1 year old napping outside?

[bigmamama]

Hi, so my 1 year old Ds started nursery today as I have just started a new job. He had a couple of settling in sessions which seemed fine, he done 4 hours yesterday and then had his first full day today while I was at work.
My issue is, I got an update on the app of him napping outside on what seemed like a mat on the floor, he had what looked like a blanket covering him but that's it?
Now I immediately sent the picture to my husband in an angry look at this it's terrible way, for him to respond, "yeah he seems fine" I think its awful that they didn't take him inside and put him in a cot. Am I over reacting?
It was a pleasant enough day and it was sunny, not sure on the temp as Iv been inside all day, but I just feel really put off by it and I feel reluctant to send him back again. Or am I just being unreasonable?

All my dc have or still do nap outside. I've always thought it was a very healthy thing to do and they're all pretty robust.

What were the other children doing while your child napped? I can’t find anything that you’ve posted that says you know this. When I worked in nurseries it was common to try to get as many of the dc napping at the same time as possible to enable staff breaks to take place. Maybe all the dc were asleep on mats around your dc, you just couldn’t see them.

It is far better for all dc to be outside at the moment. I’m surprised we haven’t had school classes our on the school fields doing work tbh, but apparently it doesn’t work (no idea why not, it used to work when I was a child?).

Id be really surprised if your baby had fallen asleep if they were uncomfortable or if there was too much going on around them, especially on their first day. It’s plenty warm enough outside for a baby to nap, especially with a blanket, you even say it was sunny. You should be really pleased your baby felt relaxed enough to fall asleep somewhere different with people they didn’t know. You are obviously raising a content baby.

@Titslikepicassos

My 9mo goes to a forest nursery and sleeps in a hammock in the woods. Was a major selling point tbh.

It's sold it to me and I'm nothing like a 9 month old baby.

I would feel uneasy too OP.

Tbh (and this is an unpopular opinion) I’m not a fan of nurseries and rows of cots, rows of mattresses on the floor and rows of high chairs either though. In fact I think it would be even preferable to be outside surrounded by other children than that.

I think you should ask to see where the mattresses outside are placed and then decide if it’s the right place for your baby. A smaller place or a child minder in a home from home setup might be something to consider?

It's honestly better for them being in the fresh air (not just because of Covid). Vit D, less bugs and and just tires them out. It's a good sign that he was relaxed enough to nap. I get why if it wasn't explained to you that they could sleep outside you might have been surprised when you got the pic though.

Another person baffled your child has never slept outside. We don't even have a garden, and I used to take DS and a blanket across the road to the park, put him down to sleep, and get some yoga done/read my book/eat my breakfast. Bliss.

I'd expect him to be put in the baby sleeping room and left with a baby monitor/camera which I know they do have. Whilst the staff are outside supervising the other kids.

It was his first day. He obviously felt comfortable with the member of staff who sang to him rather than being taken in and left (potentially crying and waking up the other kids). If you’re in the UK it’s been sunny and warm this week in most areas so he wouldn’t have been cold, especially with a blanket. He couldn’t catch a cold from sleeping outside - fresh air is good for him (and better for the other kids than having someone with a green snotty nose snuggled up with them indoors). YABU. The fact that they sent you a pic was meant to reassure you that he was relaxed and comfortable. If he’d been in any discomfort or peril they wouldn’t have left him there and they certainly wouldn’t have photographed it and sent it to you!

Be thankful he was relaxed and happy enough to chill out with the lovely member of staff who sang him to sleep while holding his hand and still keeping an eye on other DCs playing. Sounds like they went above and beyond.

As much as we all like to think that our child is the centre of the universe, they really aren't to anybody but us. Nursery staff have a lot of children to get to know and look after. Your expectation that they will remember, learn and follow your exact nap routine while looking after multiple children is extremely unrealistic. Whose child should they have ignored while they were following your instructions on how you prefer to put your baby to sleep? Maybe they couldn't follow your exact specifications as they were too busy following someone else's on how to get their child to sleep. Your child will soon learn that ABC happens at home and XYZ happens at nursery. They are never going to be able to replicate your home, bedroom, mealtimes, playtimes, etc and it's ridiculous to expect them to even consider this. They do what works for them.

Be pleased he is settling in well and can sleep out in the fresh air while you all still can.
Nature over a cot any day! Vitamin D
These centres have strict rules I'm sure they know what is acceptable or correct
One thing I love about daycare is they change things and adapt to the child
Let me tell you the first year in a childcare centre is snotty noses and your usual head colds we had about 8. Your child will build immunity.
Experiences and exploration is healthy for a child.
I hope they have a online photo app or book of daily activities so you soon see it's all about fun too.
You will adjust to your time apart letting other ways of caring for your child is good for both of you.

I think it sounds lovely. Like you said the staff put him to sleep outside, it’s not like he’s fallen asleep exhausted in a corner. In the nursery I work in, we put children to sleep on mats in the garden (weather depending and in the shade). Are you sure other children were playing outside at the time? I can see the issue with that tbh especially if your dc didn’t sleep for as long as usual.

If you are unhappy you need to speak to the nursery.

But if this has upset you, then maybe this isn't the right nursery as you will encounter many worse (in my opinion) things than this. How lovely as a baby to fall asleep outside with someone singing to them....
and as a heads up. Nurseries take babies out in colder and wetter weather than this....

Mats are used a lot in nurseries. Personally I never use the I use a cot. X

It sounds like such a lovely nursery. Lovely fresh air and being sung to sleep....perfect for little ones!!

How is he going to catch a cold from being outside?! Actually the very opposite is true and children in Sweden who sleep outside at nursery all the time have hardly any coughs/colds etc. Sounds perfect to me, you're being oversensitive

It wont hurt him to sleep outside.

You also dont catch a cold from being outside/cold. A cold is a virus, you catch it from an infected person.

Staff will have been supervising so the baby wont bang into anything.

I know if babies fall asleep on a walk then the parent may leave them outside in their pram for a while.

Sounds like a lovely nursery with really caring an attentive staff. Mine slept outside for most of his naps from about 6 months old. He’s only started napping in his cot very recently and he’s 2! They have mats on the floor at his nursery for all children (they take babies from 3 months) and would never leave a baby or child alone to nap.

As others have said, he wouldn’t have fallen asleep if he was cold. Not sure where you are but it’s been in the low-mid 20s all day here! Presumably you provided appropriate clothes for the temperature today (including for outdoors as most nurseries go outside for at least part of the day) AND they covered him with an extra layer.

I really can’t understand what the issue is?

It sounds idyllic to me, and probably calmer and quieter than being indoors. If you have a garden, maybe try letting him sleep outside at home too?

Ok so this isn't my first child or my first nursery.
I was asked to write my child's routine down and his likes/dislikes etc. I don't expect his whole routine to be replicated or down to a T, however I do expect to have some comfort to him on his first day, of his usual routine.

I think her message sounds lovely

It’s understandable you feel anxious you have just started back at work and your da at nursery. He will get lots of colds and bouts of having a runny nose that’s what happens when they start nursery

He will be fine and having a nap out side is better all that fresh air will be good for him

Classic AIBU. "Am I being unreasonable?" "Yep." "NO I'm not!"

And now you've alluded to there being other issues (that you didn't mention in the original post) so that you can prove how not unreasonable you are...

He was safe, being monitored, comfortable enough to fall asleep, staff sound lovely and attentive, fresh air is nice and it was nice weather. The only 'advantage' of being in a cot in a baby room with a monitor is so that they can be watched and be comfortable. Sounds like he was both. I doubt they just leave babies lying about to trip over.

Are you an inside detached from nature type of person? If so, I could understand your concerns.

What exactly were you worried about? He slept outside, on his first day, and this is concerning because......

I don’t think YABU OP, I would find this weird and be very uncomfortable... but I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to my kids so wouldn’t put my one year old to nursery all day (or at all actually, it would just make me very anxious). I don’t know if you can have it both ways though... if you choose to put your child to nursery I think you are going to have to relinquish control over what happens to him during the day, I’m afraid.

@bigmamama

Ok so this isn't my first child or my first nursery. I was asked to write my child's routine down and his likes/dislikes etc. I don't expect his whole routine to be replicated or down to a T, however I do expect to have some comfort to him on his first day, of his usual routine.

His usual routine probably wouldn't have worked. He was in a completely new environment. New noises, new smells and new people.

The best thing staff can do on a child's first day is go with the child's cues and it really sounds like that's what he did.

Surely far better to be rocked to sleep with the staff singing while he watched the other children if he was happy and content with that rather than sticking to his routine for the sake of it?

If he wasn't comfortable he wouldn't have slept. I think napping on his first day is actually a really good sign. None of mine napped on day 1 in any childcare.

Get a grip or specify what the problem is so someone can resolve it.

I'd be so happy if my dd was allowed to nap outdoors at nursery! It's not cold..its not raining. Fresh air is better for them!