3 Ways To Get Your Child Ready To Sleep At Childcare
With the nation slowly opening up again, children that were previously in childcare will be *possibly* returning. This can be a scary thought for most parents for a variety of reasons. Will my child be safe? How will they keep them healthy? Will they remember what being at childcare was like? Can they still sleep well at childcare?
While I cannot answer those first two questions for you, I can help a bit with the last one. With children having been home for 2+ months, there is a good chance that as a family you have created a new routine and schedule that is different from your original. Maybe now dinner has moved earlier or later. Bedtimes and wakeups may have shifted back due to no commute time. If you feel you (and your child) are totally unprepared for the transition back to your old normal, read on!
Ask Your Childcare What Naps Look Like At This Age
Depending on your child's age and what the breakdown is like at your facility, there is a chance they could be returning to a new room. Take my children for example. Baby O was not set to move into the preschool room until late August, so he will return to the same classroom and teachers. However, Baby J was set move from the infant room to the young toddlers around late June. Although we don't know details of what re-opening will look like, there is a chance he will go straight into his new room. And there is a big difference between being an infant and a young toddler. In the infant room, although he was on a solid sleep schedule at home, naps ebbed and flowed at daycare, following his sleep cues. At home, he follows a solid nap schedule (one morning and one afternoon). When moving into the young toddler room, children are often moved onto one nap.
Before returning, ask your providers what your child's sleep expectations will be when they return. Will they still have the same number of naps as when they left? Will snack times and meals be different from what you are doing at home? The goal around knowing what to expect from your childcare is so you can replicate it at home to prepare your child. Think how hard it is for you to up and change your whole work routine in a day. It will be even more jarring and confusing for your child! So ask the questions, know whats coming and set your little one up for a successful return. Sleep at childcare can be tricky, so remember to expect an adjustment period.
Looking for tips on how to get them good naps on the regular? Click here!
Pack For Success
Let's be real, you can't pack a sound machine and blackout shades for your child's classroom. Although believe me, I SO wish I could! But let's make sure we can pack what our child needs and is within our control. Does your little one use a pacifier or lovey at home? Do they have a favorite blanket or sheet that smells like home? Try your best to replicate what your little one has been used to for the last few months at home for them to be able to sleep as seemlessly as possible while away from home.
Think of packing:
pacifier
blanket (depending on age)
tight fitted crib sheet
Looking for ideas of what to pack if your child goes to a families members house? Check this post about what to bring to a hotel, a lot of the items will be similar!
Let Them Know Where Your Child Is Sleep-wise
Since your children have been away for so long, their child care teachers may not know where they are at any longer. If they even return to the same teachers! Once you have established who your child will be spending their day with, make sure to fill them in. Although pick-ups and drop-offs may be brief to help reduce the spread and have less parents in the room at once, emails and notes are just as effective. Has your child started taking 2,1 or no naps since they were last at childcare? Did you do an amazing job sleep training and they now fall asleep independently? Maybe they have regressed and now need someone to help them? Letting their teachers know what to expect and how to best support them will be monumental in creating a smooth change back to childcare. You will rest easier and be more productive during the day knowing your little one can sleep at childcare.
Looking for help on getting your little one sleeping well, both at home AND at childcare? Let's work together to make that a reality!