nap times

[2lovelygirls]

Hi - im quite new to childminding and was looking for a few tips - i look after a 2 years old, my own almost 2 year old and a 7 month old a couple of days a week (i look after a few others on other days too) but im finding this combination the trickiest mainly regarding naps. The older 2 go down for a nap at 11 no problem which is brill but the baby still has 2 naps - 1 around 10 and another around 2. He really struggles to settle and mum says she rocks him in the pram. I have been doing this and he does go off after a while but i find this difficult as i try and settle the older 2 into doing a task but they often are loud and are in and out and the baby cant seem to drift off. I find im spending a long time focussing on getting the baby to nap. Has anyone any tips? what do other people do?

[Mummits]

I tend to gory to walk to groups or just go to the park or soft play in the mornings, and then my littlest will sleep in the buggy or in the car, if not on the way there, then certainly on the way back. Then all my kids, baby included, go down for a nap after lunch at about 1:30. Could you try keeping the older ones awake until after lunch?

[QualityCare]

Parents don't seem to realise how difficult it is for childminders to settle a baby to sleep by rocking them in a pushchair when we have other children, can you rock baby using your foot whilst reading a story to the other two or playing with quiet activities with them at a table, baby will have to learn to settle with a certain amount of noise and also to be weaned off the rocking, it does get easier but takes a while especially if the baby isn't with you all the time as he doesn't get into a routine with you.Can you ask mum to work with you and wean him off the rocking as it is time consuming for you and unfair on the other children.

[tess1981]

Lo I have had to be rocked to sleep. St the start I did this now I rock a little and walk away I let him know I'm there and it'd time to sleep on might have to rock once or twice after this bit not for the 1st ins it used to take sometimes he will sleep without the rocking

[2lovelygirls]

Thank you all - I have tried a couple of things and he seems to be settling easier. A later nap for the older ones could be an option although they are both early risers so are exhausted by 11 so it seems to work well for them. Feeling a bit more positive now he's settling easier now x

[littlebears1009]

I have one lo like this. If i stopped rocking he would wake and at the slightest noise he would wake. I have started leaving him to settle himself in the pram, he cries a little but less and less each time, i also put the radio on very low in the hall while hes going to sleep in the hope that if its a little noisier in the first week of the hols then he will be used to sleeping through it. He leaves at end of july to go back to his gran and she said this was a problem for her when he went before her op so hopefully I will have managed to get it right in time for him going back to her. I too was finding the other los miss out as too much time concentrated on getting baby to sleep but feel this has worked well so far x