Naps at daycare - advice please

[Sarah72]

Hi,

Ds (10 months) starts daycare next week for 3 days a week. We are having some settling in sessions this week but I am so nervous about naps. Ds currently is a fantastic napper, having a 45 minute one in the morning and then 2 hours in the afternoon. He goes to sleep independently in his cot after a 15 minute wind-down.

I chose the nursery because they said that they let babies go to sleep when they wanted to - others had set naptimes which I wasn't comfortable with. When I visited today I asked how they got the babies to sleep and was told that they put the babies into bouncy chairs and bounce them to sleep. Once asleep the bouncy chair gets moved into the cot... This is completely freaking me out - ds has never in his entire life been bounced to sleep! I have spent 10 months trying so hard to follow BW principles, endured many nights with no sleep as I refused to bounce him to sleep and I just don't know what to do now. Do I just say okay, bounce him to sleep and then at least I know he will get some daytime sleep? Or do I insist they spend time with him and use BW principles?

I am feeling very doubtful that he is going to go to sleep as easily as he does at home. The reasons being 1) the cots are in the main room which is light and noisy - he currently naps in darkness and quiet 2) it is not me getting him to sleep - I do worry that I am a prop

Anyway, does anyone have any advice?

Thanks

[Lucie preciosa]

Could you try to get him to sleep at home in lighter condition, and play some background noise like the telly, maybe he manages. I don't really know, but if i was in your case, this is what I would do.
When I take Lucie to my sister's house for the weekend she does not have a black out and she lives on a main road in Manchester, very noisy. Lucie takes longer to settle but manages to sleep, if she does not get enough I always make sure she gets quiet time with DH or me, just looking at books or bilding blocks. Maybe the nursery staff can do that with your lo too, if she does not get her normal nap times.
Is it posible for you to be in the nursery for his naps in the settleling in sessions?
all the best

[mari]

The previous poster said what I would do.  The nursery should be pleased that your LO should settle without bouncing.

[Sarah72]

Thank you for that advice. I have put him down for his morning nap with the curtains open and with no wind-down. I needed to do a couple of PUPDs but he went to sleep quite easily. I think I will see if I can get him to sleep tomorrow at nursery and take it from there.

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hi there, good luck at day care, I hope it goes well. I do think the bouncing to sleep is a little odd but then again many parents have not sleep-trained their kids so i'm sure there are lots of babies who need it. If your lo can sleep without being rocked/bounced then I'm sure that will be helpful to them, just talk to them about it.
In my experience day care can start off a little rocky for some kids, even if they nap well at home they may not at day care to start off with as there are so many impressions, etc. and it can be an adjustment to sleep with other lo's in the same room. If that does happen just hang in there, sometimes it just takes a little adjusting. xxx

[Lucie preciosa]

good luck keep us posted

[* Paula *]

I am surprised that they do not have a seperate room for sleeping.

Our nursery do the same, getting lo's to sleep in the bouncy chair, but I told my nursery that they needed to put DD in the cot and leave, only going into her if she cried.  The first few days we did get shorter naps, but after a while she settled in and started napping really well.

Pehaps get one of the staff to put your lo down for a nap tomorrow, so you can see how he does, and how they deal with him?

He will adjust, I promise

[clh]

Jess took the words right out of my... fingers?    Shorter naps to start, & then they started sleeping *better* at daycare.    Oh, & there is no separate room at their center, either.  {{hugs}}

[Sarah72]

Thanks for all the support!

I decided to take him in today just before nap time and see if I could get him to sleep - but alas it didn't work - I wish that there was a seperate sleeping room. There was far too much going on. The staff were really nice and said just as pps have said, that to begin with they tend to have short naps but it does get better. They also said that for the first few days they try to wear the babies out so they are really ready for their nap which helps.

Anyway, I feel much better now. I am going to write everything down that I usually do with regard to routine and how he goes to sleep. I am definitely going to mention that I do not want him bounced or rocked to sleep. I am then going to ask the staff to stick to things as much as possible. I think that is all I can do and I am quite happy  that.

[annemarie2001]

im glad you posted this i have this situation coming in march and im dreading it, as like you they do not have a separate room i know logan will sleep if he is in his pram and being rocked if there is noise around but at home its quiet and dark. 

hope your are getting on alright it will be good to know how you got on xx

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Good luck to you, that's a good attitude to have Happy72. Luke has been in daycare with a separate sleeping room but this week he's being moved up to the 2 yr old room and there they all sleep together.  It scares me a little but then again, like everything at day care that I thought "he'll never do/eat/like that" - if everyone is doing it then everyone tends to just do it. Hopefully that will happen with your lo too!!

[* Paula *]

Jess, they did the same with DD.  When she turned 1, they moved her out of the baby room, and they all sleep on floor on mats.  I was so surprised, but she sleeps so well there

[Sarah72]

I just wanted to report back that I am very happy with how things are going at daycare. I wrote down his routine and how he usually goes to sleep and that made me feel much better. Whether they stick to it is another matter! So far he has been for 2 days and has had morning naps of around 30 minutes and afternoon naps of around an hour - not bad at all! Last night he was awake from 4.30 until 6.00 but I think that is only to be expected - he hasn't been away from me for more than 4 hours ever.

Good luck to everyone else!

[* Paula *]

Pleased that you are happy with how things are going.

Fingers crossed, that as he gets more used to it his naps will increase.

Keep us posted on how things go.

[clh]

Yay!  Glad you're pleased. 

if everyone is doing it then everyone tends to just do it. Hopefully that will happen with your lo too!!

Yep.  Sometimes peer pressure is a good thing!