Cameron has been napping for about 30 minutes twice a day while at daycare. I expressed my dismay to the teacher and asked if her transition would get better. While assured it would and that they are swaddling her (but not the super swaddle) I am still very nervous about how much she is sleeping during the day. She used to nap for about 6 hours while I was home with her. And was rarely crabby, even in the evenings. Now, even after her one hour third nap, she is a crab monster in the evenings. I shudder to think how bad it will be when she doesn't get that long last nap.
I appreciate that she is interested in everything and won't sleep but I question how hard the teachers are trying to get Cameron to sleep and stay asleep. With 8 other infants I can't imagine they have the time to spend keeping her asleep. I'm also not happy with the level of detail they are providing in her daily log. Basically it is just a list of dirty diapers. They should at least tell me which feeding she doesn't finish her full bottle at (which they said they would originally). I also want to know if she's "talking", getting tummy time, etc. I just want to scoop her up and get out of there not spend 10 minutes asking questions. Plus, it is usually a different teacher at the end of the day than in the morning. Am I crazy? Should I be pushing for more written detail?
On the plus side Cameron has been sleeping either through the night or close to it with a wake up at 4 AM. It is kind of a pain when she sleeps until 5 AM because I have to hold her off until 6 which can get dicey. So, any thoughts about napping? Will Cameron start sleeping more at school or will I just have to suck it up and deal with a crappy evening?
Cameron in an adorable dress and leggings that Auntie Helen gave her.
Cameron is tuckered out after a long day at school
Daddy decided to be silly and put a sock on Cameron's head.
Auntie Helen gets a snuggle in.
Auntie Helen gets a snuggle in.
Updated: Cameron had a wonderful day at school and napped for almost 4 hours, including a two hour long nap! I promise to try and not expect miracles and just hope that as the days pass Cameron does learn to nap better in a more hectic environment than home.
6 comments:
I'm sorry the adjustment is so tough.
One thought on the naps...if she likes to be super swaddled and they aren't doing it do you have any of the super swaddle, swaddle blankets?
We had one for Brady and although he did just fine in the easier kiddapotamus ones, these swaddle the way that you describe swaddling Cameron, with the arms held down first.
And of course I can't remember what they're called! I'll look and find out. The daycare may be more willing to use it since it's all in one piece with easy instructions.
Here it is...Miracle Blanket.
http://www.miracleblanket.com/
I personally think she is still adjusting. It will take time. New noises, new people, new crib, new everything. I think in a few weeks you may see her sleeping more.
It took my boys some time to get used to napping at day care. It is a big transition for them as they go from sleeping in darkened quiet rooms to sleeping in lit rooms with tons of noise and activity. And yes, they were cranky during the transition. I would actually say two 30 min naps is really good for the first few days!
It does get better. The caretakers are getting to know her and will quickly learn how best to settle her and she will quickly learn how to settle herself.
We had rough times with these transitions:
* transition to day care
* first fall time change. Keeping them up later = CRANKY
* transition to 1s room where they drop to one nap. This was one was the absolute worst.
Each of those transitions was 2-4 weeks of crankiness and fussiness. Our best way to deal with it was to take the kids outside since they always seemed to be in a better mood outside.
The good news is that every transition since then has been EASY. And they will sleep anywhere. No tip toeing around the house worried about waking the babies. My boys sleep next to our laundry room and we regularly do laundry at night, including peed-on shoes.
(And yes, I would ask for more detail. At the very least, you need to know how many bottles she is taking and how much at each one.)
I agree with the others - this is a major transition and really takes time for her. She is probably so excited to see and hear all the rest of the babies that it is hard for her to get to sleep and stay asleep. One thing, we mothers tend to forget is that trying to stay quiet at home when the baby is sleeping is not reality at daycare. They are always in a noisy environment.
As for the diffrent teacher in the morning and at night - what I did when I was at the center daycare (this is normal practice actually) - is that I would write a note (either a sticky or on the sheet when I dropped him off) to ask questions, ask for certain things to be done, etc. Put on the sheet tummy time how much? ______. This way you tell the teacher you would like them to just jot a note. It might be asking too much though to tell you how much she is talking etc. They are not 100% focused on Cameron at any one time (sorry :( ). This is one of the better things about inhome daycares. I get too much detail sometimes!
If you are really still not happy after a month or so, then I would consider a change then. But give it time - things will feel better once you are not 100% focused on maternity leave and care taking. Once you are working things should get better and Cameron will settle into her routine.
Stacey--I too had some issues with my little one napping at daycare. Some days were great and some not so great, but once they get used to their surroundings, sounds, napping with lights on; the non-napping days will be fewer and far between. Also, I think the daycare should be telling you if she is taking a whole bottle or partial bottle and what times those feedings are. This is integral information so you can know how much she is eating. It should get better.
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