I work with so many families who tell me their little ones’ sleep is so different at nursery. They might sleep for 2 hours at nursery and only 45 minutes at home, or sometimes it’s the other way round and they outright refuse nursery naps. It can often leave parents wondering if something is wrong. The good news is that different sleep in different environments is completely normal.
The nursery sleep environment is very different to a home environment. Think about the lights, noise, where your child sleeps, and whether other children are asleep around them. For some children, the environment lends itself to copying their peers and napping, whilst for others the different environment can impact upon their normal sleep associations, and they may really struggle to get to sleep.
And while we often assume that a quieter, darker environment will always mean better sleep, that’s not necessarily the case. Some children actually find the gentle background noise and presence of other sleeping children reassuring, whilst others find the same environment distracting. Just like everything else with sleep, it really does depend on the individual child.
It’s also important to think about the level of mental and physical stimulation in a nursery setting. Sleep pressure, so how long a child is awake for before needing to nap, is affected by their environment, learning and stimulation. If your child has had a very busy morning at nursery, their sleep pressure will naturally rise, meaning they will likely fall asleep earlier, quicker and for longer.
And it’s also worth mentioning that if your child sleeps really really well at nursery(!), it could affect their sleep pressure when they come home, which means they may not be ready for bed at their normal time. Conversely, if your child is not a fan of nursery naps, you may find that they can’t quite last until bedtime as their sleep pressure is so high.
As children grow, their need for daytime sleep changes too. A younger child may still genuinely need a substantial nursery nap, whereas an older toddler or preschooler may be somewhere in the transition between needing a nap and managing without one. This is another reason why there isn’t one ‘right’ length of nursery nap. What works for one child may be completely different for another, and their needs can change over time too.
Both these scenarios are completely normal, and it is very much unique to each child. If your child is struggling with naps, or is having too much daytime sleep which in turn is impacting their night, it may be worth having an open conversation about it with the nursery. In my experience, nurseries are incredibly supportive of the individual sleep needs of each child and will work with you to make adjustments.
There has also been some confusion online recently about the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance on safe sleep in nurseries, which was published earlier this year. Some posts have suggested that children are now not allowed to be woken from naps in a nursery setting. However, this is untrue, and at no point in the guidance does it state this. What it does outline is supporting each individual child and making sure sleep is safe.
So do have a chat with your nursery provider if you think sleep could be negatively impacting your child and work out a happy medium to support your child with daytime naps. For example, if your child normally goes to bed at 7pm but has had a two-hour nap at nursery and simply isn’t tired at their usual bedtime, you may find that allowing bedtime to shift slightly works better than battling to make the usual bedtime happen. Equally, after a day with little or no sleep, bringing bedtime forward may be more helpful.
To support your little one when they come home, think about your routines. Children are often very tired after a nursery day, whether they have napped or not, so some 1:1 down-time, quiet play, reading books or simply just a cuddle together supports them and can act as a more gentle transition from a busy nursery day to coming home.
You may also need to adjust bedtime slightly, or make steps a little shorter. Let your child lead you. I’d always advise very small adjustments, review, and then adjust more if needed.
All children respond differently to a new sleep environment, and sleep also doesn’t have to look identical in every environment. Sleep is very unique to every child. Sometimes it just takes time and patience to figure out the right daytime rhythm for your child. Sometimes, the smallest adjustment is all that is needed. Sometimes sleep just might look a little different on nursery days.
The main aim is to ensure sleep works for you and your child.
Topics: Baby sleep
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