preparing for napping at day care

LittleDucky · July 2011

Hi everyone, I don't post here much but I thought this might be a good place to ask for help in this area. My DS will be starting day care at the end of August, when he will be 8.5 months old. I know he will have to nap at day care. With me, he only naps under three circumstances. First, he'll nap if I nurse him to sleep. Second, he'll nap if I wear him in a wrap. Third, he'll nap if we go for a drive in the car or a ride in the stroller (sometimes). At day care, I know he will have to nap without any of these options, and I am struggling with figuring out how to prepare for this.

My MIL watched him once a month or so ago and he did go down for a nap with her when she gave him his paci and rocked him until he fell asleep. I however have never been able to get him to go down this way. My DH is not home during the day so he does not put DS down for naps. DH can do bedtime no problem and our DS will go to sleep while having his bedtime bottle.

Any tips for what I can do to help DS be able to sleep more easily at day care? The fact that he went down more easily for my MIL makes me hopeful that he will go down more easily at day care than he does for me, but I am not sure if they will be willing to rock him to sleep. If they just put him down, I don't think he will go to sleep and he will just yell (which is what he does when I try that). I am not comfortable with CIO. Any ideas/tips/advice you could share would be very much appreciated! Thanks, mamas!

JDO · July 2011

W just started day care last week and I worried about naps too. At home he either nurses down for a nap and sleeps on my lap, or sometimes goes to sleep in the car or during a stroller walk around the neighborhood.

I was very specific with our DCP that we do not allow him to CIO and he needs help getting down for naps. I'm so happy she is open to things like that, it was one of the reasons we chose her over any other DCP. She has been rocking him to sleep then putting him down and she has been successful at getting him to take a good nap 4 out of 5 days so far.

I hope your DCP is also open to helping your LO get to sleep, and I hope your LO adjusts to the new environment easily!

LittleDucky · July 2011

I honestly didn't ask about naps and whether they'd be willing to rock him/help him get down for naps when we were visiting different childcare possibilities. DH and I were both happiest with the facility we chose of all of our options, but we picked it a pretty long time ago (had to sign a contract way in advance) and I just had no idea what kind of naps DS would be taking by August so I wasn't thinking about it much. I really hope they are willing to help him. I also do think he goes down better for other people than for me, for whatever reason, so hopefully that will help. And hopefully being around all the other kids will tire him out so he'll want to nap!

radak · July 2011

I would call your DCP and ask them what they normally do. I would be shocked if at such a young age they didn't assist in napping. Our day care providers will rock, give paci, give bottle etc. to assist in napping. I worked at a day care and we did the same, when they got to the toddler room we would pat backs till they slept. They did the same in the preschool room. I would find out what they do, and then try to implement that at home.

rboisvert · July 2011

I nannied for a little girl from an AP family and the way she napped with me was completely different then how she napped for her mom. Usually babies will adjust to their surroundings, it may take a bit but he will probably find his comfort zone with his DCP and how he naps best there. The fact that your MIL was able to get him down bodes well for him. I also teach preschool and we have had a lot of kids who have droped naps at home but still nap at school. It's amazing how kids will compartmentalize home from school. Good luck.

C-Charm · July 2011

Just like any new situation, the transition may be a little challenging in the beginning, but children adapt. Also, they do things for other people that they will not do for their parents. Any reputable daycare will not allow your LO to CIO.

We co-sleep & I nursed DD to sleep as a baby. But at daycare, they could but putDD in a crib and rub or pat her back until she went to sleep. At times, they'd have to rock her to sleep then put her into the crib. My DH can get DD to sleep in ways that I can't. (I guess nursing her down isn't an option for anyone but me.)

Now that she's in the toddler room, they put cots down and all the LOs sleep at the same time. There's NO way that we could tell DD to lie down and expect her to stay there and nap! I wish I could get her to do that at home!

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how it works out.

jen5-03 · July 2011

I think it's generally in their best interest to not CIO. It would wake the other babies and drive the teachers insane because it's not like they can leave the room. The first day DS went to daycare, he ended up napping in the director's arms in her office because he was disturbing the others. After a rough 2 weeks, he did much better. They rock some babies and others fall asleep in swings and some get the back patting. And there is some sort of magical group-think going on at daycare too because even DD naps at school just because everyone else is doing it.

LittleDucky · July 2011

Thanks everybody for the responses. I really do think DS will be fine with adjusting to day care, but I can't help but be a little bit worried. I do think he'll adjust to the routine there and he'll probably nap very differently for them than he does at home. Thanks again!

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