Will Baby Sleep at Daycare?
As working parents, part of your return from maternity leave will include looking for child care options. Do you have a family member that will look after your baby? Nanny? home-base daycare? center-based daycare?
One thing you may want to consider is what your child's sleep will look like while in daycare or with a caregiver. You can begin preparing baby for daycare naps by ensuring they have the skills of sleep. If you are planning to send your child in childcare before they are 6 months of age and rolling both ways, you can practice sleep shaping until they hit that milestone. Once they pass that milestone, you can consider sleep coaching to help you baby learn sleep skills. I suggest talking with your care provider about what rules and regulations they may follow and if you work with a sleep coach make sure to share that information so your sleep plan can include those sleep suggestions for optimal sleep.
When figuring out what to look for in a daycare for infants there is a lot to consider. When you are pregnant (or even planning for a child) you should start looking around as soon as possible because many places have LONG waitlists.
Things to look for when choosing a daycare:
If you are wondering what do parents look for in a daycare, here are some things you might like to consider when looking for childcare. Some of this information may be available online while others you may want to make a list to interview Daycare providers.
Distance from home and work?
Who will be doing the drop off and pickup?
What is the availability of care and waitlists?
Do parents or the daycare provide meals?
What supplies do parents need to provide?
What are the hours?
Are there any weeks the daycare is closed for vacations?
What's their accreditation?
What is the cost?
What is the experience of the teachers and staff? Is there a lot of turnover?
How are sick kids handled?
What are the daycare essentials for infants?
What is the daycare nap time policy?
When thinking about sleep specifically, I want you to know it IS POSSIBLE to teach your child lifelong healthy sleep habits while utilizing daycare. Daycare sleep training may look a bit different than the schedule you have on days your child is home, and THAT'S OK!
Sleep Questions for daycare checklist for parents
Do you need a daycare sleeping mat?
Will your child sleep in a crib or on a cot?
Will your child be able to use a sleep sack?
Will your child be able to use a lovie?
Is the room dark or lights dimmed?
Will your child be able to use a sound machine or some type of white noise?
Is there set times for your child's nap or do they do naps based on your schedule?
No matter what the situation is, together we can co-create a sleep plan that will work for YOUR child, YOUR family and honor YOUR goals.
I have client's reach out to begin sleep coaching as early as possible to get their baby "on track" before they start daycare (or Sleep Shaping for newborns who are under 4 months and not rolling yet). One of my recent client's Lyssa is no longer sleep deprived getting up every 2 hours and she was able to confidently go back to work knowing her son has lifelong healthy sleep habits.
Watch Lyssa's story here!
I have many client's who have had to delay putting their child in daycare or leave them with a nanny because of their sleep struggles. After Sleep Coaching their child is THRIVING in daycare and the parent's can work Guilt-free knowing their child is safe, happy and well-rested!
Watch Kirutika's story here!
The periodical named, First Things First, have a great article on "Smart Talk" with Your Infants to build your child's brain in ways that promote healthy development and learning. Click here to check it out!
Are you preparing your child to start childcare? Could you use some support getting their sleep on track? Are you interested in an alternative to cry it out?
The first step to see if I can help you achieve beautiful, blissful sleep is to schedule a 60 minute ZOOM sleep strategy session. Go to this link and complete the contact me form and I will be in touch within 24 hours with directions on how to schedule your Sleep Strategy Session.
If you are still wondering if I can help, please know I do NOT advocate 'cry-it-out'. I am a Gentle Sleep Coach. If you want to learn about my guilt-free and gentle process, please go to these links.
The Blissful Baby Stairway to Sleep
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