Daycare moms, any suggestions?

DS has never been a great napper, but he does go down every 2-3 hrs for me at home. At daycare, some days he will only sleep 30 min all day. Yesterday he woke from a nap at 1:40 and was still up when I got there at 5:45!! This is not uncommon. For a while i had them feed him his dinner at 5 so I could put him to bed when he got home (he is SOOO overtired on these days there is no feeding him dinner in the highchair) but I want to feed my baby dinner and spend time w/him after work. Last night we had to skip dinner bc he was screaming for his crib, and I woke him up at 7 to give him a bottle for the night. So he had a liquid dinner, fine, but that can't be the norm.
How can I get them to get him to sleep?? They rock him, his crib is in a dark corner...he just plays for an hour in the crib (they can't leave him there longer than that) He has all his lovey's pacis, etc. I don't know what else to do. I gave them an extra bottle today and said if he hasn't napped and it's been 3-4 hours please feed him again and try to put him down.
Should I let him nap from 6-6:30 and then force him to wake up for dinner? He is so tired by then he really wants to be down for the night.
Any suggestions? Everyone says he'll get into a pattern but after 4 months there he still isn't. Thanks so much for any advice sorry so long

Re: Daycare moms, any suggestions?

Bella did this for awhile in the beginning of daycare (4-6 months old)...she would nap sometimes like 20 minutes (one record they said was 18 minutes!!!)

I found that napping her from 6-6:30 or even 7 made for a much better life...
she would wake up, eat, we would play for a bit, we would bathe her, and then she was in bed around 8 or 9 the latest...

after a few months in daycare she slowly started taking longer naps. an hour,sometimes 50 minutes...but it was a couple of times a day. When she "graduated" up to the toddler room, she had some of the same issues again. It's change, a new environment.

Re: Daycare moms, any suggestions?

Hannah really doesn't nap at day care either. She's been coming home having a bottle at 5:30 and right to sleep. I wake her around 7:30 to spend some time with her, but she just cries for bed. So I give her another bottle and off to bed until morning. I no longer see her.

The day care providers told me its common in the beginning and she will eventually start sleeping better. I guess when all the "newness" wears off.


Hope he starts napping better soon

Message edited 3/16/2007 10:41:58 AM.

Re: Daycare moms, any suggestions?

I could have written the same post, word for word. My DD just won't nap at daycare. She'll take 1 or 2 cat naps, but that's it. Like your DS, she's totally exhausted when we get home at around 6p. She's only 4mos old, and has only been at daycare for 1 month. I hoping she'll get used to her new environment and starts sleeping!

Re: Daycare moms, any suggestions?

Can they take him for a stroller ride? since my dd started at Tutor time, they do these wagon rides outside (when its nice enough out) and it knocked her out for 4 hours. they had to WAKE her for a bottle after. and she NEVER napped at her old day care - just like yours is doing now, a half hour here or there. I'm like 'you people are SO coming home with me on Saturday, i'd love her to have a nap even half that for me!'

maybe your dc just needs some motion to get him to sleep - a stroller ride around the care center may help do the trick when he starts looking tired?

just a suggestion - I hope it helps. Good luck!!

Re: Daycare moms, any suggestions?

A stroller ride would work but they dont' do that til he graduates in 3 months to the next room. I guess I just have to wing it til he settles down, I just thought he would have by now. He's 6.5 months and has been there since 3 months old! But has been sick most of the time so that could be why he has no routine there. Thanks for the suggestions at least I know it's not that uncommon.

Re: Daycare moms, any suggestions?

The same thing goes on with Jackson at daycare. He would take very short naps and come home exhausted. Sometimes we'd have to put him to bed right away and he'd usually wake up for a bottle before midnight.

Finally though, after about 5 months, he started taking longer naps occasionally, and now, instead of going to bed at night at 6pm, he goes to bed at around 8pm (he's 10 months old).

Hang in there! Soon enough your son will adjust and you'll get to spend more time with him in the evenings.

Re: Daycare moms, any suggestions?

I was just going to post about this!! I am having the same problem with Hannah. She is in dc 3x a week, but when she is home she is a great napper. She hardly ever naps when in dc.