How to Prepare for Sleep at Daycare

Going back to work is one of the most stressful parenting transitions we have to make… throw in a pandemic and all of the extra restrictions and it’s absolutely overwhelming! So many emotions and worries, especially about how daycare sleep will happen!

I’ve been there twice, and somehow even the second time around was still stressful! The good news is that with some preparation we can make this transition go as smoothly as possible. Here are my top tips on how to navigate sleep while transitioning to daycare:

1) If your little one is not sleeping well, change this BEFORE they start daycare!

Taking care of sleep trouble before daycare starts is my top tip! Regardless of your baby’s age, independent sleep skills and solid sleep routines at home will make EVERYTHING about this transition easier. Well-rested babies and toddlers are better able to handle the extra stimulation of being around new caregivers and other children, and little one’s who know how to self initiate sleep will much more easily adjust to a new sleep environment. If your daycare transition is looming and sleep is a mess, let’s change that together! Book a call here to talk about how we can make those sleepless nights a thing of the past!

2) Talk with daycare about sleep ahead of time

It’s so important to have a good understanding of where, when, and how your little one will be offered sleep at daycare. Here are some must ask questions:

• What is the sleep schedule? If you have a younger baby, find out if daycare uses wake windows or set times. If your little one is starting daycare at 12 months+ (very common in Canada!) ask what time naps start, and if there is flexibility provided for babies who are struggling to transition to one nap.

• Where will my little one sleep? Be sure to find out if daycare is providing a pack and play, crib, or toddler cot for your little one- some facilities require parents to provide this.

• Can I send comfort items? Every daycare has their own policy, but most will allow you to provide your little one’s sleep sack and comfort item (for older babies). Some facilities require those items to stay there – you may need to buy some extras.

• Is there a daily nap report? Some facilities use a book or app to log daily nap activity, and some just give a verbal daily report. It will be extremely helpful for you to know how your little one slept that day, so you can adjust bedtime accordingly.

3) Adjust your expectations, but don’t stress about sleep!

Even if your little one is a star sleeper at home, they may struggle a little bit to sleep well at daycare! This is expected, and OKAY. It doesn’t mean your good sleep is ruined for life, it just means your child is a human struggling with big changes and needs some time to adjust. On the other hand, if you are stressing about how your little one could possibly EVER sleep in a brightly lit environment, on a toddler cot, with no white noise…DON’T! Your little one will eventually adjust and learn to sleep differently at daycare. Two reasons why I know this to be true: 1) Children are really good at developing different sets of expectations for different caregivers and situations, and 2) Early Childhood Educators are literally wizards, they can eventually get any child to sleep regularly.

4) Have a plan to navigate overtiredness due to short or missed naps

Overtiredness during the first few weeks of daycare is SO common! Your little one may not be napping as well as they do at home, and they are burning so much more energy playing and being around other children. The key to overcoming and preventing a cycle of overtiredness (which can impact night sleep!) is an early bedtime. Truly, as early as 6PM may be necessary! I know how hard this can be, rushing home to fit in dinner and the bedtime routine. This is temporary, as soon as baby starts napping better you can push bedtime later.

What about the 2-1 nap transition?

This needs a whole section to itself, because it is typically the biggest struggle for Canadian families starting daycare! The VAST majority of daycares unfortunately expect 12 month old’s to be on one mid day nap. Though this drives me a little nuts (MANY 12 month old’s are not ready for this!!), we can roll with it and make it work. Here’s how:

• Ask daycare if they can do a slow transition. Can your little one nap a little earlier than the rest of the children for the first couple of weeks? Going straight to that 12:30 (or even 1PM- insert my cringe) is not easy for most new one nap babies.

• Use an early bedtime no matter what! 6pm would be my recommendation for any little one who is new to one nap. We need to get baby into bed super early to reduce the possibility of night waking or early morning wake ups (a typical outcome of a baby who is overtired at bedtime).

• If baby falls asleep in the car on the way home- don’t panic! This may not be a bad thing, as a brief car snooze (less than 15 minutes) can help them make it to bedtime without overtiredness. Even if a short car nap happens, that early bedtime is still necessary!

• Keep two naps at home on weekends if that seems to work better for baby. Totally fine for them to have two different sleep schedules, and it may help them catch up on the sleep they need.

My blog on the 2-1 nap transition may also be helpful!

Prepare what you can, control what you can…and let the rest happen.

Prepare yourself and your baby, ask daycare all of the questions…and ride the rest out. Plan to have a couple of hard weeks as you and your baby adjust to a very different lifestyle, and lower ALL expectations of perfect evenings spent together after daycare. Your baby may be clingy and tired, and you may be feeling overwhelmed with managing work and parenting. Give yourself grace, and be okay with less fancy meals and leaving household chores undone. Things will get easier.

Also remember that children can and do THRIVE at daycare. For so many parents, this transition feels really negative, but there are so many benefits of having your little one attend daycare with other children! I have seen this firsthand with my own two toddlers who now absolutely love going to daycare everyday. The joy of seeing them develop social skills and learn new things has far outweighed the rough couple of weeks we had in the beginning.

If you are currently struggling with sleep prior to or post daycare transition and are in need of some support, we are here to help! My 30 Minute Consultation Calls are a great level of support for families struggling to navigate the 2-1 nap transition, or wonky scheduling due to daycare. Our 1:1 sleep support services are designed to help families teach independent sleep skills and work though all of there sleep challenges- bedtime battles, night waking, early mornings, and naps!