# Sleeping solo at daycare



## kmn (Feb 3, 2016)

My little one is 13 months and just started going to daycare one day a week. She has been having a hard time taking naps at daycare... should take two per day (for 2-4 hours total sleep), but last time she only slept 20 minutes all day!
At home, we cosleep for naps. At night she sleeps in her crib for most of the night, but usually wakes in the wee hours and comes into our bed for the last few hours of sleep. Even when she sleeps in the crib, she doesn't fall asleep on her own. We sing and rock her to sleep and then place her in the crib asleep.
So my question is, does anyone have any tips for helping a cosleeping baby to sleep solo at daycare?
Thanks in advance for your help!


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

I'm sorry your thread has been here for 6 weeks with no replies! I hope you didn't get discouraged. Maybe things are going better by now?

My son went to a small home childcare, where the caregiver lay down with him for naps, until just after he turned 2. Then he went to a center where each kid was supposed to sleep alone on a mat. For the first week he would not nap at naptime at all; he would stay alone on his mat for a while but eventually come over and ask to sit with the teachers. Some days he zonked out on the floor before the end of the day. But in the second week, one of the teachers tried sitting on the floor next to him while he lay on his mat, and he was asleep within 10 minutes and stayed asleep when she got up. She did that every day for maybe 2 weeks, until one day she was busy and said, "I'll be with you in a moment," and when she came back he was already asleep. After that he only needed a teacher's presence once in a while.

Is your daughter's daycare putting her in a crib or on a mat? Can you ask a teacher to stay near her while she falls asleep? Do they have a rocking chair where a teacher could rock her? It's worth asking if they can give her a little extra attention--they answer may be no, but at least you tried.


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## SecondtimeMama (Jun 15, 2015)

It's also pretty early on. She's only going 1 day a week, and even kids who go full time take 2-3 weeks to settle in--10-15 days. Sleep with a small blanket when you two nap together and use that as her blanket for daycare. 

Maybe try getting up for water or to pee or something before laying back down with her?


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## Chirina (Jan 6, 2017)

don't get discouraged! You might try to make it a game. Your little one has to know that someone is going to be there though.


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

I work in a preschool setting and we take turns patting the children to sleep one at a time. The lights go off, the soft music plays and its all very gentle. Nothing to worry about.


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