Nap time at PS

RHitch · September 2011

When I dropped DD off at school this morning, the teacher told me that she is exhausted by nap time (noon) and actually asks to take a nap everyday. DD doesn't even want to eat lunch, because she'd prefer to take a nap. Because of this, they suggested that I put her down earlier at night.

This was news to me because she has been on the same schedule for years, and most of the time, she fights naps because she'd rather play (she goes to my IL's house when she is not at school). I usually have the opposite problem with her, in that she would prefer to NOT take a nap. I am guessing that PS is tiring her out a little more, so I have to change her schedule. I just don't know how. Can you all please help me out? This is our schedule right now:

6:00 PM - Get home. DH/DD/DS walks dog and I start dinner

6:30 PM - Dinner

7:00 PM - Play time/TV

8:00 PM - Bath

8:30 PM - Storytime and Bed

Note: Although DD is in bed, she does not go to sleep. I put her in the bed with the TV and light off, and instead of going to sleep, she will just lay in the bed and do nothing. Sometimes I hear her playing with toys, so I go and put her back in the bed, but she has no issue laying there and doing absolutely nothing. Therefore, although she is in the bed, she doesn't actually go to sleep until 10 or 10:30 and she gets up at 7:15 AM.

angelakh · September 2011

If she is only getting 8 hours of sleep at night, I would think she would definitely need a nap. I would cut play time/TV to 1/2 hour and bath to 15 mins. That would get her to bed 45 mins. earlier.

jlw2505 · September 2011

Get rid of the TV at play time. No need at all for TV and it is very stimulating. It can take kids an hour to calm down and be ready to go to sleep on average so start everything sooner and make things calm - shorten the after dinner play time. Why does bath take 30 mins? That seems like a very long time for a bath. Kids still need around 10 hours of sleep when they are preschool age and some need even more than that (overnight and nap combined). She sounds over tired to me. Preschool is very stimulating and most kids get more tired being at school than at home.