Sleep Training and Daycare
One of the biggest obstacles parents face is what do when they send their little ones to daycare.
Whether you have already gotten your baby on a carefully planned nap schedule or you are planning on starting one, a problem obviously arises if your daycare provider does not follow that same schedule.
In the latter scenario, parents have a little bit more leeway, and I always suggest that they look around and try their best to find a daycare that follows at least a similar schedule as the one the parents are comfortable with.
After all, sleep is such a crucial element of your little one’s development, and their day-to-day life, that it should be a primary concern when you are choosing where they will be spending their day, so I am a huge advocate of shopping around until you find one that is on the same page as you for naps.
Unfortunately, there are a finite number of daycare providers in any given area, so that might not be an option. Or maybe your little one has already started going to daycare and they only put the kids down for one nap a day.
In this instance, the most important thing to do is communicate what you are okay with. Let them know that you have been working on a naptime schedule and ask if they can accommodate the times you have been working with. If they agree, great! Many daycares are happy to have a baby that sleeps a lot, and are always happy to have one that goes to sleep easily. Champion sleepers are welcomed everywhere they go!
It is also important that you let them know if you are alright with a little bit of crying while baby falls asleep, because if you do not tell them otherwise, they will almost always soothe baby to sleep in one way or another as soon as they start to make some noise.
Some daycares, however, have a policy regarding crying, and will pick baby up and soothe them as soon as they start crying regardless of your instructions. This can be frustrating if you know your little one will fall asleep after 45 seconds of fussing, but if it is the policy of the daycare, there is not much you or the staff can do about it, so it is best to just focus on how to minimize the effect they have on the program.
Also, let the daycare providers know what you would prefer as far as “sleep props” go, and what you would prefer they avoid. If you have just broken a serious pacifier habit, tell them about it and ask that they avoid offering pacifiers. If baby has got a strong association between rocking and falling asleep, ask that they soothe baby without picking her up. Again, most daycare providers are happy to make some arrangements with parents if it means a happy, sleeping baby and a happy, satisfied parent.
The good news is that babies are quite often able to distinguish, somewhat, between what happens at daycare and what happens at home, as far as sleep routines are concerned. They have an easier time realizing that, even though they might have gotten rocked to sleep in the one environment, it does not necessarily mean they will be getting the same treatment at home, so bear that in mind when you are deciding how much diversion from the plan you are willing to accept.
The other silver lining is that nap time sleep is not quite as deep and “high-quality” as nighttime sleep. The night is when baby really gets the good hours of rejuvenation and restorative effects of a solid snooze, so even though they might be missing out on some nap time, it is not as bad as if they were not getting those hours at night. You might just need an earlier bedtime to make up for less naptime.
I am not usually big on making exceptions to the rules, as routine is such an important part of a baby’s sleep, but sometimes you just have to shrug your shoulders and accept the reality of the situation. Work with your daycare, communicate your wishes and explain why it is important, and whatever they cannot accommodate, well… you might as well accept it and move on.
