Short Naps at Day Care - Help!

millieroux

My 8 month old does not nap longer than 40 minutes at day care. He naps only twice a day there and any where from 30-40 minutes per nap. He gets home at night and wants to go straight to night time feed and sleep, making it almost impossible to get his 3rd solid meal in. Anyone with little ones in day care around 8 months old that have similar issues? Anyone have any suggestions? I have instructed his care givers on what works best with getting him to nap. His crib at day care has the same items (white noise maker stuffed giraffe, pacifier that he only chews on..) in it as his crib at home. 

 I'm desperate for him to take longer naps as he is so sleepy when I pick him up at the end of the day and it makes for no awake time with him. I guess this is part of being a working mom. He is sleeping 10-12 hours a night and he does nap longer at home on the weekends, 2 naps each about 1.5 hours long. 

bluejetta

Can they try putting him down earlier -- maybe he is overtired when they try?  My DD actually often naps better / longer at daycare but I think it is just that she is SOOO exhausted and they sometimes put her down too late or don't try for a late afternoon nap so she is often OT by the time we get home but aside from giving them some direction/requests I know DC is a very different environment (crib aside) in terms of stimulation etc and DD sleeps as well as she can there as a result.

MrsNole

DD takes shorter naps at daycare as well.  At home she gets 2 naps, each about 2-2.5 hours long.  At school her first nap is about 45 minutes long and her afternoon one is usually 1.5 hours long.  It doesn't really bother her though so I'm not too concerned about it. I do know that at daycare there is a lot going on and it's not completely quiet and dark like it is at home.  Does your daycare turn the lights off when your LO sleeps or all the kids on different naps schedules? Does your daycare try and put LO back to sleep once he wakes up? Do they play soft music while he naps?  I would ask them these questions and see if they suggest anything to help.  GL momma!

meganandgabe

DS takes 2 or 3 20-30minute naps a daycare too.  Sometimes, he will fall asleep in the car on the way home and sleep until about 9, BF, and then go back to sleep for the night.  It is always a bummer that I don't get at least an hour or so with him at night.  I think in our case, DS gets overtired and they don't put him down on time.  They always offer him a bottle first if he is fussy and a nap second.  At home, it is usually the opposite.

DenverBride2005

I could have written your post--we are in the same boat, DS will be 8 months next Tues.  He usually naps around 30-45 mins (sometimes longer, but rarely) for twice a day at daycare--sometimes not even twice, just once.  I always cringe when I go to read his "report card" for the day and the teacher just wrote "tried" instead of the length of his nap (meaning they tried to put him down but he didn't sleep).  I think they also put him down later than I do when he is home (granted they have 10 babies to three teachers so they can't put everyone down at the same time--I think maybe they give priority to the younger babies and the older ones in the class come second??).  He usually wakes around 6 am, so at home he usually takes his first nap by 8:30 or 9 at the latest, but sometimes at school they don't put him down until 10 or 10:30--I can't imagine how he's not screaming at that point.

He sleeps well at night now, so we just make it work--if he takes two 30-min naps at school, his 5 pm nap (third nap) will be long and sometimes basically just goes straight to bed for the night.  I figure once he doesn't need that third nap anymore we'll get more time with him in the evenings but now I'm just glad that he is getting the rest he needs, any way he can get it.