# Nursery - do you just have to accept no naps?



## LPF

Evan starts nursery 3 days a week in 4 weeks - he'll be about 9.5 months.

Currently he naps at 9 for an hour and 1ish for an hour and a half - he is difficult to get down and needs dark and quiet.

His nursery has a baby room for 3 babies under 2 and they nap in travel cots in the room.

Anyway everyone keeps telling me that I need to expect him to not to sleep at nursery - he'll want to play, be too distracted etc. He's a nightmare if he doesn't sleep - not to mention it's bad for him.

I'm starting to dread going back to work even more now. I'm really worried about him not sleeping.

Any advice or experience? Thanks in advance!


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## BethK

They do have ways of getting them to sleep.

When my LO started nursery it was so excited and yes she did stay awake during her morning nap. They do get them to sleep after lunch though. So now my LO changed to just one nap a day rather than two.

My LO now only goes to nursery 3 mornings so will nap as soon as she comes out.


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## smelly07

Thats rubbish. i worked with babies for 3 years there wasnt a single baby who didnt fall back into their routine once settled. 

Yes at first it make take him awhile to settle in etc but the staff will follow your routine as much as they can do and do everything they can to help your LO sleep. x

what was really annoying was parents telling us that there LO's were not allowed to sleep or not to sleep after a certain time but that made our job extreamly difficult as SOME babies would obvioulsy cry and get grumpy and eventually fall asleep as they could not and we could not keep them awake. (then we would get an earful from parents saying '''uhhhh now such and such wont sleep tonight)

i do think in regards to nurseries that parents with babies (not so much older children) shouldnt expect their babies to stick to their normal strick home routine as such its not a 1:1 situation in a nursery and attention is stretched thin you do have to be a bit flexible imo but staff do try. x


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## sweetcheeks78

You'll be amazed how quickly he'll settle into the nursery routine. My LO went at 10 months and slept fine, they had a separate nap room with cots and prams depending what the baby was used to. Now he's at a different nursery and is in the toddler room, they have 1 nap a day after lunch. He began in the pram there but they got him used to it and now he sleeps on a little soft mat on the floor with a little blanket, they all line up on the floor after lunch and have a snooze, it's so cute. He'd never sleep on the floor at home, but htye just get into the routine and go with what the others are doing.


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## gingajewel

My LO wouldnt sleep anywhere but me when she started nursery at 9 months! Within two weeks she was sleeping for two hours in a cot with just her teddy! 

TBH for the first two weeks she hardly slept at nursery because she was excited and loving the new toys but then after a few weeks it just clicked for her! (she only goes 2 days per week)

She now sleeps really well - both at home and nursery! It was my biggest worry as i no what she is like when she is tired but it turned out to be nothing to worry about Xx


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## trynitey

It might be difficult at first being in a new environment but they adjust. DD actually slept BETTER and longer when she was in daycare.


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## ellie27

Anna is starting nursery next week.

The nursery want me to tell them when to put Anna down for naps am/pm and they will stick with her own routine as it is at home.

However, I am lucky in that Anna is 19 months, so only needs 1 nap a day, and she will only be in nursery 1.5 days a week so if she is unsettled those days we will just have to deal with it!:flower:


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## LPF

Thanks all - that makes me feel a bit better! Sleep is the one thing i'm the most worried about as it's the hardest aspect of looking after Evan and thing that affects him and everything about him the most.

Fingers crossed!


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## Cattia

Abigail never sleeps for as long at nursery but she always has some sleep, which is enough to get her through the day.


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## Sazzoire

Lucy sleeps in her cot at nap times at home but won't sleep in a cot at nursery... she insists in sleeping in one of them old fashioned prams? I've got no idea why... we don't have a pram at home. 

I was worried about nursery for all sorts of reasons but now I know Lucy just fit's in. She eats what they eat (more than she does at home).... sleeps when she is tired and generally has a lovely day. She always comes home knackered, covered in food/paint/icing sugar etc but always happy. 

xx


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## blahblahblah

I had the same worry when my LO started nursery a few weeks ago. Until then he'd always slept in a cot in a dark room, alone. At nursery they all have mats on the floor or a slightly darkened room. He followed the other children, and napped with everyone else right from day one.

He is a little older, but your LO is old enough to be watching the others, I'm sure he'll settle in just fine.


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