Day Care Naps: Do Kids Sleep?

Sleep is an important aspect of a child's development, and ensuring they get adequate rest can be challenging for parents, especially when they attend daycare. Daycare providers face the task of managing naps for multiple children with varying sleep needs and preferences. This process can be tricky, with different nap schedules, environmental factors, and methods to help children sleep. However, daycare professionals are experienced in soothing and cuddling babies to sleep and are skilled at identifying sleep cues. They work with parents to understand individual needs and create a safe and secure sleeping environment. While the transition to daycare sleeping arrangements may cause temporary sleep regression, most children eventually become excellent nappers, benefiting from the structured and predictable routines that daycares offer.

Sleep training

Tips for Sleep Training

• Allow your baby to learn to self-soothe. Putting your baby down when they’re getting drowsy will help them get in the habit of falling asleep on their own.
• Separate yourself from your baby. It is important to find a way to separate yourself from your baby so they can learn to self-soothe.
• Stick to a consistent bedtime. Consistency is essential in sleep training. You’re creating a whole new schedule for your child, so pick a bedtime and stick to it every night.
• Know that there will be some rough nights. Sleep training can be a bumpy road. There may be times when one parent is out of town, or your baby is feeling under the weather. Take a deep breath, try to be patient, and accept it as part of the process.
• You will ultimately be successful. Most babies sleep through the night by four to nine months old, so don’t get discouraged!

There are several sleep training methods that parents can use, all of which can be effective. The best method for your family will depend on what you and your baby are most comfortable with.

Cry-It-Out Method

With this method, parents take their baby through a bedtime routine, cuddle them, and give them a kiss goodnight, then leave the room. If the baby cries, the parent does not respond. Eventually, the baby tires themselves out or self-soothes back to sleep. This method works quickly, but many parents feel uncomfortable letting their baby cry without comforting them.

Ferber Method

The Ferber method is similar to the Cry-It-Out method, but more gradual. Parents follow the same bedtime routine, but for the first few nights, they immediately return whenever the baby cries, patting them and ensuring they’re calm before leaving the room again. After the first few nights, parents gradually increase the amount of time they let the baby cry before re-entering the room. This method appeals to parents who are uncomfortable with the black-and-white nature of the Cry-It-Out method, but some still feel it can be traumatizing for the baby.

Check and Console Method

The Check and Console method is a variation of the Ferber method, which encourages parents to check on their baby and console them before they even start to cry. For example, on the first few nights, parents may leave the room and enter a minute or two later to tell them they love them or give them a soft pat. This method can take longer—up to a week—and requires more involvement from the parents.

Fading Method

The Fading method, also known as “camping out,” encourages parents to stay in their child’s room until they fall asleep. Parents can do this by standing or sitting in a chair in their child’s room. With this method, parents take their child through a bedtime routine and put them in bed while the child is still drowsy. Then, the parents stay by their side until they fall asleep. Each night, the parent gradually moves further away from their child while still remaining in their sight. It is common for babies to cry during this method, which can be difficult for parents to experience.

No Tears/Gentle Sleep Training Method

This method focuses on helping your baby learn to sleep on their own without any crying. It leans heavily on a consistent bedtime routine, following the same set of activities in the same order, so the baby comes to recognize these activities as a transition from day to night, and consequently bedtime. Parents can use a variety of tactics, such as leaving the room entirely but re-entering any time the baby cries, or reassuring the baby by shushing and patting them. The trick is to lay them back down before they fall asleep so they learn to feel confident and comfortable falling asleep on their own. Gentle Sleep Training methods are less emotionally stressful since they involve no crying, but they take longer to be successful.

Nap schedules

Individualised Nap Schedules

It is essential to recognise that each child has unique sleep needs. Some day care centres, such as KinderCare, avoid a one-size-fits-all nap schedule and instead adapt to each child's sleep patterns. They encourage teachers to be vigilant for signs of sleepiness, such as eye-rubbing, crying, or fussiness, and begin soothing routines accordingly. This approach ensures that children's sleep needs are met without forcing them into a rigid schedule.

Partnering with Families

Day care centres can benefit from partnering with families to understand the comforting techniques that work best for each child. By collaborating with parents, teachers can learn about individual preferences, such as rocking, singing, or using a pacifier, and provide a consistent and familiar sleep environment for the children. This partnership empowers teachers to respond effectively to each child's need for calm and comfort.

Safe Sleep Practices

Adhering to safe sleep practices is of utmost importance. Day care centres should follow recommendations from reputable sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics. This includes placing infants on their backs to sleep, using firm mattresses with tight-fitting sheets, and keeping cribs clear of items like pillows, toys, and loose bedding that could pose a safety hazard. These practices ensure the safety and well-being of the children during nap time.

Smooth Transitions

As children grow, their napping needs change, and day care centres play a crucial role in facilitating smooth transitions. For example, as children graduate from the infant classroom, they may need to adjust from sleeping in a crib to napping on a cot. Additionally, day care providers should be mindful of the transition from multiple naps to a regular midday nap as children get older. Supporting children through these transitions helps establish healthy sleep habits.

Encouraging Independence

Involving older children in their nap routines fosters a sense of independence and makes naptime more manageable. Encouraging children to pick a blanket, make their beds, or set up their cots gives them a sense of control and reduces resistance to naptime. It also helps them develop essential life skills and a sense of responsibility.

Creating a Calm Environment

Establishing a calm environment is crucial for a successful naptime. This can be achieved by dimming the lights, playing soft music, and using white noise to signal that it's time to rest. Additionally, a consistent nap time schedule and routine, including assigned nap spots, help children settle down and fall asleep more easily. A calm and consistent environment promotes better sleep for children.

Sleep environment

Cribs and Cots

Daycare centres should provide cribs for babies and cots for toddlers. These should be safety-approved and comply with relevant regulations. Cots should have a firm, flat, waterproof, and clean mattress with a tight-fitting sheet. It is also recommended to use mattress covers for added hygiene.

Room Setup

The sleep area should be separate from where the children play and be free from clutter and hazards. Keep all spaces around cots and beds free from hanging objects, such as cords, to prevent entanglement. Display thermometers in each room to monitor temperatures and ensure they are conducive to safe sleep.

Bedding and Clothing

Use clean, lightweight bedding and blankets, ensuring children are dressed appropriately for sleep to prevent overheating. Avoid using pillows, cot bumpers, and soft toys in cribs as these can pose suffocation hazards. For older children, allow them to bring a blanket or comfort item from home.

Individualised Sleep Routines

Every child has unique sleep needs, and daycare providers should work with parents to understand these requirements. Observe each child's sleep cues and adapt to their sleep patterns, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach. For older children, encourage them to participate in their nap routine to foster independence.

Safe Sleep Practices

Follow safe sleep practices recommended by paediatric associations, such as placing infants on their backs to sleep with their feet touching the end of the cot. Keep cribs clear of items like pillows and toys, and ensure the sleep environment is well-ventilated and not too warm.

Monitoring and Documentation

Frequently check on sleeping children to ensure their safety. Staff should monitor sleeping children every 10 minutes, recording the times they are put down to sleep, when they wake up, and the monitoring checks. Make this information accessible to parents or carers.

Quiet Activities for Non-Sleepers

Provide quiet activities such as drawing, writing, or reading for children who do not sleep during nap time.

Sleep aids

Sleep is crucial for kids' learning and development, but it can be challenging to establish. Daycare providers and parents can work together to help kids sleep by sharing strategies and information about the child's sleep routine and environment.

Soothing Techniques

• Singing lullabies or playing soothing music
• Gentle stroking of the child's cheeks
• Rocking
• Using pacifiers

Safe Sleep Environment

• See-through cribs for easy monitoring
• Firm mattresses with snug-fitting sheets
• No soft toys, bibs, or blankets in the crib to prevent entanglement or airway blockage
• Well-lit rooms to monitor children and prevent complete darkness
• Shoes kept on during naptime for quick evacuation in an emergency

Sleep Schedules

• Adapt to each child's unique sleep patterns and needs
• No set naptime schedule, allowing flexibility for individual sleep cues
• Smoothly transition from multiple naps to one regular midday nap as the child grows
• Encourage older children to participate in their nap routine to foster independence

Communication with Parents

• Partner with parents to learn about the child's preferred soothing methods and sleep routines
• Share information about sleep techniques that work best for the child
• Discuss strategies to ease the transition to daycare napping, such as an early bedtime or short catnaps

While the above strategies can help kids sleep in daycare, parents may also want to implement additional sleep aids for kids at home, especially if they are struggling with sleep.

Bedtime Routine and Sleep Environment

• Consistent sleep and wake-up times, even on weekends
• Warm bath before bed
• Turning off screens before bedtime
• Keeping the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet

Natural Sleep Supplements

• Melatonin: A hormone that signals the body to fall asleep. It is available as a supplement and may help kids fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality. However, it is not regulated by the FDA, and side effects may include bedwetting, drowsiness, headaches, and agitation. Always consult a doctor before giving melatonin to a child.
• Magnesium, L-theanine, chamomile, and valerian: These natural supplements may help improve sleep, but more research is needed to support their effectiveness. Speak to a doctor before giving any natural supplements to children.

Sleep duration

For babies, it is recommended that there are no fixed nap times in the first year since nap length can vary, especially until 6 months when the circadian rhythm finally matures. However, some daycares transition to 1 nap per day too early, which can result in children being exhausted by nap time and taking short naps.

As children grow, their napping needs change, and they transition from multiple naps to one regular midday nap. This usually happens when they move from the infant room to the toddler room, where the environment is quieter and darker, and children are more likely to nap at the same time. Most children are not ready for 1 nap until they are between 14 and 18 months old.

To ensure that children get enough sleep, parents can take some steps such as arranging visits to the daycare in advance so that the child can become familiar with the surroundings, providing familiar sleep aids, and repeating the child's sleep routine as much as possible. It is also important to accept that sleep may be slightly different in daycare and be flexible with daycare sleeps.

Frequently asked questions