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DD having tiny naps at the Childminders

7 replies

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 08/09/2012 19:16

At home, 9mo DD goes down into her pram in her bedroom in the dark for her naps. She generally goes down two hours after she wakes in the morning and will sleep for 1.5/2 hours. She then has a little (45mins to an hour) nap in the afternoon. She doesn't nap while out and about, so will stay awake if out in the pram anywhere.

She has recently started at the CMs and naps there are also taken in the pram, however the house has nowhere dark for her to sleep. She still goes to sleep, but has around 20 mins a time (two sleeps still).

She has, as a result (I think) started waking in the night once or twice. On days when she gets her full naps, she sleeps 6.30pm-7am. I work shifts so sometimes am in in the morning for her to have a long nap with me but there will be days when she is at CMs all day, and will need both naps there.

Is it worth me trying to 'train' her to sleep in a lighter room? Or will she eventually just get used to light roomed sleeps at the CMs?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
fififrog · 08/09/2012 21:05

I would just try not to worry about it. I was beside myself with worry about DD's napping when she started at nursery at 9 months and I was still cuddling her to sleep fairly often. For a couple of months it was really hit and miss but she settled down in the end. Apparently she would sometimes take herself off to lie down on a cushion and go to sleep!!! I worried again when she went up to the toddler room as there is no flexibility but the other day (she is now nearly 18mo and can be a right pickle about naps) they told me "she's so good she always goes straight to sleep"!

The other thing is that sometimes in the baby room she would be asleep when I went to pick her up (that or snivelling in the corner because she was so exhausted) because she had slept so little in the day and she had dropped her late afternoon nap at 6 months. It was all fine - if you just put her to bed early to compensate it'll be ok.

Hope it sorts soon, and that the night wakings reduce.

JeewizzJen · 08/09/2012 21:07

How long has she been with the CM? It took my 14mo DS a good couple of months to start taking 'proper' length naps with our CM, I think it was just the new environment took a bit of getting used to. I couldn't say whether it does or doesn't affect his night time sleeping though, he still wakes every 3-4 hours...

lucidlady · 08/09/2012 21:11

Would it be worth buying a snooze shade or similar for the pram? That way it's still dark.

Feel your pain, my DD's naps were awful after she started at the CM. she's 10mo now and seems to only have 1 nap a day?! Have you talked to the CM about it?

Needalifeagain · 08/09/2012 21:20

Where do the childminders other mindees sleep? Would she possibly sleep better in a cot in a dark bedroom?

omama · 08/09/2012 21:28

I second what pp's say that it will take a little time for her to settle into her new environment. When DS started nursery at 13months he would take 2-2.5hr naps at home, but in his first week at nursery he had 30min naps. Each week they got a little longer & after 4-5weeks (bearing in mind he only went 1 day/week) his naps were as good there as at home. I did what I could to ensure his sleeping environment was similar so sent his sleeping bag & his favourite cuddly toy & they would put him down in the blacked out toddler nursery instead of in the brightly lit baby room.

You could always send a snoozeshade for her pram or a groblind for the CM to put up at the window?

pegster · 08/09/2012 21:43

My 11m DS is the same, just started at the childminder 2 w ago and not napping for longer than 30 minutes when can have up to 2 hours at home. Doesn't seem to be affecting his night-time sleeps so far though, still doing 7.30 - 7. Am hoping it's just a settling in thing as he's over-excited being with other kids.
Give it some more time before you worry about it, at least that's what I'm doing!

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 08/09/2012 22:12

Hopefully she wil get used to the environment. Her buggy is good, it has a zip at the back of the hood so it unzips and opens over the seat covering her and blocking out some light (but not all).

The other mindees all sleep in their buggies in the same room as DD but theres only one other 'littly' who rarely naps now (2.4).

Fingers crossed they stretch out longer.

I suppose it's so new, and there are playmates and lots of different toys, so she probably prefers being awake Grin

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