Is it normal for nurseries to expect children under 1 to only have 1 nap a day?

[BlameItOnTheBogey]

Really confused at the moment. DS is meant to be starting nursery soon. Just found out that all the babies are put down for a nap at the same time after lunch. Nothing in the morning. Just don't know how he will last that long - at the moment he has two good long naps a day of about 90 mins each one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Is this really normal and can little ones survive on so little daytime sleep?

Just wanted to thank you all for your kindness and advice on this thread. Here's a brief update; We went back today for his second settling in session and it was hugely, hugely better. I addressed the sleep question with them head on and they have agreed to let him sleep as and when he needs to (they told me that some parents don't like this so they don't do it as a matter of course). I also had time to sit down with the person who will be responsible for him and talk about what he needs/ likes. And most importantly, I saw the staff interacting with the children and there is no question that they are great and the kids all seem happy. So I am feeling much better now. I'll keep an eye on it for the next couple of weeks and DH and I have agreed that at the first sign that it isn't working, we would find another alternative.

that sounds so much better

At my nursery (Iown and manage it) we follow ofsted and EYFS guidelines.
This means you follow the routine of the child, not the nursery. Even without these guidelines we would follow the needs of the child. Children sleep when they want to, babies have own routines with regard to feeds etc
Yournursery harks back to the old days when all children get their nappies done at the same time for eg
Our baby room only has 9 under twos as I dont believe babies should be cared for in large groups, in the old ofsted and early years it used to say groups of no more than 12 but now you can have as many as you like in a room. maybe big nurseries (theres one near us that can have 30 under twos in one room)have to have this very strict routine otherwise they couldnt manage it.....

BlameItOnTheBogey - sound like they were having an off day!

In regards to routine, yes - most nurseries have them! I work in quite a big baby room (21 under 2s, in two sections) and there is a routine of meals, nappy changes and sleep. However, if a child has a dirty nappy they are changed immediately - they don't wait til the next scheduled change. If a child needs to sleep in the morning then they do, they don't wait til the scheduled afternoon nap.

Lots of parents do want to limit naps though - many of the children aren't allowed to sleep in the mornings, can only nap for half an hour etc. A few HAVE to go down for a nap even if they don't need/want it. We always follow parent's wishes.

Wow - it still seems like a lot of babies trying to sleep, play, etc. to me!

I've never come across this for babies under 1 :/ usually in the baby unit the babies have naps when they're tired. At least they do at the nursery I work at!

at my dd's nursery, all the toddlers (21+ mo) sleep at the same time after lunch. But in the baby room they completely accommodate any routine you wish wrt milk feeds, sleep, etc (although solid food mealtimes are fixed).

Even for toddlers, if a different routine was required they would try to accommodate it - using the baby sleep room, or a quiet corner of the toddler room, for example. My dd dropped her naps very early and they now keep her entertained in another room while her toddler friends sleep!

ours is a big nursery btw - about 20 babies in one big room, and 20 toddlers in another, plus a third room for 3-5 yo.

Baby room has its own mini-kitchen for bottle warming etc, and a separate "sleep room" with cots, mats on the floor and curtains to keep the light low. They gave us a form to fill out dd's daily routine when she started and they stuck to that. They change nappies at fixed times (to make sure they get around all the babies regularly, I suppose) but also change dirty nappies as soon as they happen.

most baby rooms cater to the baby's routine and as they head towards one or the next room up they begin to get them into that rooms routine also known as the nursery routine which is usually different for every room but basically runs on the same schedule usually ranging with a 30 min difference

I wouldn't expect that with the babies. My nursery followed dd3's routine - she was over 1 but still in the baby room when she started there.. Gradually she stopped napping in the morning and they were then able to fit her nap into their usual schedule.