DD won't sleep at nursery and its affecting the rest of the week :(

[monkeymonkeymoomoo]

How can we get DD (13mths) to sleep at nursery, she has two naps a day (normally) and is awful if she doesn't get her sleep. She was sobbing with tiredness this evening and couldn't hold her head up She has been there for 6 weeks now. THe staff there are great but they struggle to get her to nap because she is such a light sleeper and disturbed by other kids.

[herbgarden]

My lo is starting nursery in a couple of weeks and I'm worried about this aspect. But I've had a few tips from others. Does she have a grobag? do you take it in ? Someone also suggested giving a comforter of some sort which is a sleep signal which they might have with them at nursery to help to sleep. Sorry I can't be of more help. My lo is also awful without sleep so I dread picking him up if he's only managed 30 mins a day after a 20 minute morning nap and a good 2 hours at lunchtime on a normal day !!

[MuddlingThru]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it might not get much better. My ds was 11 months when he started nursery 3 days per week. At home he would sleep 1-1.5hrs both morning and afternoon. At nursery he generally only slept 30mins morning and afternoon. He was absolutely shattered by the time I picked him up, it would be home, bath and in bed by 5.30 and he would sleep all the way through to 7.30 - I barely got to see him. On top of which he was far more unsettled at night on nursery days. He was at nursery for 4 months (until I started my mat leave for dd) and it didn't improve in all that time.
My SIL has a dd who is 2.5yrs and has been going to nursery 2 days per week since she was about 7 months. She still doesn't sleep as well at nursery as she does at home and again they find any night wakings tend to be on nursery days.

[MuddlingThru]

Meant to say ds had a grobag and comfort blankie and whilst I am sure it helped him to settle in the first place, didn't stop him from being disturbed.

[FlossALump]

My DS as never really napped since he started at CM's. She never seemed to put him down for a nap iyswim. He will keep going on and on unless you put him to be and then he will go out like a light. He's now 2.4 and although now rarely has naps is totally whacked when he comes home and we often have lots of tears. I hope as she is so young she may start to though?

[monkeymonkeymoomoo]

I take her grobag and her bear (which she sleeps with at home) to nursery so that she knows she is supposed to sleep. Doesn't sound like there is much I can do Just put her to bed as soon as she gets home. Its is only two days a week (wed and thur) but I find on the Friday she is in a hideous mood and really clingy because she is so exhausted.

I hope it will get better when she needs less sleep and drops a nap but mean while we will have to just try and cope with a tired baby...sigh...

[rebelmum1]

I had this problem, and my dd got progressively more tired and never properly recovered from poorly bouts and she didn't start nursery until two. A lingering cough developed into pneumonia in the end and we spent 2 wks in hospital. I now get up at 5.30, start work at 7 and pick her up at 3, I'd pull out and get a childminder instead if not resting properly.

[amidaiwish]

what have the nursery said to you about it? Do ask them for opinions on what can be done - quite often i find some staff just rely on you to tell them what you want done. They don't like to be "proactive" incase you feel they are taking over so do make sure you "empower" them to help solve the problem.

at our nursery they will pat their backs/stroke their hands etc... whatever is needed to get them off to sleep. they gave me some good tips infact as DD1 was a bugger to get to sleep at nap time.

is the room too dark/too bright? what position is her cot in (maybe too near the door for example?) can they give her a bottle to go to bed with? i know not a great idea, but it would help to calm and settle her maybe?

[rebelmum1]

How they create the sleep environment is really important. The nursery my dd is in wheel out travel cots while others play so it's just not condusive to rest. Amidaiwish nursery's approach sounds superb