​When your baby is newborn the idea of them starting Daycare feels as distant as them starting secondary school. Then bomb its upon you! You’re doing your first drop off and more often than not there are tears … from parents and baby. This is normal; it’s new for baby and new for first-time parents.

Most daycare facilities have a “settling in period” where they ask you to bring your baby for a few hours at a time before beginning full time. For young babies pre 12 months, most baby rooms are very flexible when it comes to trying to stick to any routine that you have created. However, after 12 months, when babies enter the wobbler and toddler rooms, they are often moved onto the daycare routine. I would advise that you speak with your child’s dedicated minder and ask them what times they will be offering the naps as your child gets older and make any slight adjustments on home days. Home days and daycare days don’t need to be exact but it is better if they aren’t extremely different.

Communication is key during this transition; no your childminder won’t be able to sing twinkle-twinkle twenty times or blast white noise (another reason why I don’t recommend it),  but they may be able to offer some sleep cues from home. If you have a “strong sleeper” before your child begins creche then generally speaking you will be fine but if your child’s naps are not very strong then this can cause even more sleep disruptions at night time.

I have made a little video to give you some pointers during this transition.

I hope you find this useful, please share with your friends.

Sweet dreams

Kelly, Sleepy Stars