Daytime sleep is essential for the health and well-being of your baby. With so many of us working, this often leaves our babies napping at daycare. I hear over and over from clients that their babies don’t sleep well at daycare.
It can be super noisy and cause children to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
Here are a few tips for you about daycare sleep:
Fortunately, there are things we can do to help with this since daytime sleep is essential for keeping your baby happy and alert during the day.
Check out these helpful tips.
Tip Number 1:
Check the daycare center attentively. Don’t be afraid to ask if they know exactly why your baby isn’t sleeping well. Ask them to show you their nap area. Is the area quiet for taking a nap? Check out if babies are crying around that area could be disturbing the sleep of others? Are they are providing all the comforts to your baby and making it as close to home as possible? Interviewing will help you to find out that if the place is conducive for your baby’s sleep.
Tip Number 2:
Find out how they get your baby fall asleep. It is the most important thing ever. Some daycare centers are good at this and they will ask you and do things exactly as you tell them. Other places, insist on rocking babies to sleep which inhibits a baby from having a long, restful nap. This only makes it easier on them and more difficult on your baby. Remember, you are the boss here. You’re paying the bill.
If are very clear and say, “Listen, I put my baby down, awake, and he falls asleep on his own. All he needs is a quiet environment and a crib of his own and he’ll do great,” why wouldn’t they want that? That makes their job easier!
But some daycare centers have very strict policies. They will give comfort to your baby but in their very own way.
Tip Number 3:
This tip is basically for the few babies who don’t sleep well in any condition other than home. Many of us as adults can relate to this. Most of us sleep well in our own bed, not so well in other places and this make sense to us.
In this instance, if you’ve give guidelines and your baby still isn’t sleeping well at daycare then it’s okay to give him an earlier bedtime. Otherwise, he’ll be grumpy all evening and that’s no fun for anyone.
Tip Number 4:
Ask them to give you a complete nap report of your baby on a daily basis. This will help you to understand when your baby wants to sleep and if his sleep tank is low then you can make him fall asleep during your ride to home.
Final Thoughts:
If your baby is not going to daycare everyday then it’s fine. He’s home with you on some days and sleeps well so he’ll have a chance to make up for days when he doesn’t sleep so well at daycare. What we want is to get your baby’s clock in line with a consistent bedtime.
If your child struggles with naps no matter where they try to sleep, it might be a good idea to look into teaching your child the sleep skills that he or she needs to take long, restful naps.
Children don’t give up their nap until about the age of 3, so that’s a long time to struggle with daytime sleep.
Contact me today to set up your FREE 15-minute consultation where we can discuss your child’s sleep.
I’d love to help however I can.
Sleep well,
