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Not napping at daycare

benmichelebenmichele member
in Working Moms
LO is 10 mo and goes to an in-home daycare 1-2 days/week. The other days he is at my in-laws or home with dad. He naps well with us, 2 naps: one 1hr, one 2hr. But at daycare he doesn't nap, sometimes at all, and he is super fussy through dinner until we can get him to bed. What can I expect from an in-home daycare provider? She says he's just so stimulated he doesn't want to nap, but I worry she isn't doing enough to help him get to sleep. Am I overreacting? Is this a normal daycare issue that I won't be able to get around?
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Re: Not napping at daycare

  • dglvrk2dglvrk2 member
    I have a two year old daughter.  She has gone to an in-home daycare since she was 10 weeks old. She sleeps great at home.  However, she's gone through a few not napping phases at DC.  Honestly, at 8-10 months she was rather fussy and didn't nap well for them.  Part of it, I think, is the age. (DD had some long nights at this age too.  Let's just say CIO works, but it was hard!)  Right before her first birthday, I thoroughly discussed napping routines with the DCP.  Once our routines and those at DC were as similar as possible, and she got a little older, napping at daycare got easier for her.  Specific similarities we agreed on: times for naps; brief quiet time before nap; lovie in her sleeping area; clothes on, (DC was stripping her down to her diaper...), and a quiet but not silent environment. Do talk to your DC.  If your LO goes there every week, even if it's just for a couple of days, he should be able to sleep there eventually.  
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  • LoCarbLoCarb member
    How long has he been with the in-home DCP? Yes, different settings are stimulating. There may be an adjustment period but eventually he will nap.
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  • QueSrahQueSrah member

    I think it's common for kids to get a little overstimulated at daycare and have trouble napping.  Since he's at an in-home, are there older kids who nap at different times, so he can hear them playing at his naptime?  There's only so much a DCP can do to fix that, esp. depending on the physical layout and even staffing needs.

    My DD was a terrible napper at home and daycare until she dropped to a single nap, and then it was magic.  Not that it will happen for you that way, but just know that napping changes at different stages, and he might just be on a different timeline for settling into a good routine at daycare.

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  • benmichelebenmichele member
    Thanks ladies! This is definitely helpful before having a conversation with her, so it's discussion about what we can do similar, and not about what she is doing/not doing. And it's good to know it's pretty normal and could just be a phase (because it has gotten worse recently).

    He's been going to DC consistently about 4 months. He is the youngest there.
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  • sillygirliosillygirlio member

    Part time daycare can be rough, especially if the child is not around a ton of people the rest of the week or if it's a mixed age home.  Sometimes the child never gets a real handle on the routine because it's so different from daily life and they're so rarely there, sometimes they just want to see what everyone else is doing... sometimes it's too noisy.  If it's too loud to sleep, she could try a white noise machine, a fan, or music to help drown out some of the noise.  That sometimes works.  It's not ideal, but perhaps she could try a once a day nap while everyone is asleep, then it would be quiet and he won't feel like he's missing out on much.

    What kind of things would you like her to try?  I'm just curious.  I'm not saying she won't be able to do it, but daycare providers usually have their hands pretty full... depending on the ages and number of kids they care for.  Trust me, she wants your child to sleep as much as you do!

     

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  • Karla CSKarla CS member
    We're in a center, but changes to her environment really disrupt naps.. A few weeks ago when school got back into session, 4 new babies started all at once. So that means 4 new babies, PLUS a new teacher in the room, all of whom were new and interesting, which meant VERY few naps... Time's gone by and now she's adjusted and is back to her regular napping habits.  
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  • DTNZ4EverDTNZ4Ever member
    DS goes to DC 3 days a week the other days he is home or at my parents. He has never been a good day care napper ever. He is 4.5. To this day he will nap twice as long compared to DC. I've learned to let it go and have early bedtimes on DC days.
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  • benmichelebenmichele member
    Thanks! We had a good conversation on Friday. I told her that while I would love for her to be able to set him down and have him go to sleep (we're working on this at bedtime right now), we still have to rock him to sleep for naps and hold him nice and tight through a minute or two of fighting it. Of course, this would be really hard for her, with her other kids, but he's got to nap (but now she knows that fighting it is normal). She asked that we bring a blanket or lovie from home. Anyway, after our conversation he took a 2.5hr nap at daycare, which we considered a victory. She said he's close to the age of one nap, and while it doesn't work at home yet, it will work for her. Like pp said, she wants him to nap as much as we do, so I'm glad we talked. You all alleviated my concerns that schedules had to be the same in DC and at home, so thank you!
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