Nursery soon...help!

[nelliestar]

Hi Everyone!
It seems I am posting with a question every other day at the moment!
DS 6 mths 3wks, formula fed, on solids, textbook and maybe bit angel, just cracked EW(did I jinx it by saying that?) weaning dream feed at the mo,great naps in cot at home,out and about not so great - have to walk around to get 20 min nap in pushchair, I get ridiculously anxious about this.
In 3 weeks I am going back to work 3 days a week and DS going to Nursery 2 days a week. ( Mum having him 1 day at our house and she is on board with EASY) The great thing is I am the Manager of the nursery he is going to so I will be there with him! Its a small place - just 16 kids and 7 staff and we are all in the one room with a separate sleep room with cots and sleep mats. I think you know what's worrying me!! I can't see how we will be able to stick to EASY at Nursery! Esp as regards napping. He has 2x2hr naps at home. Just when his first nap is due it is playing outside time and when his second one is due most of the others will have all been in the sleep room an hour before having their naps.
I am so worried we will have an OT unhappy boy at nursery every day! Anyone have any advice/experience/tips etc?
Thank you,
Nell x

[linfran]

My son started nursery at 6mo and I found at the start that he kept to his own EASY routine but gradually ended up in sync with the other kids - it meant that we had to change things about at home but I was happy to go with the flow since he was there five days a week. 

[nelliestar]

Bump xx

[*lexie*]

My ds started nursery around that time 2 He also attends the nursery i work in The staff were gr8 very supportive I found it really hard as EASY was going well at home but at nursery it was very different 2 begin with He took short naps wanted bottles when others got theirs and solids along with others 2 We worked on a routine 2 suit us all and a couple of months in he sleeps gr8 but sometimes more if its been a hard day and we have an earlier bedtime
It has been worth it i feel as he has come on loads since starting learning all the time My advice is get lots of sleep youll need it You will know how those mothers feel who drop their babies off everyday and are upset and youll hear it and if like me you cant keep rushing in but major bonus how many people can hand pick a group of people who they trust them all fully 2 take care of their own

[nelliestar]

Hi!
Well we have been back at work/nursery for 2 weeks and it has been rough!! DS will not sleep in a cot there so has to be rocked in a big old fashioned pram (AP!!) Never rocked at home and out and about falls asleep in pram. He will sleep 30mins in A.M and P.M 1-1.5 hours - a lot less than at home! I have been v v anxious about this and upset too. I just fret about his sleeping the whole time I'm there and i am supposed to be managing the place! Can't concentrate on that at all.At home we have tried to do nurseries routine with a shorter nap A.m and longer after lunch. I have felt really guilty with this disruption to his routine and the fact that he gets unsettled there as he doesn't know people. He seems to get angry and frustrated and cries a lot more than at home. It is getting better and today wasn't too bad but I am not enjoying it at all!
On the plus side he now sleeps 6.45pm - 6.45am no problem so thats great! Am I doing the right thing? Is it harming him to get less daytime sleep than hes been used to? I am really emotional all the time and feel sorry for him.(I have PND) Everyone says it will get better and I'm sure it will. It seems its be me who is feeling worse than him about things!
N xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[nelliestar]

Today DS only slept 1hr and 25 mins in total today at Nursery - eeek! I was so worried how he would be towards the end of the day but he was amazingly fine and only whingy just before bed as usual. we did a slightly earlier bedtime and he has gone down fine! Is he just a very adaptable baby or are we storing up trouble for later?!
N xxx

[lilisuze]

My lo started nursery at 9 months old, and I too was concerned about his sleeping patterns while he is there. The feeding times fit in with easy but the sleeps DO NOT! and his sleeps are very random now he is there 3 days a week. But i have learnt to go with the flow. Theres very little you can do to change things, and you want him to be happy there so I think you just have to go with the nursery sleep times and do EASY on your home days. We do this mixture and it works great.

On nursery days my lo needs to go to bed early as he very rarely takes a long nap, and some days manages on 1 hour all day! But he is fine, developmentally he is coming on leaps and bounds - since he started at nursery he has started dancing to music, stacking rings etc (loads of things he wasnt doing with me) so its obviosuly not detrimental. And if you work at a nursery you know the benefits in social eating and sharing etc.

Babies are remarkably adaptable, so my advice is go with the flow, and chill out about his routine on the days he is at nursery.  Sorry to hear about the PND, but try and keep positive and see all the many benefits of the nursery setting.

Lili xx

[nelliestar]

Thanks for the reply Lili! Thats great and I feel better now and not so guilty!
Nell x

[*lexie*]

I can remember telling parents "Dont worry it takes time" Yeah thats fine when you put your trust in them and go away feeling he is safe and secure But another story when you hear him crying and i feel like shouting "Some1 speak 2 him!" My lo took 3 weeks 2 settle in2 sleeps he just cried in the cot and we never did let him cio so it was hard when i was stuck in the room hearing him cry Most nites i was very upset and even more at work I also felt guilty and not sure if i was doing the rite thing Then out the blue 1 morning he went down in the cot shut the door and no sound Checked on him in 5 and he was sound for 2 solid hrs Others were in and out the sleeproom and he never stirred and we aint looked back
Now we are having problems at lunch time he just grumps I think its just such a long day so i try 2 get 1 of the family 2 come take him for a walk or take him in2 the staff room on my lunch
I thought i was sooo lucky taking my baby 2 work but its been more heartbreak than anything

[nelliestar]

Exactly!! And everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am! Also because  i am the manager i have lots to do but can't concentrate on any of it as I'm worrying about DS all the time - I feel like I don't care enough about my job any more. Hope we get the hang of it like you did! Thanks for replying
N xxx

[Hippo Mum]

Nelliestar

Having just read your post, I had to reply and say how much I understand what you are going through.....  I also have PND and that always seem to affect everything around me and how I get through the day.  In addition, my DD also sleeps well at home at home, but similarly, rarely sleeps out and about in the pram, other than a 20minute nap if she's really tired.  I am dreading going back to work in a few weeks and am worried sick about her adapting to nursery and a new routine and sleeping as well as she does at home.... so I read with interest how you were getting on.....

I have no advice to offer really, other than to say I'm thinking of you, and fully appreciating how emotional it is for you, as every day is a rollercoaster ride isn't it.  I'm sure you will get there soon, and your LO will adapt and flourish in his new environment, especially with you nearby to watch over him.

Take care,

Hippo Mum

[nelliestar]

Thank you for that lovely reply Hippo Mum!
Hope I haven't made you dread work even more! I think the PND just clouds everything I do even though I am on anti -d's now. This morning i met my family for shopping and lunch and DS would not nap in pram - think too much going on in shopping centre. I had to leave them and walk around quieter back streets to get a nap and felt really sorry for myself lurking around alleyways while they shopped! At the time it felt like the end of the world!
Everything feels really hard at the mo but I am trusting it will get better.
Hope you are coping with your PND - looks like our little one's are almost the same age.
Take care,
Nell xxx

[*lexie*]

I still find it hard and really wish he didnt have 2 go 2 nursery I went upstairs yest 2 find he went 2 bed 15mins early cos he was grumpy and was crying himself 2 sleep it made me v upset I got him back out cuddled and settled him and put him down at his rite time he grumped but wasnt upset the same He makes grumpy noises when you dont talk 2 him thats what was wrong not tired I wish i could do a couple of days rather than go through it all 5 days a week

[nelliestar]

Oh bless him! Reading that made me sad too! Can we still blame it on hormones do you think? At least we have this site to get support from - don't know what I would do without it!
Take care,
Nell x

[*lexie*]

Yeah blame the hormones! Im the same on here all the time Its helped me loads :)1 good thing i picked up was 2 make lo room a little lighter during the day and play some soft music in2 the room which got him used 2 the sleep room at nursery BUT when settling in lo we must remember 2 take some of the advice we have been handing out all this time as Nursery Nurses! lol x