New nursery sleep legislation

[Chattycatty32]

Help! My baby has always struggled to sleep at nursery but since the new law it's even harder for her to be settled and the nursery staff are struggling. Is anyone else having a similar issues? Are there any nursery staff or parents with any good suggestions?

I’d keep doing what works at home. Babies learn to sleep differently for other people. I can’t see anything that says they can’t rock her.

I agree.

FWIW, DS very very rarely napped at nursery as he had to nap in a cot. Didn't do him any harm and he just went to bed super early until he was 8!

They definitely can't hold them to sleep due to risk of SIDS. I'm not interested in disputing this fact but I'll take on board the comments of suggestions. Thanks everyone for responding. I think she will just have to cry it out. I personally think that babies who go in a cot awake but drowsy are far and few between 😂 I've tried with all 3 of mine and it's never worked

This is reassuring actually

I think the nursery might realise a cry it out policy isn't workable/popular with parents and adapt it!

Yes absolutely, I'm a childminder following the same rules and rock babies, or pat them in the cot or on a mat until they are asleep.

‘Wean her off this level of dependance’?
what are you talking about.
this is a baby who needs nurturing, not a fast track to independence.
im so glad i never had to put my babies into a nursery to learn to fall asleep with no comfort.
Admittedly im more than twenty years out of the loop, but what baby doesn’t deserve some comfort.
madness!

They must put them straight down as soon as their eyes close. I don't have the kind of baby that will stay asleep if put down immediately. She needs more time and the new law says they cannot hold a baby while sleeping

Totally agree with this

That's not what the law says, sounds like it's your nursery's policy. The law is listed in my post above.
They could put her down and continue patting or rocking her in the cot, they could hold her a little longer until she is deeply asleep, they could even take her out for a walk in a buggy and then transfer to a cot once she's asleep, and once she's 12 months they can lie her on a floor mat and sit next to her and pat or rock her.

It says they must be transferred to a flat surface when asleep which means they can't remain in a nursery workers arms.

I guess it's up to the nursery how they choose to interpret it.
I don't think leaving babies to cry it out is either the letter or the spirit of the law. We know that's damaging to babies.
I don't know of any other settings that have chosen to interpret the rules as not comforting or helping babies to sleep.

My kids are young, and rocking them/putting them in a flat pram was said to be fine? The HV saw I did this and never said anything. Why is this dangerous? Genuine question-I know why we put them on their backs while our parents didn't, but why are these things wrong?

The rules for sleeping in childcare settings have been tightened up so under 2s can only sleep in cots or on floor mats.

@Copperoliverbear childminders have to follow the same statutory guidance. They can’t allow them to sleep in a pram and have to have cots or baskets.

OP we always had to place children I. Their back and we were not allowed to use buggies. I’m not sure what kind of places you saw before but this has been going on for a while.

So what we do is we take the babies and will sit between two and pay them to sleep, stroke their faces or some of them just want a sunny and to be left alone.

That’s one child that you have to watch over not 10-15. During sleep time some of them wake up and whilst you’re putting them back to sleep you’re not watching over the others.

Sleep time is also when staff go in their lunch breaks and there are hand overs. It’s also when people clean up after lunch and get activities ready for when they awake.

My dd slept in a bouncer when she was small but I wouldn’t be able to do that at work let small babies sleep in bouncers.

I think this is where you are mis informed.

I worked/work at a setting just currently on maternity leave and we were rocking the babies to sleep and placing them in a flat empty cot to sleep once settled same as those on floor beds we are able to rock or when they are laid flat you place your hand on their tummy and rub/rock them however it is. We also were never allowed to use prams or pushchairs that goes against safe sleep and as for comforters they were allowed them until they fell asleep in our setting and we would then remove and either put in a child’s individual box or to the side where they weren’t on their sleeping bed but were near by incase they woke back up and needed settling.

oh qnd to add to this we have a few babies who would drink a bottle of milk sat with you before being laid down or rocked to sleep so they indeed can also have a bottle of milk they just can’t be laying down with it

Pat them to sleep not pay them to sleep. I need sleep

This is common sense. They would never be able to contact nap in a nursery as the staff have jobs to do other children to watch over or sort out or lunch to go on. In our setting tor under 1s we had a 5 minute timer and would physically check the children at that time and then over 1s it would be 10 minutes however a staff member never leaves the sleep area and is always close by observing and listening out

Your nursery is shite.

My 2 year old still needs a cuddle to sleep ocasionally. Usually he goes to sleep on the mat by himself but sometimes he wants a cuddle and a rock and his teacher does that.

Edited to say unless you mean you expect them to contact nap? That would be ridiculous, they don't have the capacity to do that.

So they’re asleep then. If they wake up when being put down, they’re not asleep.

Right but they can still rock or cuddle them to sleep at first. It sounds like they have interpreted it in a strange way.

I know what you mean though - my baby would never have stayed asleep when put down unless I slid her onto the sofa. That would just wake her up and the nap was over!

Sleeping in a flat pram is fine. Its not dangerous. I think the gov are just trying to cover all basis after some deaths in nurseries (which were not in flat prams).

But of course if say a childminder is out and about, a kid is going to sleep in a pram or buggy.