Daycare ???

Piranha54

I started back to work last Monday and Ellie was in daycare M-W (of course she succumbed to all the new germs bombarding her and now has an ear infection) and was back today.  She's napping OK, not great, but still getting in two naps, sometimes her typical 1+ hours and sometimes, like today, less than an hour total.  Tonight, she had a total meltdown during dinner and we ended up starting bedtime almost 45 minutes earlier.  I'm guessing this is pretty normal, but was just wondering what others' experiences have been.  Will she keep this earlier bedtime or adjust and work back to her more regular time?  Other suggestions?

TIA

mtnrider

Simon napped horribly when he started daycare but I brought his blankie, noise machine, My Pal Scout and binkie and eventually he learned to take his normal 1 1/2-2 hour naps there.  Is Ellie used to napping in a quiet house?  If she doesn't have a white noise machine, maybe try getting her one to block out the noise at daycare from the other kids.  As for bedtime, on days when Simon doesn't nap as well he goes to bed earlier and has no problem adjusting back on days when he naps better.  Don't worry, Ellie will get into a routine soon.  Sorry she has an ear infection, I hope she feels better soon!

superaunt

ok some say that they get used to it but it definitely depends on the child.

sabrina's been in the same daycare since she was 2 months old and CONSISTENTLY naps like ass there. i've just accepted it (though it took like 6 months to do so!).

i drop her off at 630a and pick her up at 345p and she naps in the car on the way home (430-445p). when i get her out of the carseat she always wakes up and stays awake till we get in the house. if she's had less than an hour's sleep at DC, i give her a bottle and put her in her crib and she will nap until bedtime. IT SUCKS ASS but she needs to sleep. if she gets more than an hour's nap at DC and sleeps well in the car, she can usually hold off until normal bedtime (7pm) but more than not she's fast asleep by then.

YaraC

Caroline has never napped well at daycare. To be fair though, she doesn't nap well in general. She does most of her sleeping at night so she does have an early bedtime (6:30).

jarbatz

Lisa - so sorry to hear about Ellie's ear infection!!  You will have to fill me in on how being back at work is going too! 

Brenna naps like a champ at home but at daycare, not so much.  She always naps twice but a lot of times they are both less than an hour each. I am thrilled when she takes one long (an hour or more) nap there.   I did bring a sleep sheep to daycare, which I thought would drown out the noise but its just too loud there and at home, her room is dark & quiet (with a noise machine). 

I have just accepted that she does not nap as well as DC as she does at home.  We definitely moved her bedtime back once she started DC.  She was going to bed around 8 and now bedtime is 7-7:30 and even then some days, I think she could go to bed as early as 6:30. 

I like to think she makes up for what sleep she is losing in daycare by sleeping 11-12 hours at night and taking good long naps on the weekends.

Hang in there...it's definitely an adjustment for both you and Ellie - she will adapt (better and quicker than you will, probably!!).