baby only napping 30 minutes at DC

jschmidt6

Hi all! We're having some rough nights with LO lately because he is not napping well at DC. He is 15 weeks old and there from 8-5 for 5 days a week and never naps more than an hour or an hour and a half. They are really good about writing down all his naps, even if they are only 10 minutes here and there. The other day he only had (3) 10 minute naps in the whole day (WTH!) and when we got him home he had an hour long meltdown before crying himself to sleep. I rocked and shushed and patted and nursed and nothing would calm this child down! He almost ripped my necklace off in the process. It's so hard to be away from your child all day and then when you finally get him he is so tired he's hysterical. At home we're in the process of adjusting to the crib from the rock-n-play and I know at daycare he mainly naps in someone's arms, in a bouncy seats or a swing because he just isn't used to the crib yet. Do you have any suggestions of how we can help him adjust and nap better? This has to be unhealthy for him to only be getting 12-13 hours of sleep per day. Should I say something to the DC to encourage him to nap more? They say he is very happy and playful throughout the day, however when he does nap he startles at noises and wakes up crying

Karla CS

How long has be been in DC? There's a lot going on there and he's not used to it, so it will take some time to adjust. DD was all over the place when she first started DC, sometimes taking NO naps, some times taking 3-4 30 minute naps. She's settled into a nice routine and is typically napping for 45 mins - 1 hour once or twice a day, but some days are better than others.

I'm sure your DCP is doing all they can to get him to nap, but sometimes, they just can't. Hopefully it will start to level out soon.

jschmidt6

Karla, he's been there for about 6 weeks. I thought 16 hours of sleep was ideal for his age and he's getting well under that. As his overnight sleep he sleeps from 7pm to 7am usually.

financialdiva

It will take time for him to adjust. We put this noise machine in DS2's crib at DC and it really seems to help.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0097D4ZMU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1384369315&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Also, when he was really little, DC used something like this to prop him up since he loves to sleep at an incline.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005C3K8PW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1384369462&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

They had the pillows there, and used them for other babies as well. I brought in the noise machine.

Give it time. Hopefully he will start sleeping soon!

cedenton

My son never napped well in the infant room at daycare. Too much going on. Luckily, though, it didn't affect his mood too much in the evenings, keeping in mind he was in bed for the night at 7 (7:30 now). When he did nap it was usually after being rocked in a bouncy seat or on a boppy.  They said he'd scream like crazy if they tried to put him in the crib.  But he always napped fine at home in his crib.

Pips09

My kid was the same way. I can remember picking her up as an infant and her eyes would be red and puffy because she was so exhausted but she wouldn't nap. I stressed over it A LOT, but eventually just accepted that there was nothing I could do about it. We just powered through.

preggersin2011

At that age my daughter took two 30 mins naps at day care. I wouldn't worry.... your kid might be growing or not feeling well. that all affects sleep too. I would talk to the teacher about what is going on. At that age they should be on a regular schedule and maybe they just haven't gotten into their rhythm yet? By routine i mean your child's routine- eat/sleep on demand but should be around the same time everyday. My daugther slept in the swing at home and at day care until 4 months of age. Then they transitioned her to a crib at school and i waited until she was napping okay at school before I swapped her at home. I keep the same schedule at home as day care.

AsOctoberFalls

DS was like this, and for him, or didn't improve until he moved to the toddler room at 17 months old. He's been a fantastic napper ever since. I used to stress about it a lot, but we made it through and DS is just fine.

BeeGirl2

I would talk to the DC about your concerns. Can you bring the Rock and Play to DC and let him sleep in that until he is transitioned into the crib at home then try the crib again at DC? Let them know he is melting down at night when you get him home and stress that any effort to get him to sleep would be appreciated. My first son struggled with sleeping at DC but he OVER slept instead of under slept and bedtimes were a nightmare. It was so hard for me because I was away from him all day then fighting with him for hours to go to sleep at night. I made adjustments with DC and all was ok in the end. Not that a baby will never be fussy but that time you have with him at night is so special and precious and it is unfair to you both if he is melting down every evening. 

SLGILL1978

My daughter was a huge cat napper until she was about 6 months. She would take short naps through out the day like that as well at daycare. She went to a center when I returned from maternity leave and they just did went off her cues. Do you swaddle your son? My daughter never liked it but I got her a sleep sack and a baby blanket for daycare since she wasn't used to sleeping in cribs. Mine was the same exact way. She would wake up and startle awake at noises. The only difference is she was never fussy when we got home. And she went to sleep very good at night with me.
When I returned to work in August we started going to an in home daycare and she is a lot better napper. I don't know how my babysitter got her on a nap schedule there at all. She tells me she just lays her down with her paci and she's asleep within a few minutes.