Infant Hardly Napping At DC

[Solenas]

My 7 month old baby was routinely getting 1 nap of 40 minutes for the day at the day care centrr. In the evening she was exhausted and cranky. I asked the manager about it. Manager says her 1 month old grand baby only needs 1 nap a day... I find that hard to believe. So I explain that on days with us, my baby takes 3 to 4 naps that last 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Nap duration varies. I think she needs more day sleep. Manager said she would talk to the providers. Baby has a early morning provider until more kids show up. Then my baby spends the rest of the day with her main provider, but it's the same room. The infant room can have up to 16 kids from 0 to 2. The room is divided down the middle, but it gets loud there.

I did ask the main provider what would help my baby get more nap time. She shrugged. I asked if a schedule would help. She kind of shrugged and said yeah it might. She's new, started about a month ago, has her 9 month old son in the class with her.

I asked the secondary provider who has more experience How do you guys handle naps with the infants? She says they put them down when the baby is tired.

I'm very concerned that my baby goes to day care 3 days a week and gets sleep deprived. Two days are with dad and two days are with me. We are 1 household but our days off are different. For the past month my baby has been in daycare 4 days, 1 with dad, 2 with me. I'm considering finding another daycare or going to a home care (but dad and I have concerns about home day cares).

I gave them a written schedule. With us she naps around 830 or 9, then around 12, then around 2. She tends to need a nap after being awake for 2 to 3 hours, so it seems to depend on when she wakes up from the last nap. At home when she is overtired and screaming, she cries in her crib for 8 to 10 minutes before settling. When sleepy but not overtired, she might fuss for 2 or 3 minutes.

The day care provider with more experience says that with the new schedule my baby screams bloody murder for 15 minutes before quieting. Today she got 2 naps, 30 minutes and 10 minutes between 715am and 130pm. It sounds like they totally miss her sleep cues and have a terrible time getting her down for a nap. Once she finally goes down for a nap, I suspect the room is too loud/bright for her to stay asleep.

The best nap day she's had in the past 2 weeks was 3 naps that added up to 90 minutes. It was a day when only 8 kids were in the room.

They also tend to feed her a lot in the morning. When she was younger you could feed her into a milk coma. That doesn't work now. Or maybe she's crying because she's overtired and needy and they read it as hungry. I'm just guessing. Dad and I think they are overfeeding her in the morning, but I'm trying to pick my battles and talk to them about naps. I'm one of those annoying first time mothers that calls at least once a day to see how she's doing.

When she's exhausted, sometimes she goes to bed early. Bedtime is usually between 8 and 9. The latest I let her sleep in is 7am, but some work days I have to get her up at 630.

Any suggestions on how to help my 7 month old baby nap while she's at daycare?

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I am a home provider. I understand your hesitation to find a home provider, I felt that way when my dd was little but now, being on the other side, I feel the opposite. For under school age I prefer good home care. But I know it is hard to find.
My 7 months old take two naps. One right after breakfast, getting up by 9:30 and one right after lunch. The after lunch nap is generally from 12 to 3 ish. That is my naptime for everyone.
Does your child have a lovey? Can they encourage one longer nap after lunch? Can you start to alter your one schedule to two naps instead of a bunch of "cat naps"? By seven months she should be down to that. I think that if you alter yours, she would do better at daycare. Also increase the noise level at your house. There is no way that daycare can mimic your home, so you need to help her adapt. And even in my home, I couldn't adapt to a nap schedule that was totally off mine since I have other kidlets. Yes, your provider needs to work with you but you need. To help with changing your ways at home too.

[cheerfuldom]

I think you need to listen to your daughter. She is telling you in her baby way that this situation is not working for her. She NEEDS to be napping more and eating better and I personally believe that a routine is necessary for a happy baby. My own 6 month old takes 3 naps a day, from 1 to 2 hours each nap. From my experience with kids and my own four kids, your child is sleep deprived, no doubt about that.

Secondly, you are approaching the director and teacher and they really are not showing that they care to attack these issues with lots of positive effort. You are doing your part in trying to communicate but they are not willing and not able to fulfill you and your child's needs. Red flag to me.

Thirdly, take another look at home daycares. Did you know that in many states, the licensing requirements are extremely similar if not the exact same from centers to home care? You can even find home daycares that have two or more full time workers if that is your concern.

Bottom line, look for new daycare. I think the number of kids, the activity, the setup, the unmotivated providers at the center are all the wrong fit for your baby!

[cheerfuldom]

I am a home provider. I understand your hesitation to find a home provider, I felt that way when my dd was little but now, being on the other side, I feel the opposite. For under school age I prefer good home care. But I know it is hard to find.
My 7 months old take two naps. One right after breakfast, getting up by 9:30 and one right after lunch. The after lunch nap is generally from 12 to 3 ish. That is my naptime for everyone.
Does your child have a lovey? Can they encourage one longer nap after lunch? Can you start to alter your one schedule to two naps instead of a bunch of "cat naps"? By seven months she should be down to that. I think that if you alter yours, she would do better at daycare. Also increase the noise level at your house. There is no way that daycare can mimic your home, so you need to help her adapt. And even in my home, I couldn't adapt to a nap schedule that was totally off mine since I have other kidlets. Yes, your provider needs to work with you but you need. To help with changing your ways at home too.

I see what you are saying but there really is no way to mimic the activity of 16 kids in a home with one. Their baby does better with a calm environment (what baby doesnt?) so honestly, I think the solution is to find a daycare with the infants separated from the older kids or find a small home daycare. Sometimes its best to listen to a child and hear when they are saying that a daycare setup is not working for them. Crying, feeding problems, sleep problems are their way of communicating that this is just not working.

[Unregistered]

I am a home daycare provider and have done this for 30 years now. I believe that a child,infant child, needs to be in a daycare where they can get all the rest that they can get and need. They need those naps to grow at that age. Some of my daycare kids when they were that young would take 3 naps a day and their parents wanted them to get all the sleep that they wanted. I also think that a child that age should be in a smaller daycare where they can get all the care that they need at that age. With that many kids in your daughter's daycare,how much attention do you think she is getting? Not much,how can she when they have to watch that many kids!

My advice for you is to find a smaller home daycare (Home daycare is just as good as a center) and make sure that your daughter gets all the rest that she needs,insist on it!
You do not need to change anything you are doing at home with her, consistency is very important at this age! Just let her get whatever sleep that she needs,they let you know when they need sleep and should not be deprived of getting what they need,especially from a daycare provider.

[MarinaVanessa]

I think your baby needs a child Care arrangement where more attention can be focused on her. 16 children under 2 years old can be quite a handful. What is the adult/child ratio of the room?

Maybe they have so many babies that it is difficult for them to focus in on her cues. Please remember that both centers and family child care (childcare in a provider's home) are "group" care and that specialized child care is difficult.

It seems to me that your center is trying to work with you which is great but if you feel that the noise and light is contributing to your child's lack of sleep then I suggest you find an arrangement that can better suit your child's needs. Perhaps a center with a separate napping room or a smaller number of children in the room can help since you are hesitant about family child care.

[Solenas]

Thanks for the replies. Dad and I are starting to think we should look elsewhere for care. The ratio is 4 infants per 1 adult. If some kids are over 1 the ratio may be different. In our state the home daycare can have 1 adult with up to 7 kids with 2 of the 7 allowed to be under 1 year.

Dads main concern about a home day care is that people who are not background checked or certified through licensing can live in the home and have access to the kids. He also thinks that oversight of daycare centers is higher, more stringent, than for homes. I'd need to contact the licensing agency to find out.

Thanks again for you feedback.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Thanks for the replies. Dad and I are starting to think we should look elsewhere for care. The ratio is 4 infants per 1 adult. If some kids are over 1 the ratio may be different. In our state the home daycare can have 1 adult with up to 7 kids with 2 of the 7 allowed to be under 1 year.

Dads main concern about a home day care is that people who are not background checked or certified through licensing can live in the home and have access to the kids. He also thinks that oversight of daycare centers is higher, more stringent, than for homes. I'd need to contact the licensing agency to find out.

Thanks again for you feedback.

Everyone over 18 that lives in my home is FBI background checked per Ohio licensing. So it may depend on your state.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I see what you are saying but there really is no way to mimic the activity of 16 kids in a home with one. Their baby does better with a calm environment (what baby doesnt?) so honestly, I think the solution is to find a daycare with the infants separated from the older kids or find a small home daycare. Sometimes its best to listen to a child and hear when they are saying that a daycare setup is not working for them. Crying, feeding problems, sleep problems are their way of communicating that this is just not working.

She was asking advice on how to help her child sleep better there, not weather she should switch. So I gave advice on that

[Solenas]

We found an in home daycare that I feel comfortable with. Today was my baby's first day. My nearly 8 month old baby got 2 naps that lasted at least an hour each. I think this was the right move for her (and us). We were blessed in finding a provider with experience and a spare room for a napping infant.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

[LoraJenkins]

happyface

[Familycare71]

We found an in home daycare that I feel comfortable with. Today was my baby's first day. My nearly 8 month old baby got 2 naps that lasted at least an hour each. I think this was the right move for her (and us). We were blessed in finding a provider with experience and a spare room for a napping infant.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

So happy for you and your baby!!! It is really important that families and providers are a good fit and I'm glad you found yours

[cheerfuldom]

great update!

[LK5kids]

Hooray!happyface

[momofboys]

Thanks for the replies. Dad and I are starting to think we should look elsewhere for care. The ratio is 4 infants per 1 adult. If some kids are over 1 the ratio may be different. In our state the home daycare can have 1 adult with up to 7 kids with 2 of the 7 allowed to be under 1 year.

Dads main concern about a home day care is that people who are not background checked or certified through licensing can live in the home and have access to the kids. He also thinks that oversight of daycare centers is higher, more stringent, than for homes. I'd need to contact the licensing agency to find out.

Thanks again for you feedback.

You can ask any provider to have a spouse be background checked. If you are truly interested in someone pay to have it done. I do home daycare & have a background check as does my husband.