Daycare Wants to Move My Almost 14 Month Old to "Toddlers" Room - 1 Nap a Day

My daughter took 2 naps a day until 18 months.. My son took 2 naps unitl 9 months. I was actually happy when they dropped the nap.. it doesnt reduce the total amount of sleep they get.. it just means they sleep more at night and the 1 nap is longer.
Generally day cares move kids out of hte bbyroom when they are "defensively walking" walking steady.. not holding on to things.. they are able to maintain their balance and do not fall over if they get bumped by another child.

Is the toddler room for 18-24 monhts. or 18 months - 2 1/2 years..

but yes once the babies are walking they are ready to move to the next room or they beat up on the babies just laying there on the floor.

Our daycare didn't move the little ones until they were 18 months old, walking steadily, could use a fork/spoon well etc. They had a number of developmental milestones they had to reach before moving not just because "they thought he was bored with the toys". That seems like an unacceptable reason to me and I think you would be right in questioning it.

I am trying to remember how old my son was but I want to say he was closer to 18 months before going to just one nap. Although even now at 30 mo if I let him he would take two :)

Our daycare did this at one year also. They did agree to allow DS to nap in a corner of the room that had a soft floor pad (at home he would fall asleep anywhere - floor, stroller, car, while being carried). But it was rough for a few weeks. In hindsight it worked out ok for us, but we were also considering changing centers at the time. DS is currently 5 and still naps :)

What are your states adult:child ratio licensing requirements? In NE it's Infants (6 weeks -18 months) 1:4 Toddlers (18 months-36 months) 1:6
In the Infant rooms at the center I work at (Toddler teacher) and the one my sister works at (Infant Teacher), they start transitioning from 2 naps a day to 1 nap somewhere around 10-12 months depending on the child. They start by shortening it the morning one a little at a time. I would ask a few more questions about when they are planning this move (is soon June or is end of summer?) and how do they determine a child is ready to move (age alone, development - my daughter didn't move up until 19 months because the new babies hadn't started yet! However a boy 2 days older is just getting ready to move up at the end of May because when the moves were being decided he wasn't yet walking. We have a 3 1/2 year old still in an older Toddler room because of speech delays and just now potty training)

When my daughter's morning naps first started getting shortened and stopped altogether she would fall asleep in car on the way home and take a short 30 minute nap then.

One thing to keep in mind is as one other said he can't stay in a baby room forever. It's also usually harder on the parent than the child. But also maybe a center just does not match your families needs. Maybe a home daycare or someone who comes to you who would be able to be more flexible with a nap schedule might be better for your family.

It's a lot to ponder and process. Good luck with your decision!

I know "everyone does it" but that doesn't necessarily make it right for you & your boy. I agree that sleep is of paramount importance and so is your routine and I think it's sad that so many of us are forced to do things the way the person in charge of a daycare wants instead of the way the MOM wants.

I think you should talk it over with them and go with your gut, if you have other options looks into them. It won't be the end of the world to send him early, but if you aren't comfortable why should you feel coerced? You are the paying customer here.

My daughter took two naps LONG after that, til she was closer to 2.

I would talk to them about his needs. For the initial transition phase, they let my DD nap 2 x if she needed to, but she was doing mostly 1 nap on her own. She was about 13 months old and bored with the baby room, as well as getting too big to play with the infants. She was really happy to be with the bigger kids' toys at the end of the day (within reason, but things like their baby dolls and kid furniture). I knew that she would be moved up around her 1st birthday to the 1s room. I also noticed that rather than 2 shorter naps, she took 1 longer one.

I would talk to them about his needs and see if he could still nap when the babies nap if he really needs to sleep. Tell them, if you feel that strongly, that if a compromise cannot be reached then you will seek alternative care. Sometimes situations change. It's personal because it's your kid,but it's mostly business.

Go for it. I dropped the am nap for both my kids at 14 mos and they were fine.

Of course, you are the best judge of your own child's ability and readiness. But, I want to weigh in with my experience. At our daycare, they transition from infant room to toddler room when 3 criteria are met: 1.off the bottle 2. walking steady 3. no pacifier. My girl was ready with all of these at 12 months on the dot (although she still tended to spend more time "scooting" and crawling than walking). After 2 weeks in the toddler room, she was a champion walker!

At our daycare, they do have a steady influx of babies, which may look like they're "pushing" the babies into the toddler room too soon. But, a closer look reveals that they will let the older babies hang out a little longer if they're not quite ready. In fact, they start the transition by letting the "almost ready" babies spend 1-2 hours each day in the toddler room, working up to half-days, until they are ready. That way, they get a good idea of what each kid can handle, and to help the transition not be so "traumatizing" for them.

As for the nap issue, I think they can adjust. The infant room had 2 scheduled 1-hour naps, but not every baby is going to sleep on that schedule. So, they'd always have 1 who wanted to nap earlier or later (or during lunch!), so adjusting to the 1 nap (2-hrs for toddlers) wasn't such a big deal. If you are really concerned, you should feel comfortable talking with the director and/or teachers (infant & toddler rooms) to see how they could compromise. For example, maybe your son could start spending the morning with the toddlers, but if he's ready for his morning nap at 10am, they could let him nap in the infant room. Same thing for his afternoon nap. Then, he could spend the rest of the afternoon in the toddler room again.

Good luck, you know your kid better than anybody, so go with your gut. But, don't count out the daycare. If you've been happy with them all this time, try talking to them and voice your concerns--see how they respond and if they're willing to work with you.

I really dislike hearing things like this. Children need to have their own needs met and not everyone else's. Move him to an in-home caregiver that will allow him to transition to one nap when he's ready. I only WISH I had a child that wanted to nap twice LOL! My last 3 babies have been go getters that hardly nap. But I deal with their need for play and being up more because it's best for them and not me. That's what good caregivers do.

Typically the switch to one nap a day comes between 12 and 18 months. If this daycare doesn't meet your needs, you may be wise to switch. It's certainly possible that it's a financial move for the daycare, they have a slot that needs to be filled in the toddler room and an infant who needs a spot.

My son was in an "infant/toddler" room at a year. It did bump him down to one nap per day a little earlier than I would have wanted, but he did totally fine. At 14 months, I bet his is bored with the infant toys.

Also, both of my kids were late walkers, so they were in toddlers before they could actually "toddle!" But they both did fine. In fact, I think that being with lots of walkers helped to encourage my 16 month old daughter to walk.

If you're otherwise happy with the center, I wouldn't let this be the only deciding factor. I am confident that your son will be fine.

My daughter was "pushed" to the toddler room at 19 mos and could have still used 2 naps a day -- we transitioned her over Christmas break that year and got her down to 1 nap a day by the January 2 "move up" date. She is a sleeper though and it was painful for us and her. My son (her younger brother by 17 mos), however, dropped to 1 nap a day himself by 13 mos....his morning one would be long and 2nd one like 30 minutes so it was a natural step...but he has always needed less sleep than his sister. We adjusted bedtime accordingly to put them down earlier for a while after the nap transition. It worked out OK. As FYI- our daycare/montessori that my daughter was going to transitions kids from infant to toddler room at 15 mos (so not far from what yours is doing) -- we just started our daughter later because I was on maternity leave with the newborn and she stayed home with me.

According to childcare licensing, "infant rooms" are for children ages 6 weeks to 18 months. "Toddler rooms" are for children ages 12 to 36 months (some centers break down these rooms down by younger/older.) If your provider is wanting to move your child to an older room, it is probably because he is too old for the toys in there and is needing more/different stimulation. (It is probably also because of younger babies.) That said, if you are feeling uneasy about the transition or the WAY the provider is approaching the transition, it might be time for you to sit down with the director and/or look at other daycare options. (Keep in mind that a "new" daycare will probably see him as a 14 month old toddler...)

You could ask the director what kinds of signs your child is showing that he is ready to transition to 1 nap, how they are helping him make this transition, when they are planning to move him, etc. Typical guidelines for moving children to the toddler room include ability to self-feed, walking, 1 nap, and no bottle.

In my daughter's room this year, there were two "older infants" that were 14 mos+ in her room. They were moved up because they were just too old for the materials and equipment in the room- they constantly were toddling over the less-mobile babies, climbing on and over the tiny shelves, and in general finding "new" ways to use the toys and materials that were meant for younger babies.

I would speak to the daycare center about this and get a little more info, other than just "bored with the infant toys", although I do agree that he probably is. My first son was in a home daycare and gave up his AM nap early I think, around 12 months and it was because he was so involved in what the older kids were doing. He still took his PM nap, seemed fine so I had no problem with it, I also trusted that his caretaker could tell that he didn't need the AM nap. My second son is now home full time with me and his brother, he gave up his AM nap around 14 months. Both take 2 hour PM naps.

The baby room is for infants and crawling babies. Your child is way too old to be in that classroom. They should have moved her as soon as she reacher 1 year or if she wasn't walking at 1 year then as soon as she did start walking very well. They should have started transitioning her to 1 nap per day around 10 months and started having her sleep on a cot instead of in a baby bed too. These are natural transitional things that child care regulations set by the state say they should have done. At 14 months she should have been in the younger toddler room and down to one nap per day for some time now. Sometimes centers will have 2 toddler rooms, one for the younger ones that are just turning 1 and then the older ones they actually have arts and crafts with and start simple preschool activities with.

If their licensing worker catches that your child is still in that room they could get written up for not transitioning her sooner.

The state regulations are what they have to go by and the state says the kids have to move up at certain ages. I have even had licensing workers make me move kids up while they we sleeping because they had a birthday and were no longer the age of the classroom they were sleeping in. Talk about a shocking wake up. I had missed the child's birthday somehow or we would have spent some time in the next classroom up by visiting and meeting the teacher and so forth.

The fact just is this:

Infants are 6 weeks through their first birthday. Toddlers have had their first birthday and have not turned 2 years old yet. Some states call 2 year olds toddlers but most call a 2 year old a preschooler. A 3 year old is a preschool child that has had their 3 birthday but not reached 4 years old and become a 4 year old preschooler. A 5 year old is not a school ager unless they are in Kindergarten, some states say not a school ager until they complete kindergarten or are not a full school ager until they have turned 6.

i used to work in a daycare that had more than 1 toddler room. I was in "Toddler A" which was 13-18 months. Though the babies couldn't come in that room until they were walking. They were wobbly, but walking. Your baby should be just fine, even if the kids are older. Another preschool I worked at put the babies in the toddler room once they were starting to walk and they didn't get to my room until 2 1/2. So there were 13 and 14 month olds in with the almost 2 1/2 year olds and it didn't cause any developmental issues. I think part of it, at least the places I worked, is that before babies walk their hands and faces are on/close to the ground. We had to take our shoes off in the infant rooms. Once babies are walking they are usually transitioned because daycares don't want them walking on the floor in the infant room for sanitary reasons and because there are tiny ones laying and playing on it-so its a safety issue as well. If he's bored with the toys he's most likely developmentally ready for the next room anyway. Every kid is different. As for the only one nap a day, some kids transition easier than others to it. However it is perfectly normal for that age group to only take one nap per day. Your other son may have struggled more with the nap transition because he was older too. I hope they are transitioning slowly and not putting him suddenly in the next room, though. Good luck!