How important is a separate area for sleeping for babies?

[thomasina1]

I have looked at a few nurseries for DD who will be 10 months when she starts. Some have a separate room with proper cots for naps whereas others just use travel cots or mats in the baby room. I have no idea what DD's napping will be like as she gets older but could anyone give me an idea of how important it is to have a separate sleeping area for babies?

I would expect babies under 18 months to be in cots, in a separate room (with a chart for who is in there and how long they sleep for, plus an intercom with the main baby room). They should also have seperate linen for each child (if children share cots), and if a child is in nursery 3+ days a week I'd expect them to have a designated cot. They need to be able to accomodate the different sleeping routines of babies - which it's not possible to do if they are sleeping in the main activity room.

Above 18 months I think it's ok for them to sleep on mats, as by then most children are having a regular long lunchtime nap and don't need morning or afternoon naps.

Well that's my opinion anyway, and what worked with DS (who was in nursery from 8mo).

I worked in a toddler room at a local day nursery with the 1-2's mainly and we had small mats on the floor in the main room as all the children went to sleep after lunch. they had their own sheets which which were cleaned regularly and blankets too and had their comforters if needed. We turned of all the lights and played classical or light music to get them to sleep. I as a nursery nurse prefer mats as you can try and help 2 children get to sleep at the same time through rocking, patting and stroking them which is restrictive with cots and also means that you can get them to sleep faster - have you tried getting 11 1 year olds to sleep! It's manic! I also prefer mats as they can be folded up and put away so you have more space to play rather than being restricted to a small area due to bulky cots. I have worked in a nursery where they had cots but it was a palava to make them up and also affected staff members backs by leanng over them to lie babies/toddlers down.

If your child was between 3-10 months I would say go for a nursery with cots in a seprate room, but from 10-12 months most nurseries will try and get babies ued to sleeping on mats so that they are ready when they move up to the next room.

My DS doesn't settle easily anywhere unless he's in a cot. That was on of the top requirements on my list for a nursery - that they had a separate, quiet and dark sleep room. Thank goodness the nursery I love has this! He's almost 15 months old and sleeps ok in nursery. There's no way he will sleep if he can see and hear children playing! BUT I have also noticed that he is falling asleep more easily in other places than his cot such as the car and easier to transfer him between places. So I imagine that by the time he gets to 18 months, he should be able to sleep on a mat etc. Like you said, you don't know how your DD will be BUT at 10 months, she will need her sleep and I would try to go for somewhere with a calm, quiet sleep room with proper cots.

I don't like the idea of a separate room at all, at least for the youngest ones. I didn't choose a nursery for my son because of that - I was scared he would stop breathing and the nursery staff wouldn't know because he was tucked away with a baby alarm (complete waste of space in my view - when we had one at home for oh all of a day I used to hear him cry/mumble long before I heard it on the baby alarm - biggest waste of £50 ever). Definitely better to have sleeping area in corner of same room (with cots). When they're older they can sleep on a mat.

I think a separate room - I remember my toddler being told to "shush" once because the younger children were sleeping in the same room she was just starting her afternoon session in.

Hiya, when my ds started nursery 4 years ago (he's still there) there were about 4 cots in the main baby play room. He went full-time, and had a designated cot which he would sleep in. Ds only used to sleep for about half an hour at a time in the main baby room, so shorter than he slept at home, but it never bothered him, he just had more naps !! He moved up to the next room at 15 months and then slept in a darkened room on a mat, he would then sleep for over an hour but only once a day.

I then had dd1 and she started at the same nursery at 10 months. By then they had had an extension and they had a separate dark sleep room with designated cots for the children. Dd1 used to sleep for much longer in there than ds had done previously, but it didn't make much difference to her overall happiness - they've both loved nursery !! By then I was only doing 4 mornings, rather than full-time (and 4/5 evenings in a different job though).

I also now have dd2 at nursery (ouch, the fees for three !) and she tends to sleep in the baby swing for an hour and a half in the main room.

So, they have all been different but they've all been very happy and the sleeping arrangements have made no difference (I think the staff have it easier with a separate room as the children sleep longer !) I would make my choice based on gut feeling/staff turnover/outside play area/hygiene etc etc and would not worry about cots in main room or separate. Almost all children will sleep on mats after about 15 months ish, and as you are probably talking about the next 3+ years at nursery, I wouldn't worry about the next 5 months......

Good luck choosing

My nursery has the under ones rocked to sleep in prams/buggies. I wasn't sure at first but they said it was a sure fire way of ensuring sleep and avoiding overtiredness. MY DS and DD both did this and had long sleeps they're snuggled down with their own blanket rocked if needed and parked in corner, but there is the option of a travel cot if you prefer. From 14 months they did the mats in darkened room after lunch scenario and again slept well.

My DS started (at 6 months) with a cot in a separate part of the main room. I was concerned about this - but to be honest he never even noticed. Also, although he (still continues to) used a dummy at home - they didn't bother at the nursery, and blow me, if he never even complained. He slept the right amount at the right time. Babies adapt. I'm sure that the nursery will have a list of who is having a nap, how long they're down for, a note of which blanket belongs to whom, and cleans them all properly. Now my DS is 2.5 at the same nursery and has a lie down/short nap in the main over 2s room (they just partition off part of it) and he's fine with that. Hasn't, of course, stopped me creeping round the house really quietly when he sleeps at home!

Don't think it is important, at our nursery about 8 babies aged 1-2 all go down together in the main room, it is part of their routine. Mostly on mats but the little babies in cots. If the little ones need extra sleeps they go in the cots while the others play.