Daycare + Your Baby's Sleep

I want to start off with a positive statement...

BABIES WHO GO TO DAYCARE CAN STILL BE GREAT SLEEPERS AT NIGHTTIME! 

Phew. You can relax. You are not doomed for awful night sleep because of daycare. In fact, according to Dr. Marc Weisbluth, pediatrician and infant sleep expert, this is because naps actually use a different part of the brain than at nighttime. So the environment that your baby sleeps in during the day (daycare, cuddled, nursed etc.) doesn’t necessarily have a negative effect on your nighttime sleep. 

Yay! So throw away the concern over them being confused over the environment. They WILL adapt! It can take several weeks for them to adjust to daycare and taking naps there. So don’t be surprised if you get a report of short or non-existent naps at first. 

The main cause of concern with daycare is that babies tend to have shorter naps. This is because it’s just different, and super fun! The rooms aren’t usually dark, and they are sharing a room with many other babies. It’s also common for daycares not to allow for swaddles, sleep sacks, or sleep suits. Even though this can be very frustrating, it is very likely due to safety concerns and state policies.

As we know, well-rested babies and toddlers sleep MUCH better overnight.  Overtired babies can have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.  SO.. what the heck do you do if your baby went to daycare and only had 20 minute naps all day long?!

Thankfully, I have a couple of solutions!

1. The ever popular and highly loved early bedtime.

I say that with a little bit of sarcasm, because anytime I seem to post about the magic of early bedtimes, there is always someone who seems to hate me for it! But it’s true. Babies and toddlers who have an earlier bedtime have been shown to sleep longer (I’ll add the reference to the study at the end if you’re curious). I’ve also seen this countless times in my personal experience as a mother, as well as working with clients.

Bottom line: If you can offer an early bedtime. PLEASE DO. Your baby will thank you for it! Don’t be afraid of bedtimes as early as 5:45-6:30 PM at first. Especially when they’re adjusting to daycare. This will not last forever, and as time goes on, they will adjust to either more awake time, taking longer naps at daycare, or both!

If an early bedtime just isn’t possible with your work and pick up schedule, see option 2 for another solution.

2. Offer a catnap before bed!

If your baby sleeps in the car, offer a catnap in the car on the way home. If your baby isn’t napping well… they’ll often zonk right off to dreamland as soon as they hit the carseat. Use this to your advantage. This little catnap will provide them with enough sleep to stretch until a more normal 7-8PM bedtime. This catnap will unlikely call for a FULL awake time before bed, as it’s likely a short 20-45 minute catnap. When it comes to figuring out WHEN bedtime should be, I have a great tip:

BEDTIME IS TYPICALLY 12 HOURS FROM WHEN THEY WOKE UP FOR THE DAY. THIS CAN BE A LITTLE LATER IF THEY SLEPT WELL FOR THEIR AGE/SLEEP NEEDS, OR A LITTLE EARLIER IF THEY HAD SHORT NAPS. FOR EXAMPLE: IF YOUR BABY WAKES UP AT 7AM, AND HAS SHORT NAPS, BEDTIME WOULD LIKELY BE BETWEEN 6-6:45 PM. IF THEY WAKE UP AT 7 AM AND HAVE EXCELLENT 1-2 HOUR NAPS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, THEN BEDTIME WILL LIKELY BE BETWEEN 7-8 PM!

EXTRA TIPS FOR DAYCARE AND SLEEP

• My first piece of advice for families who are struggling with daycare sleep is to start AT HOME! If you haven’t already, start looking into sleep teaching and helping those nights become solid. THEN you can work on naps at daycare, and then they can work together hand in hand and create a blissful routine…. Well, as blissful as possible!

• Remember….sometimes there is just no way around short naps at daycare, and it's going to be ok! Don't stress over something you can't control. It is unlikely that they will be able to have a perfect sleep environment. Try to let go of that control, and do your best not to stress about it. Instead, have a plan moving forward with WHAT to do when your baby is at home in the evenings and on weekends. Focus on what you CAN do instead of on what you can’t do. Sometimes a changed mindset is all you need to ease the anxiety.

• Don't be afraid to share what helps your baby sleep well with your daycare providers and advocate for your baby. They want your baby to sleep at daycare just as much as you do! If you have found wake windows or a schedule that works fantastically for them… Tell your daycare providers! You never know if they may be able to accommodate for that.  Let them know about white noise and offer to bring your portable white noise machine. Find out if they allow safe sleep sacks, pacifiers, and lovey’s (for those over the age of 15 months). These little things, if allowed, can be a helpful way to encourage great naps at daycare! Some daycare’s have extremely strict rules around sleep. Although this is frustrating, it is usually because of safety policies in place that cannot be avoided. This is when you can let go of that control again, and focus on what you CAN do….. Which brings me to the next tip...

• Over the weekend or days that your baby is at home with you, let them catch up on missed sleep throughout the week! If they will sleep longer at home, experiment with letting them wake naturally in the mornings and from naps (even mega long naps). Sometimes this can make things a little off, but trial and error is the best way to find out what works best for your baby. Log progress and you’ll find a great sweet spot in a few weeks.
  
  

Feel like you're constantly struggling with sleep in general? Start by downloading my Free Night Wakings Course. Great for ages 0-12 months old!

If you’re ready to get started RIGHT NOW... I offer self-led sleep guides and courses that walk you through step-by-step on what to do at bedtime, how to handle every situation, and how to help your baby sleep through the night when it’s time!

NEWBORNS (0-12WKS)

BABIES (4-14MO)

TODDLERS (19MO-4YRS)

Don’t worry, you’ll always have the option to upgrade your support if you decide you need more help down the line.

You are not alone!

References

Weissbluth, M. (1999). Healthy sleep habits, happy child. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group.