Hi all, my 17 month old daughter was being kept by my sister since she was 10 weeks old when I went back to work. I just switched her to daycare this week. She has always been a good sleeper/napper. At daycare, she only gets one nap-which I know is normal. The problem is-she is acustomed to sleeping in her room in her own bed. As you know, in daycare she is in a room with other kids and probably people milling around. So on the first day-she slept a little and then yesterday she only slept 15 minutes. As you can imagine, when I pick her up she is so tired and cranky. I basically take her home, feed and bathe her and then put her to bed for the night by about 6:15pm. I guess I'm wondering if kids this age adjust to the different sleep arrangements fairly quickly or what has been your experience?
yes, she will adjust, but she may never sleep as well at school as she does at home. My son naps well at school, but still still nap 2-3 hours at home... much longer than at school. It's all part of the process, so just go with the flow. :)
Normal bedtime for my three at that age was about 7-7:30, so it may just take a bit to get used to the new schedule.
I would suggest (if the daycare allows), bringing in her own blanket and one small toy. That way she has some familiar items with her to help her sleep. She will get used to it. The teacher might also be able to sit with her for a little while if needed. I know when my daughter was that age, the teachers would put the ones like that closest to them and rub/pat their backs until they fell asleep.
I used to work in child care with this age. It will take a couple of weeks to get her body in tune with the new schedule.
Explain to the teacher that your daughter is not used to being around other people and noise during naps. Remind them a few times and even discuss with them where she might be put down for nap to see if you can come up with a solution together. The teachers really do like it when the parents are open to discussion about solving any problems (they may welcome a solution if she is the only one up at nap when the teacher is used to getting a short break -- LOL).
You are probably getting up early in the mornings already, but try waking her up about 30 minutes to an hour earlier still and just spend time with her before leaving for the day. This will make her a little more tired for nap time. Then adjust the evening bedtime about 10 minutes later each night until she is staying up till her usual bedtime.
Once you get the schedule fixed, stick to it (even during weekends) to get her used to it again. Then you can start to sleep in a little once your daughter is back on the regular schedule.
I hope it helps. :o)
Blessings,
P. <><
It took my daughter a little over a week to adjust to their nap schedule and to sleeping in a room full of other kids. For the first couple of days she didn't sleep at all, but little by little she joined the group.
They will adjust to it. Give it a couple of weeks. I know when I started my son, he didn't take a nap the first full week and he was 8 mos. old. My daughter who was 8 weeks old when she started did the same thing. Plus she sleeps on her stomach at home and they don't put them on their stomachs at daycare. Sometimes she goes all day with out a nap. Don't worry about it, it's a new environment so she has to get the routine down. When she gets tired enough she go to sleep. Unfortunately you have to deal with the crankiness and her going to bed as soon as you get home. My daughter goes to bed at 7 and we get home at 6. So I get about an hour with her in the evenings.
Good Luck!
I think you should give it a few weeks. Anytime my son changes rooms at daycare it takes at least two weeks for him to adjust. He always comes home whiney and exhausted at first. So I started giving him a snack in the car as soon as I picked him up (crackers, fruit snacks, yogo's, something easy), then he was more settled until dinner and seemed to be in a better mood.
Hope this helps.
