Worried about baby sleeping at nursery

[SassyPants87]

My baby will be 9/10 months when she goes into nursery. At the moment she has to nap in the dark, with her lullaby playing and being rocked for a short while.

The nursery we want her to go to doesn't have a separate sleep room. They get the baby to sleep either in a cot or bouncer that is actually in the baby room, so baby will be sleeping in light with other babies playing around her.

I'm really worried my baby just won't nap at nursery. Has anyone had any experience with this and found that their babies still sleep well? I know when she goes to the next room up it'll be mats on floor and lights dimmed, which I don't think will be an issue, it's just the baby room that concerns me.

Also did you start to get baby used to noisier and lighter environments during nap time to get the prepared for nursery?

I wouldn't worry about it now personally. They will most likely fall into line, but also if they don't you will find a way to deal with it.

Many parents with babies who e.g. won't eat various things find they eat them quite happily at nursery.

You could try not dimming the light so much now but if it was me I would just let it be as there is no point making a problem now in anticipation of one that may not arise in future?

Weird magic happens at nursery. Somehow they manage to get a whole room of babies to sleep at the same time in a bright noisy environment, with none of the things that make these kids sleep at home. I honestly wouldn’t worry about it, they’ll manage

Nursery nurses are magic, is all I'll say.

Have faith, don't worry about it until there's actually a problem to worry about. Which I doubt there will be, cos nursery nurses are magic I tell ya!

Ha! X post.

Now there's 2 of us saying it, it must be true

Totally agree about the magic. DS used to take hours to get to sleep at home. At nursery, they always put him down and he falls asleep immediately without fail.

My son was 18 months when he started nursery, he would never just fall asleep at home on the sofa or something, he had to be in his cot or pram to nap. I laughed when they showed me the little floor beds they got them to nap on saying he wouldn't sleep on those as he can get up and run around. He did lol.
My husband went to pick him up once and he was fast asleep in a room full of kids playing.
You'd be surprised what nurseries can do haha.

I agree with PP, my DC wouldn't sleep unless they were fed to sleep or rocked to sleep. After being at nursery for a few days they lay down on their mats and went to sleep. (Still had to be rocked/fed by me though). Nurseries are amazing!

Another agreement with PP’s, nurseries are magical places 😂 At home, both my girls needed/need dark rooms, white noise, easily disturbed by other noises etc .. at nursery, they both slept/sleep in a cot in a bright, noisy environment! Admittedly, naps were much shorter. 30-40 minutes each, whereas at home my 14 month old does 2-3 hour naps!

When my eldest moved to the toddler room, I also laughed at the idea she’d lay down & sleep on a mat on the floor. But she happily did. 😂

But if you do happen to have a child where the magic doesn’t work, they have vast childcare experience. Our nursery feeds younger babies to sleep if needed, they have prams they rock if absolutely needed. They will cuddle or stroke a head if that helps a child settle etc! They won’t just leave your baby to get upset & not sleep!

I had exactly the same fears when I started my son at nursery. Honestly though, the staff will be well experienced in getting young ones to sleep. Its pointless to say 'dont worry', because if you're anything like me you'll worry until you see that its ok. It really will be ok though, im convinced nursery staff have special sleep powers 🙂

I will echo PP though, they tend not to sleep as much.

I had this worry and my DD actually would not sleep at nursery. She started at 9 months and most days for the first couple of weeks I would pick her up and they’d say they had tried everything but she wouldn’t sleep. She would of course then fall asleep in the car and have a long nap just before bedtime and then not want to go to bed.

It really stressed me out, I remember thinking I was going to have to give up work just because of it!

Anyway, a few weeks in she finally got it and realised that the other children were sleeping so she might as well too. In the baby/toddler room they put them all down at the same time and even if they didn’t sleep they had to lie doesn’t quietly. I think that’s pretty standard, rather then having kids playing around her.

I agree with others on the nursery magic, for everything!
Sleep, how they behave, what they eat!
Try not to stress and honestly you’ll be amazed how well he does

They are professionals, don't worry. Anyway children adapt really quickly. Admittedly mine never napped at nursery but they weren't full time, they annoying fell asleep around 4.30pm on the bus ride home

As per everyone else, nurseries have weird sleep powers. I guarantee your child will nap there. Because both my absolute non sleepers did. It will be fine.

I agree with the magical nursery sleep powers and such amazing nursery workers. My dc only fed to sleep and needed me next to him at home. At nursery they cuddles him to sleep a few times but then got the hang of it. Did he do that at home though.. Noooii

At home, DD needs a slightly darkened room and to be breast fed. Initially it was to sleep, but as she's gotten older, she's getting better about being put down while awake and falling asleep by herself. But the BF part is still wanted before then.

At nursery, it's a battle between whose powers are stronger. The nursery nurses' sleep or DD's no sleep.

DD has been going to nursery (twice a week, full days) since she was 13 months old (21 months now). She was on 1 nap already by that point, and always after lunch. For the first week or so, they tried putting her down with the other babies before lunch, and she was not having it. Naps were refused entirely. Then they admitted defeat and put her down after lunch, which worked. This was the status quo for a few months until more recently where she started refusing naps again. Again, they threw in the towel, and had to let her go play with the 3-4 year olds as she was keeping the rest of the baby room awake. Recently, they've introduced her to a low bed rather than a cot, that the 2-3 year olds use, and lo and behold she's napping again.

She doesn't nap for as long as she does at home, but at nursery, she does just lie down and go to sleep. She's never ever fallen asleep by herself at home....

So yeah. Don't worry. They'll find a way to get them to sleep. And if it stops working, they'll try other ways until one works. No idea what they do when they're transitioning to fewer naps/no naps, but I guess they'll figure it out then as well.

Nursery staff have wizard powers. They put my children on the mat on the floor and they go to sleep for the next two hours. Absolutely no chance could I recreate that at home.

My DD started nursery around that age and didn’t nap as long as she did at home but they always managed to get her to sleep, even if it took putting her in a pushchair and walking around. Once she settled in she’d happily nap in the little cots they had. All the babies seemed to nap at different times in that room so I’ve no idea how it worked but it did. She’d generally then have a longer nap on days at home with me and weekends.

Don't worry about it: childcare professionals know how to get all children to nap and will want them to.

My daughter would only nap in a moving car with us when she started with her childminder at 8 months. The childminder got her sleeping in a stationary buggy in a dark room. We tried it at home and it never once worked but she napped like that every week day at the childminder's house.

Both my children breastfed to sleep when they started nursery. Within a couple of days they were sleeping beautifully for the nursery nurses. It's the same with food, will my son try a curry or enchiladas at home? Not a chance. At nursery he'll eat it all up.

Totally agree with all said, they are magic. Mine napped for longer at nursery than they did at home!

Mine had his naps in the swing for the first week in nursery (he was only six months and they expect them to be a bit iffy at the start) and then happily conked in his cot thereafter. These days he will sleep on his mat until someone wakes him up, which he never does at home! His greatest hit so far was when he slept for an extra hour while the rest of tiny tots had a dance party round him.

My breastfed to sleep contact napping 11 month old cheerfully goes in a cot at nursery despite never doing that at home. She started about 6 weeks ago and initially they rocked her in the pram but now she goes in the cot like the others.

I have no idea how they do it but I’m glad she gets a good sleep!

Another vote for nursery staff being magical! They can get my toddlers to eat full meals of things they’ve never try for me... I can only dream of such greatness!

DS was too old to nap when he started nursery but I have to agree that nursery nurses are magical and some magic defo happens there. DS will eat anything at all in nursery including cereal which he point blank refuses at home 😂