Starting daycare can be a big change for everyone. So many things change from the daily routines to meeting new people and more. If your child is going to be starting daycare, you may be wondering about their sleep and the transition to daycare.
If your child is sensitive to things like the sleep environment and changes to their schedule, then it will be extra important to take their sleep into consideration during this transition.
Tips to Help with sleep and the transition to daycare
1. Have open communication with your child care provider
Open communication is generally helpful with everything when your child is in daycare or any other form of childcare. Talk with your provider and see if you can find out the nap schedule and what the environment for sleep will be like in advance. You can also share what has worked for your child in regards to their sleep. If there are concerns you have for your child’s sleep, be sure to let your provider know.
If there are certain strategies you have been using, then those could be things you’ll want to share with your provider. For instance, if your child is used to a sound machine for naps at home, you could see if they could use a portable one that you provide for naps at daycare. Just remember, most daycares have specific guidelines they are required to follow so there are often reasons they can accommodate every request.
2. Visit and practice ahead of time when possible
If you can visit the daycare ahead of time, that can be helpful for the overall transition. For older kids, if allowed, taking some pictures of the new space can also be helpful to look at in preparing for starting daycare. Visiting will help you learn if there are things you can practice at home to help prepare for the transition.
For instance, you might find out that your baby will nap in a crib at daycare. If they’ve only napped in the pack and play at home, then it can be helpful to practice some crib naps at home before starting daycare. Or, if the lights are going to be brighter during nap at daycare than they usually are at home, that’s something you can practice getting used to as well. Many toddlers will nap on mats at daycare and this is also something you can practice at home ahead of time.
3. Think about the timing of bedtime
For some children, starting daycare can mean that their nap schedule has to be different. (I know this tip is about bedtime, we will get there!) Many daycares will need to have a set schedule for all the children in their group.
For some children, this can mean that they will have to take fewer naps then they were used to getting at home. So with this you child may get less day sleep. If your child isn’t getting the daytime sleep that they need, this can affect their sleep at night and lead to issues such as night wakings or early morning risings.
To help with this, you can consider an earlier bedtime on these days. You could gradually move bedtime earlier by 10/15 minutes a night until you find a timing that works best for your child and family. Or, if nap is happening later in the day than your child is used to, a later bedtime could be needed.
4. Ease into the transition if possible
If you are able to ease into starting daycare that can also be helpful. This could look like doing a shorter week or some shorter days to start. I find shorter days can be especially helpful if your child has trouble sleeping while in their new environment. This can allow your child to still have time for a quality nap at home and hopefully avoid heading into bedtime overtired while they are making the transition. This isn’t always possible though, so don’t stress if you aren’t able to. Everyone will adjust with some time.
When your child has started daycare, give everyone in the family time to adjust. It can take time to get used to new things, new places, and new people. I suggest keeping the evenings low key if possible. So, at least during the transition, if you can avoid scheduling too many things after daycare pickup it can be helpful.
Also, during the transition time, you can prioritize sleep on the weekends. If your child has been transitioned to one nap at daycare, on the weekends you can continue to offer two naps if that is still working. Also, check out this blog on our top tips for better sleep to help with supporting sleep at home!
With time, your family will adjust to the new daycare routines. If sleep does change during the transition time, it will get back on track! If you want support during this transition, just reach out and schedule a discovery call so we can chat!
