple children when trying to get one or two down for naps who need to be rocked or held to sleep?! I am thinking that a walk in the buggy would work well most days (and it's a good time to head out to groups) but what about on days where a walk ins't feasible?!

A walk in the pushchair has usually worked for the majority of my mindees.

What sort of days make a walk unfeasible?

[BallyH]

At the moment my aim is to have a busy morning, everyone tired but not exhausted, lunch then down to sleep. I tend to put the 'runner' down first as they'll get into mischief if I'm putting another children down. The lo's come with me to watch. So 1 in a cot and 2 in buggies. They soon get into a routine if you go back a few times to soothe them. I'm getting 2 hours at the moment.