CM and DCS sleeping arrangements

[Greatfun]

DS (16 months) is due to start at a CM for 3 days a week soon. One thing thats bothering me is the sleep arrangements. DS sleeps once or twice a day normally at about the same times. When I asked about nappnig she said the children sleep whenever and normally on the sofa. She said she had a travel cot but seemed a bit reluctant to use this. Do you think I ma being unreasonable to expect her to be catering a little more for young childrens sleeps. I understand she is in and out all day doing trips out and school/nursery runs but I still think she should be able to factor in an hour or so for DS to have a sleep. I am really worried how DS will cope if he doesn't get enough sleep or am I just being but PFB?

She could use a bed guard on the sofa to stop a falling-off accident, that might help, although a travel cot is not very large.

She really ought to be taking your wishes into account as well.

It's tricky trying to balance the needs of the age ranges cared for; perhaps she thinks that your child will sleep in the buggy when out and about?

She may not be registered to use her bedrooms for the minded children.

You need to talk to her again I think.

Thats too young to be sleeping on the sofa, I mind 2 16 month olds and have them in a similar routine so thay sleep in a double buggy in the afternoon, I take them for a walk after lunch and they're fast asleep. They will also have a short nap in the car in the morning on the way to groups etc.When a new chld starts I always try to stick to the routine that the child is used to, it helps them settle quickly, when you've got to know the child thats when you can try to adapt a routine that suits everyone. I would want a bit more information, has she not asked what your childs routine is? I always ask to make sure we can all fit in together.

Hi,

I think you need to speak to your CM again and agree a plan re sleep. I'm a CM and always ensure we have enough time for the little ones to sleep, I only have my DD (21months) and one minded boy (just over 2), and we have a really active morning, followed by lunch then nap time, until recently my mindee used to sleep in a travel cot in my eldest daughter's room but he is quite tall and seemed to findit uncomfy, so he now sleeps on the sofa BUT we still have routine nap time. His mum was happy with this, he is much more comfortabale and still getting the sleep he needs.

Hope you manage to sort it out.

Lisa

i find it very weird that cm's allow their mindess to sleep on a sofa and not in a bed/cot/travel cot etc

why would a cm not register her bedrooms?

I find that if I mind a young baby they will get used to a travel cot, but older babies often get distressed at being left in a strange room. They are not used to the bedroom so it's often easier to get them off to sleep in a room they know, either on the sofa or in a pushchair.

The CM has her upstairs gated off which I can understand as it must limit the damage/mess/trying to keep your eyes on both upstairs and downstairs. I will talk to her again. He would sleep in the buggy but unless he is undisturbed for at least an hour I don't think he would be getting enough rest. I really like her but she does seem to have alot of kids - she's regstered for 4 under 5s plus she has at least 2 or 3 after school kids. Now I am wondering whether I should try it out or go for the nursery option. Seems a shame as that would mean separating him from his sister. DH thinkhs we should try it out for a month and see how it goes.

I have two travel cots up permanenetly in spare bedrooms, and a spare room with a proper full size cot and single bed if needed.

A new mindie will go in a travel cot in the sitting room or dining room, until I learn their sleep pattern, - dropping off and waking up etc. They will then progress to one of the cots upstairs.

I will always plan around a new minded child until they are well settled with sleep, meal routine etc, and then shift it about to suit the whole setting, but always making sure they have one good long sleep a day.

No way would my baby be sleeping on a sofa.

Totally wrong imo at that age.

i understand having upstairs gated off - no one wants mess up stairs and down stairs assume she would have stair gates anyway being a registered cm

but still dont get why the mindee doesnt have a proper place to sleep - surely all ofsted registered cm's should have this?

and 4 under 5 as well as 2/3 older children means from 3.30ish she could have 7 to entertain/look after and prob means your 16mth wont have much time with cm and def not 1 to 1 interaction

I was worried when my CM expressed great reluctance in putting her travel cot up. DD similar age to your LO, and goes two days a week. My CM's flat is small and her bedrooms unregistered. DD sleeps in her buggy in the kitchen. At first I was quite unhappy about this, but DD seems fine, is well-rested when I pick her up, and there is the added advantage that she sleeps brilliantly in her buggy for me when I am out and about.It can be amazing what kids get used to. I also felt it was better than at nursery where they nap at the same time every day, whether it suits them or not; at the CM DD goes for a sleep whenever she is tired, which varies a lot. She seems to be thriving.

TBH I think the sofa idea is a bit odd- surely a 16 month old could fall off? Why not safely in a buggy?

Have you taken references from other parents, to see how they feel about the sleeping arrangements?

No way I'll make sleep my mindees on the sofa. I have 2 bedrooms in which there are 2 travel cots and I do my best to respect their routines.

why wouldnt a cm register her bedrooms

just seems a bit weird to me

surely if you are a cm, you would register all of your rooms,ormaybe not a study etc, but def bedrooms

a bedroom is a place to sleep - not a sofa (tho as my man is snoring on the sofa at the moment - mr blondes may disagree about that)

I think you need to make your wishes known. Cm may not be lucky enough to have spare bedrooms to use. It also will vary from situation to situation on what will work. I have one mindee who sleeps fantasticly well upstairs on her own in a travel cot. Second mindee however despite numerous tries never settled up there and disturbed first mindee so she sleeps in a lie flat pushchair in kitchen/diner. She seems happier and settles right to sleep if she can hear me pottering about My own ds age 2 dosen't always sleep these days but he has the sofa. I always make time for sleep, it's not fun being with a cranky tired child so it's in everyone's best interests that sleep is given a fairly high priority.

I would speak to her again that you are not too happy about the sofa option, and would prefer either buggy or travel cot if this is possible ?
I always talk to new parents about sleep routines and preferences at the very beginning, as there may be some you just cannot accomodate depending on the routine you already have with other children. Most of mine that still have naps fall asleep in buggy when out and about, but I do have a travel cot to put up in a bedroom upstairs when it is needed or preferred. I personally would not be happy to put a 16 mo old to sleep on a sofa. If they fell asleep in buggy I would recline in buggy or take out and put to bed in cot.

Ofsted actually asked me about a child sleeping in a buggy once, (the child had fallen asleep on way back from schoolrun),she told me that no child should sleep in buggy,they should all have travel cot to sleep in.

Like Ali I Have two proper cots in the children's room plus two travel cots if the are needed, babies start downstairs then go upto the proper cots.

The tinier ones often fall asleep for 15/30 mins in the morning either on the way to school oron the way to activities, then they all go to bed for anything up to 2 hours in their cots after lunch, which means that lunch is early (11.30) so that they get their full requirement of sleep before the school run in the afternoon.

oh, so you cant just put up a travel cot in your/your dd/ds bedroom then?

I put travel cot in my 2 yr olds room as that room is registered for use with ofsted and is 100% safe. I wouldn't put a travel cot in my older boys rooms or my bedroom as they are not registered with ofsted and are rooms that are out of bounds to minded children as not 100% safe. If a toddler woke up and managed to climb out of the travel cot I wouldn't want them in those rooms as there might be small bit and pieces, toiletries etc.

I think the CM would be able to put a cot up in the front room. As I say I really liek her but am some what perturbed by the number of kids she has with her. Its not so bad during the day as although she had 4 under 5, 3 of these go to nursery for 2.5 hours a day so sometimes its just DS and DD and sometimes its DS and the other kids whilst DD is at nursery. I am toying with the idea of getting a nanny but that would be ££££.

It sounds as though you're having second thoughts about this particular childminder. If I was you I'd have another look and see if you can find one you'd be happier about leaving your DS with. Or have another chat with her about the things that concern you to see if she can accomodate your wishes or reassure you.

HAve you checked on her certificate that she is registered to have 4 under 5s at one time? Most are only allowed one.

I wouldn't be happy with a sofa arrangement. And I don't think Oftsed would be.

Would your 16 month old actually stay on a sofa and go to sleep? My children certainly wouldn't stay put. I'm dreading dd2's progression to a bed (and therefore the freedom to get up and play rather than sleep).

I think the norm is 3 under 5 Nicky, and 1 under 1.

I am a childminder and none of my bedrooms are registered, I was advised when registering that I would need to be able to escape in the event of fire from the bedroom. I currently have 3 under 5's of which one is my dd of 4 years, however in September I will have 3 under 3's plus dd plus another 3 year old once a week due to a variation. I ask the parents about sleep routine, my dd never slept in a cot other than at night, she always slept whilst out and about, in her buggy. I have parents that would prefer buggy and of they want travel cot then I put it up in a downstairs room. I agree , you need to talk to her again.

EYFS says that a Cot is only necessary when the child is staying overnight.

Children can sleep on the floor (on a mat), in a buggy.

I find that children often will change their sleeping pattern when in the care of someone else. At 16 months, your child may have a short nap whilst in the buggy/car whilst on a morning outing. They may have a longer nap in the afternoon, either at the CM's home or whilst out.

Ofsted seem to vary their view on sleeping in buggies. This Google Search will enable you to read a selection of Ofsted reports - due to how Ofsted change their site from time to time, you may need to read the Google Cache version.

In a report about a nursery (note: not a CM) Ofsted raised the issue of sleeping in a buggy as the inspector felt it didn't promote good health. However I feel a nursery setting is different to a childminder... at a nursery you could reasonably expect there to be a cot room for example.