Hi @Shweta – Thanks for writing to us, and sorry to hear that your daughter is struggling with the daycare’s set schedule! You’re not alone here! We hear very often about daycare’s transitioning to one nap a bit early and hear about the sleep challenges that this can cause! This article should help:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/how-daycare-impacts-your-babys-sleep-schedule-and-habits/
Do feel free to put her to bed extra early on the days where she only has one nap, to help combat the over-tiredness! I hope that things smooth out, or that the daycare will work with you Shweta! Good luck!

Hi @Rachael – Thanks for writing to us! It’s great to hear that you have been able to find daycare that was so accommodating! Hopefully the transition to napping at preschool goes as well! It’s great that she is already sleeping for 1+ hour! You may want to give your daughter a little more time to adjust, and you may want to do bedtime just a little early on days where she naps only one hour. She may lengthen those naps more regularly as she adjusts to the new school! Good luck!!

We’ve been fortunate enough to find providers up to this point (2.5 yrs) that could accommodate our desired schedule and sleeping arrangement (pitch dark, sound machine) for our daughter. Recently we’ve switched her to a pre-school full-time where the conditions are very different (natural light coming thru the window at nap time, no sound machine). Thankfully the nap schedule is within the range of her ‘norm’. And she sleeps at home 7p-7a.

What should my expectations for pre-school sleep be now with these changes?

She has been napping at pre-school only about 1 hr (normally 2 hrs at home) – and it has been two weeks. There have just been 2-3 days where she slept 1.5+ hrs.

Hi @Debbie – Thanks for writing to us about your grandson! I’m sorry to hear that the music is so loud at your grand baby’s daycare! And it sounds like they might not be very flexible in regards to schedules too? I’m glad you asked about the loud music and that they turned it down for you! It never hurts to ask, and perhaps they’d put another stereo in the other room if you suggested it? We find that often, when asked for special accommodations, a daycare will try and help, but we’ve also heard about families leaving daycares in hopes of finding one that is a better fit. I hope that your grandson’s will continue to listen to your family’s concerns and perhaps implement some things that will help! Good luck!

thank you

Hi Debbie,
Thank you for your comment! I suspect daycares schedule naps because it makes it easier for them to plan their days and schedule their employees, but no, it’s not great for the younger babies. Most babies will take at least two naps until 15-18 months-old, and switching to one nap too early can cause overtiredness, fussiness, early waking, night waking, and other issues. I hope this helps!

@Maryclaire – Thank you for reading and for sharing with us. Day care can most certainly bring out illnesses and sleep disturbances especially as babies get accustomed to the change and if your care provider runs into issues sticking close to your son’s sleep schedule. We often and regularly work families through daycare sleep challenges and would love the opportunity to work with your family as well. You can even consider setting up a free, 15-min evaluation to speak with one of our senior sleep consultants so she can help you decide if you “need” more expert sleep support. You can set your evaluation up here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/personalized-baby-sleep-evaluation/ Hang in there, Maryclaire!