Desperately Seeking Advice - Sleeping Problems and Resolve

I agree with Vlora so I won't repeat what she said but I want to add that you don't have an obligation to continue this business relationship. It can't be healthy for you or the child to be in this environment. If you also have a personal relationship with the parents (sister/brother/in-laws/friend), it's still ok to break the business part off. It may not be easy, but if they won't cooperate with you, you've got to do what's right for your household in the end.

Good luck!
D.

A., she is 9 months old. she should not be screaming as much. Could be heakth-related and you need to sit down with parents and discuss them taking the baby to the pediatrician to find out whether she is in pain.
Also, the babies need stimulation so that they get tired but should be a transition from play to winding down to naptime. that way her body gets ready for a nap. also my kids dropped the am nap at around 10 months of age. instead of 10 am nap and then again at 2, i dropped the 10 am because they were only sleeping for 20-30 minutes. so instead of two naps i started putting them down for a nap between 11:30 and 12 that way they'd sleep for 2-3 hours.
good luck
vlora

A.~

While I understand your frustraion, perhaps that it is at the heart of what is going on. In your post you seemed to have a "tone" that was underlying that suggests that you resent the parents and the child. Remeber babies are more in tuned to our feelings and emotions than we realize. It is possible that she senses your frustraion and lack of patience for her personality. To put it simply the two of you may have a personality confilict. It is probably in both of your best interests to find other employment. I wish you luck!

K. O
Mom of 4 boys

I actually went through that exact same scenario when I offered to watch my neighbor's daughter (she was 4 months old at the time). They knew she was difficult, but I thought with some regularity and time and the right approach, their daughter would "learn" to go to sleep more easily. Part of my issue was that the parents kept a different schedule on the weekend than what I did at my house despite their buy-in and my efforts to get them to be consistent with our plan. That was the biggest factor - inconsistency. Also, she was used to much more hand-holding, coddling, someone laying with her to go to sleep, etc. than I would or could do given that I had 3 kids of my own to care for. I thought that after a couple of weeks it would straighten itself out, but it didn't. I even approached the parents about checking to make sure there wasn't any health issues (like one of the other mother's suggested). After a 4 weeks of no change (and little help from the parents), I decided it wasn't working out for me, their daughter, and my family, so I gave them notice to find another day care provider. The parents weren't happy about it, but in the end, they found a daycare provider that worked well for them and their daughter, and I was no longer a frazzled (more than usual, anyway) mom to my own family.

I agree with Jeanette P that you should first try to work on the arrangement with the parents, but if you've made attempts to work on it (with or without the parents' help) and the situation does not change, do yourself, the baby, and the parents a favor and request they find another nanny or daycare provider. It may be tough call to make if you have to, but you'll be glad you did.

Althea,
I agree with the advice. This is not good for you or the child. You need to ask the parents to rule out any health problems. As a caregiver, you have a responsibility to take care of yourself and that child. What you are dealing with is not in that realm and something needs to be done about it. Children need sleep! My daughter has been taking 1 nap since she was 3 months old. 1:00/2:00-4:00/5:00 Perhaps you should write a letter or journal of the day! Keep a record of when she eats, what she eats, when you change her diaper, what activities you do and what she does when she "goes down for a nap". Tape her so that both parents and Dr. can ascertain a solution. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out. Also. If the parents will not assist you in dealing with the matter, then you need to discontinue care for that child! No Matter What.
Jenn
Mama to Bryce~9, Austin~6, Taylor~16 mnths
Step Mama to Nich~15, Christian~14