Day Sleeps at Childcare

Daycare is a place of opportunity for children of all ages. Opportunities to practice social norms, social skills, their expectations of others, daily routines, health and hygiene principles, and of course learning about their world. For a child to function well, they need to be calm and well rested so their brain can be available to learn new skills.

One of the basic biological needs of humans is sleep. Sleep is when our bodies repair themselves, it is restorative – we make new memories, and make new neuron pathways for more intelligent learning. Therefore, it is important that we give children the time and space to have “quiet time” or “sleep time” whilst they are at Daycare.

There is a current trend to restrict a child’s naps during the day, in the belief that it will lead to your child sleeping better overnight or going to bed earlier with less distraction or fuss. There is no research around this new trend, and with anything parenting related, it depends on your child’s personality, and how they cope with their day-to-day life, how they deal with change and spontaneity. If you have a child that is robust, they will cope with limited sleep during the day and still be able to function at an appropriate, acceptable level. If your child is sensitive, then this lack of down time will push their bodies into stress mode, making it difficult for them to follow instructions, interact appropriately with others and have bigger meltdowns because of stronger emotions of not feeling in control.

This restriction of day sleep is even more profound in babies under 18mths old where their bodies and brains are needing the sleep to develop appropriately. Waking them from naps after only having 30mins is disruptive to this process of development. When babies are woken from a sleep they are stressed and disorientated, their sleep needs are unmet, and you now have a baby that is at risk of being overtired and unhappy.

Below is a table of average sleep expectations depending on age within a 24hr period:

I would like to highlight that sleep needs are variable with each child, and the above figures are guidelines only. Your child’s sleep needs will even change from day to day, and you also may have a child that has low sleep needs. It is possible! You need to be watching your child’s behaviour to see if they need sleep and be prepared that it will be different every day.

Children who find childcare overstimulating, distracting and difficult need to have a rest period to enable them to function and be happy. We don’t want them to always be on edge. Your child’s educator will know if your child needs some down time and will assist them to fall asleep. Your child’s educator is the expert on your child whilst you are away, and confidence in your educator is paramount. It is very important that you work together as a team and listen to the educator’s experience as well as having your views heard.

If you would like to chat more, please email me at monique@baabaababy.com.au or go to my website https://www.baabaababy.com.au