Nursery sleep - does it ever get better?

[LPF]

Evan has been at nursery 3 days a week for a month - it's still early days, but his sleep is terrible!

At home he has 2 x 1.5hr naps. He does need a dark quiet room...always has and is terrible for sleeping in other places, never sleeps in the car/pram etc. He's also very stubborn and if he doesn't want to go to sleep - he won't!!

The baby room is not that dark although they do draw the blinds etc and I think you can hear the noise from the other rooms but they put a sleep CD on. He's the only baby in that room (tiny nursery in a rural village!!) so no other babies crying etc.

Even then he only has 1 or sometimes 2 short naps. Today he woke at 5.30am, slept from 10.25-11.10am and then wouldn't sleep at all until bedtime at 6.45 where he fell asleep on the bottle!

The nursery staff are worried they are doing something wrong and keep asking for suggestions....I have none!!

Evan is exhausted ALL the time. Luckily not too upset with it but constantly shattered and ill. It's affecting his naps at home some days too.

Is this nursery life or do they adapt??

 

[3011busyyear]

Bump, i have no idea but would like to see other responses. At least you have a quiet space for him, LO's nursery just has bouncy chairs (lo has never even liekd to sit in hers) theyare just in the corner with all the babies playing in the same room LO has no chance which is part of the reason she is only going for half days so she can at leastsleep in the afternoon.

 

[anna matronic]

My childminder get about an hour out of Evan all day from 8am to 5pm lol!! At home he has 2 naps a day both around 1.5-2 hours!!

 

[stardust599]

No suggestions, I'm having the same trouble trying to get my LO to sleep at my Mums.

I'm going to buy a gro anywhere blackout blind and a white noise CD see if it helps as it isn't completely dark and quiet like at home xxx

 

[cw1975]

Right don't know whether this will help at all but there is too much going on for them to sleep much at nursery. When Archie first went (at five months old) I'd be lucky if he had 2 x 20 minute naps a day and he was a right grump.

It did take him a while to get into it but I have found at home that I follow the nursery routine for what times he eats and naps so it's the same for him at home as it is in nursery

Eventually he did get used to it being not so quiet and he knows he has his dinner in nursery at 11.30, and has a nap right after for minimum 1 hour, usually at least an hour and a half. And he does the same at home.

I pick him up from nursery at five and because he's only had the one nap by the time I get him home and give him a snack then he has his bath, he is in bed every night for seven, sleeping until seven the next morning.

Anyway point being, between me and the nursery we had to sort of follow the same routine until we found something that worked.

Sorry if I waffled ha xx

 

[Murphy98]

I just wanted to say I empathize and send you internet well wishes. My son has also been at daycare for this month transitioning to full time Mon-Fri and OMG the sleep is awful. I feel terrible about it - my son also needs 2 naps a day to be a happy bug and right now is getting about 1hour a day from 6:00am-7:30pm. Its painful getting him to bedtime - he is so exhausted poor little man. That said, the daycare insists he will get used to it and I was chatting with another mom today who's kiddo just started and he took his first 2 hour nap at daycare yesterday. She expressed the same concern but advises it looks like its going to turn around. My work friend also advised her daughter went through the same thing and came out the other side. Crossing-fingers!!

I have been packing my son his comfort stuffed animal, soother, sleep sack and favorite blanket just to make the transition easier and getting to sleep wise this works a treat - its just staying asleep that is the issue for us.

 

[LPF]

I just wanted to say I empathize and send you internet well wishes. My son has also been at daycare for this month transitioning to full time Mon-Fri and OMG the sleep is awful. I feel terrible about it - my son also needs 2 naps a day to be a happy bug and right now is getting about 1hour a day from 6:00am-7:30pm. Its painful getting him to bedtime - he is so exhausted poor little man. That said, the daycare insists he will get used to it and I was chatting with another mom today who's kiddo just started and he took his first 2 hour nap at daycare yesterday. She expressed the same concern but advises it looks like its going to turn around. My work friend also advised her daughter went through the same thing and came out the other side. Crossing-fingers!!

I have been packing my son his comfort stuffed animal, soother, sleep sack and favorite blanket just to make the transition easier and getting to sleep wise this works a treat - its just staying asleep that is the issue for us.

Funnily enough it's staying asleep thats a problem for us too!

Sometimes he refuses to go to sleep but he's happy and sits up giggling so there's not much they can do there! But he's often waking up after 20-30 mins, eye rubbing and yawning and thumb sucking. I think its the light, noise and different surroundings.

I feel terribly guilty for him. He enjoys himself there but is desperatly tired all the time and ill

 

[BabyGirl999]

Possibly a stupid suggestion, but what about buying a black out blind for them??

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Ruby has always slept well at the childminders house but is a persistent cat napper at home! This has got better in phases but the catnaps always come back.

 

[LPF]

Possibly a stupid suggestion, but what about buying a black out blind for them??

Not stupid! it's a funny room he's in - a little cosy room thats between the two bigger rooms and they have high windows looking into each room - these have like gauze blinds over them so the staff can see through. There are black out blinds on the outside windows - so it is darker but sadly Evan only sleeps properly in pitch blackness!!!