Sleep at nursery

[BJR]

DS is 13m and has been at nursery 3 days a week (8am to 6pm) for just over 5 months. He will not sleep there, on the odd day they get him down he sleeps for 20mins then wakes crying.

By afternoon he is usually too tired to eat, tearful and won't play instead runs round frantically and frequently falls as he is so tired. When I take him home he usually falls asleep in the car and just cries while I get him ready for bed. As he hasn't eaten in the afternoon he wakes hungry in the night.

At home he naps no problem but sleeps for most of the day on his first day home to catch up. At Christmas he was off nursery for two weeks, during this time he became much more settled got into a good routine was sleeping through and eating better. Seeing the difference it made to him made me feel very bad about sending him back to nursery.

The nursery have no suggestions, so does anyone have any ideas of how I can help him sleep there?

Does he have a blanket or soft toy he can take?

Can they rock him in a bouncer and then transfer him into a cot?

Can they get him to sleep in a pushchair?

It's not acceptable that he doesn't sleep all day and I'd be looking for an alternative! I was really particular about my children's sleep patterns.

He takes a soft toy that he sleeps with at home. They have said they try rocking him to sleep and that it doesn't really work, part of me doesn't believe they are actually doing it though. I have suggested push chair as a last resort but they are not keen, although have got them to agree to try it if I put it in writing.

Do they keep a diary for you so you can see when they are trying to get him down for a nap? If they arent, might be worth asking. Do they try at the same time as he naps at home?
A lot of nurseries will just do a single nap after lunch once they reach 1yo but for some babies this can be too much at such a young age i.e they very much need 2 naps still & they just get overtired. If they arent already i would ask them to try your tried & tested naptimes.

Like pp said a favourite comforter or sleeping bag is a good idea. Its also worth considering the sleeping environment at nursery - is it different to how he settles & sleeps at home ie is the room where he sleeps quiet & dark or bright & noisy? & you say they try rocking him etc but is this what you do at home?

My ds started nursery at same age, at home wld sleep in cot in sleeping bag in blacked out room, but at nursery babies were expected to sleep in the room with the other children playing, it was bright & the staff would stand over him or rock him whereas he would self settle at home. I asked them to put him in the toddler room for his nap (which was blacked out) & for them to settle him exactly as i did at home ie tuck him in & if he's not crying leave him to it. Soon as they did this his naps improved.x

Childminder?