How to get 6.5 month dd to sleep at nursery....?

[Notyummy]

My dd started nursery 4 days a week last week. She seems happy and is never crying when I leave or arrive to pick her up. The only problem is she hardly sleeps....an hour a day if she is lucky, and this will consist of catnaps. She is very nosy, and the staff try and put her through in the other room in the dark, in one of the cots when she looks tired, but she can hear the babies through in the other room and just will not settle. They can't leave her to cry too long because she will disturb the others, so can't leave her for 10/15 mins to see if she will settle herself like I would at home. At home she normally has 2-3 hrs a day, but we are out and about a lot so she is usually in a bouncy chair or pram. I hate seeing her looking so tired with big dark circles at the end of the day, and she is v grumpy by bath/bottle time, even after a late afternoon nap. She sleeps ok at night, but has anyone got any advice on how their dc settled at nursery, or tips I could pass on to staff?

[KTeePee]

My dd never had naps for me at home and this was something I worried about when she was starting nursery - the fact that she would be in a room with other babies and disturb them (in fact some nurseries I looked at didn't even have a separate room for sleeping, just prams and cots in a corner of the main area...).

However, she did nap when she was there - but I don't know what strategies they used I'm afraid. She never did take naps at weekends for me....

I think if the staff persist your dd will get used to the noise, etc and start to sleep more. Maybe ask them what they plan to do if it doesn't improve (could they take her out for a walk, for example?) but I would not worry too much.

[Jessajam]

ds didn't nap at nursery at first, he ended up having the whole room and all the staff to himself while all the other children napped!

After a while he got used to it and would sleep there, sometimes they woudl cuddle/rock him to sleep or put him in his buggy and roll him backwards and forwards until he fell asleep.

Have you told the staff that your dd is used to falling asleep for a nap while in motion?

[mummynumnum]

My dd started nursery 4 weeks ago and goes for 4 days. She would never nap in cot in the day at home. Was v worried about her starting nursery, but has napped better there with one or two days when she has not. Could nursery put her in a pram and rock her to sleep???

[Ceebee74]

My DS started nursery this week (3 days a week) - he never falls asleep in his cot at home, it has to be on our bed or with me or DH holding him so I was really worried that he would get no sleep at all at nursery.

But, to my surprise, he has been having 2 naps a day (about 45 minutes each) and one of the staff said to me that they just put him in the cot and he drifts off himself - no idea how, why etc when he will not do that at home - but today (his first day at home since starting) he has twice drifted off to sleep in his play nest without me or DH doing anything.

Guess what I am trying to say is that she probably will learn in time - just too much going on at the moment for her - and when she does, it will be easier to get her settled at home. Plus if she is sleeping ok at night, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Not sure if this will help - think I have rambled a lot!

[oooggs]

When ds started nursery they used to have to rock him to sleep in the pushchair (laid back) for the same reasons, then wheel the pushchair into the sleep room.

Not ideal but it worked.