Navigating daycare naps
Do you have a baby starting daycare for the very first time? Or perhaps you already have a seasoned daycare goer?
Sending your child off to daycare and wondering how nap time will go can be a really intimidating thought, and if you’re like most other moms out there, you’re probably wondering how the daycare nap will go. Is it even possible? What if my baby doesn’t nap? Will their schedule be doomed? How do I navigate through daycare naps and what do I do if my baby doesn’t nap at all? I get it, I have been in your shoes before and I myself always wonder how naps will play out for my babies when they start daycare. I know how nerve-wracking it can be to think about handing over your baby’s perfectly working schedule to someone else, especially when you know, realistically, that the nap may not be perfect. Just to give you a bit of reassurance, 9/10 times, naps end up being fine and they sort themselves out eventually, and all the babies and toddlers usually end up napping at some point if not right away. Phew!
here are a few tips to help your little one nap better at school.
Give the teacher a printout of your baby’s schedule.
For really young babies, you can highlight feeding and sleeping times so they can see approximately what time your baby naps and eats. It will help them understand and remember your baby’s schedule.Send a noise machine.
This will help muffle out other babies crying, people talking or entering the room during nap time, especially if your little one is used to using one at home. If they do not wish to use one, respectfully request to use it and put it on really low near your baby’s cot or crib. You may choose not to use one and see how your baby does and you may be pleasantly surprised at how well they adjust without one, too!Don’t forget your child’s favorite security toy/item.
This will be tremendously helpful when helping them adjust to a new routine and environment. I would not recommend leaving your baby’s security item at home, especially if they are brand new to preschool. If your baby sleeps with a pacifier or blanky, now is not the time to decide to leave it at home if they’re transitioning into school, especially come nap time when they are in a completely new environment. They will settle and sleep much better if they have their security item with them and it will go a lot smoother for everyone, baby and teachers. You can revisit the idea of weaning them off of their security item/toy at a later point once they are established in school and comfortable with the routine.Always communicate with the school and the teacher by asking them to set up a nap-friendly environment and accommodate as much as possible.
You don’t want to go in making too many unrealistic demands either, but it’s ok to relay over any information about your baby’s routine or sleep habits that may be helpful for the teachers to make the nap transition go as smooth and as comfortable as possible. For example: request that the teachers put a ‘do not disturb sign on the door’ or something to communicate to people outside that there are babies sleeping. Kindly request that they make the room somewhat dark to help promote longer, deeper naps. Ask that your baby be moved to a quiet corner if your baby is an exceptionally sensitive sleeper, suggest putting up a curtain if there are different nap times going on and only some babies are sleeping, etc…Give your baby time to adjust to the new schedule and environment.
This can take a good few weeks, while some babies just go straight to sleep with no issues, some take more time familiarizing themselves with the classroom, their new sleep set up and possibly even the new noises in the classroom that they may not be used to at home. If your baby takes time, don’t worry, this is very normal and they will adjust eventually.Try to get your baby used to their daycare nap time at home.
If your baby naps at 12:00 p.m. at school, then try not to put your baby down at 9:00 or 10:00 am ta home because this can set them back a bit making it harder for them to adjust to the nap schedule at school. Of course there are exceptions, and if your baby is not feeling well, exceptionally tired or cranky a bit earlier at home on the weekend, and you are having a hard time keeping them awake, then go ahead and put them down, they will adjust eventually and you can help them do this by slowly moving their nap time up in slow increments until it matches the nap at school.Be flexible!
If you expect perfection out of your baby’s nap, you will set yourself up for disappointment. If your baby’s nap turns out perfect in the long run, great, but don’t aim for perfection - aim for realistic! They sometimes tend to take shorter naps and some days will be better than others. It’s ok…Adjust the sleep at home accordingly depending on the nap at school. It’s ok if your baby or toddler needs somewhat of an earlier bedtime if they didn’t nap at daycare or took an exceptionally short nap.
Keep in mind
Your baby’s nap at school will not only depend on the classroom set up, but largely on their sleep personality, their unique sleep needs and of course their age. If your baby is on the lower end the sleep needs spectrum, then she will likely not take long naps at school, and if she has higher sleep needs then she will likely take longer naps, even if it takes time to get there.
Toddlers transitioning out of a nap, let’s say from the age of 2-2.5 and up may only take 30-45 minute naps at school and this is also normal. If your toddler consistently takes short naps at school, then this is a good sign that he is getting ready to transition out of that nap, or that he likely just doesn’t need as much daytime sleep anymore. Don’t be afraid to shift bedtime earlier if your toddler takes very short naps at school. Doing this will help him function better the next day not the opposite.
