Why is school pickup right in the middle of nap time? Clearly the person who set the school day as is never had toddlers. It is really easy to know when Caleb is tired: he dissolves into tears every 3-4 minutes, over absolutely anything. It can be as big as bumping his head and as little as taking too long to walk across the room.
Caleb needs a minimum of 2 hours, but usually naps 2 1/2 to 3 hours, every afternoon. He also needs to wake up on his own. If you try and wake him, even after the rare 4 hour nap, he will still exhibit those teary tired signs.
So, you can imagine what our house is like on school days (Mondays, Wednesdays and some Fridays) when I have to wrench him from his nap at 2:30. That's usually just over two hours of naptime, but he's rarely awake before we have to leave. I try to have a snack ready, whisk him from bed into the stroller/van and place aforementioned snack straight into his hand. It works for that transition time for him to wake up, but he is always grumpy by the time we get back, and right through until bedtime.
I'm almost tempted to pick Colin up early from school, at lunch time, and bring him home then. I hate to work the family around one child, but no one likes a sleep-deprived Caleb. You can bet that come junior kindergarten, if we choose to send him, I'll be picking Caleb up at lunchtime to come home for naps. I can't believe someone actually thought all-day kindergarten for 3 year olds is a good idea. I would not leave sleep-deprived Caleb with a teacher for the afternoon! If the school gives me any grief about picking him up early, I need only leave him one afternoon for them to give the okay to be picked up.
3 comments:
All day kindergarten starts at 3? I thought it was starting at the usual 4-6 year old age for kindergarten. Many of my 4 and 5 year olds are fine without a nap, but most do still sleep when given the chance (or, you know, with some nudging from me :)), and ALL of our 3 year olds nap. In fact, the ministry requires we provide a time to nap for all children up to age 5 (children who are 5 in September, the beginning of the school year, are not required to be offered a nap.) That's crazy!
Junior kindergarten starts at three for those late-year babies. All three of mine (born in Nov and Dec) will be three when they start, not turning four until half way through the year!
Colin is four and still naps on days he's not at school. My mom said my sisters and I all napped every day until we went to grade one, when we were six!
I gave up naps at a year and a half. A treat for my mother, who also had a newborn who refused to sleep at night.
I didn't realize all day kindergarten was starting in JK, thought it was only SK.
Yes, some of our kids come to my (JK) class at 3 as well.....but, we let them nap. And yes, I suppose, we are technically all day kindergarten.
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