How can I help my baby adjust to sleeping at nursery?

[FunnyOrca]

Hello,

My baby is starting Nursery in 5 months time. I have perhaps been reading too many bad news stories. I’m very worried about her being able to sleep at Nursery.

Since birth she has needed to either be breastfed to sleep or walked in a carrier/sling. I am very scared she will frustrate the staff by not sleeping or getting over tired, perhaps leading to unsafe sleep as in the recent trial of the tragic incident.

Is there anything anyone would recommend I do now to help with this transition?

Try not to worry about nursery. The unsafe issues you’ve seen in the media are horrific but exceptionally rare. I’ve had two prolifically rubbish sleepers who both needed either contact naps or naps on the move (pram/car) and they both just fell into line at nursery - it’s like they see all the other kids/babies lie down on those little mats and they follow suit. For the first few sessions be prepared that the naps are probably going to be short as they adjust but my now 19 month old quite frequently has 2+ hour naps at nursery just lying on their little mats - absolutely unbelievable compared to at home! Remember these are childcare professionals, it’s their jobs, and they’ve very likely seen it all before. It’s still a while away and 5 months is a long time for your little one to change their habits too. Enjoy your remaining maternity leave!

You've got ages. My DS was only sleeping in the pram/ on me for naps until he was 10 months old then I cracked it before he went at 12 months. I was worried too but it's absolutely fine.

Don’t worry about it. Nursery workers are magic miracle workers who sprinkle sleep dust over babies and they just sleep.

All 3 of mine had sling or pushchair naps with me but slept fine in their little nursery beds independently!

Echoing PP, nursery workers are some kind of miracle workers. Mine wouldn’t / doesn’t sleep with me but nursery can somehow get him to sleep without rocking or feeding to sleep. They also get him to eat when he won’t with me (just wants breast). I had exact same worries as you but after an initial rocky couple of weeks, it’s going really well.

Different environment, different stimulation, different expectations! Most babies will settle to sleep at nursery quickly.

What will help, as you baby gets older and nearer the time, is for you to put them down awake when possible so they learn to drift off without being held and keep to a set schedule. The babies that sleep best with us are ones that have the same nap time each day as they are automatically tired and expecting sleep at that time. Nursery should follow the babies home sleep schedule initially, but don’t be surprised if their sleep schedule does automatically change a bit after starting nursery.

Thank you all. This is reassuring to know it’s a slight phenomenon that babies sleep at Nursery out of “peer pressure”.

Thank you for sharing your professional experience @Bryonyberries that really helps. I don’t want to be an absolute PITA to the Nursery staff. Do you think I should ask them (maybe a month out?) what they want her to be able to do before settling? Or would this seem overbearing?

Here to agree with the others. I was so worried as my daughter is a horrendous sleeper and will fight sleep to the death (still waking hourly at night at 12 months). She would only contact nap or a car nap for 30 mins max, ebf etc. Well we started 6 weeks ago and she goes to sleep.. lies down on the mat and actually goes to sleep I was adamant she wouldn't and even got family to pick her up early at first so she could nap in the car in the afternoon 😅 but I need not have worried!

And I never did anything to prepare as she is totally bf obsessed and will go mental if anyone tried to settle her another way so just gave up trying any other way!

Thank you so much. This describes my dd to a tee! She’s still 7 months but waking every hour, EBF, short contact naps in the day. Hearing your experience is very reassuring.

Nursery workers are miracle workers for nap times! What can help is using the same comfort blanket at home, and getting a version of this for nursery to keep too. Mine loves the same texture in both beds.

I think its really disingenuous to dismiss the hard work that nursery workers and childminders put in to teaching children and babies to sleep independently. Yes some do take to cots and mats well, but the vast majority of contact nappers or poor sleepers are still like that in nursery and are gently sleep trained to sleep where they are supposed to.

I'm not saying parents are to do anything else, but to dismiss the hard work as 'fairy dust' is undermining skilled work.

Neither if my 2 had ever slept without a) being breastfed to sleep of b) in the buggy before they started nursery.

At nursery, we never had an issue!Nursery workers have some sort of (wonderful!) mystical ability! I wouldnt worry at all!

Just seen the comment above - yes, it is clearly skills that I just dont have. It is brilliant... so good that it seems magical!

(I am being very genuine just in case that sounds sarcastic. I had never put a baby down to sleep or changed a nappy before I had my DC. The ladies at nursery have fantastic skills and amazing patience)

Also echoing what others have said. My DD started nursery in April at 9 months old, sleep never seems to be an issue there and they've got her into a routine of a nap at 10ish and then another at 1ish! Shes always delightful when I pick her up but nice and tired for a 7.30pm bedtime. We sent in a sleep sack and a dummy for her.

Getting through the nights is a different issue though 😅

Totally agree, I hate this 'nursery magic' nonsense!

It's sleep training, nursery and childminders are good at it because we've done it a lot but it can be really hard work. Especially when the child only comes 2-3 days a week so you have to restart every week.
Crying babies are no fun for anyone. Maybe some babies 'just see everyone else lie down on a mat and do the same' but they must be pretty rare.

I would definitely prepare your baby by having some kind of comforter for sleep times that they can bring with them from home.
And try to vary the way they fall asleep so they're not only reliant on feeding to sleep.

But yes, most of the time childcare workers will be able to sleep train eventually.