Creche & sleeping on mats. Is this the done thing?

baldbear · 23-06-2017 07:07PM #1

Hi guys. We are first time parents with a 13 month old & he has recently went into the wobbler room.

He napped in a cot in the sleep room in the morning & afternoon when he was in the baby Room. Now he's in the wobbler room & they all sleep at the same time on mats. It seems to be just the one nap.

Is this the norm? It seems cruel to me. Today was his first day on the mat & I was told he slept but tonight he wouldn't sleep for ages.

Any advice welcome. I think I'll ask for him to go back into the cot next week & make sure he gets 2 naps.

Pawwed Rig · 23-06-2017 07:10PM

Cruel? Why?

Yes it is normal in my experiences of crèches.

lollpop · 23-06-2017 07:24PM

I'm not sure what your concern is. Are you worried about sleeping on mats or are you unhappy that your child has been moved to one nap instead of two? The mats is quite normal, what's your concern with it? The number of naps is a different issue. If you think your baby isn't ready for it then you need to talk to them about it, perhaps he needs to stay longer in the baby room. One (longer) nap a day is normal at that age, usually from around 12-2 but every child is different and at 13 months it's very possible your son isn't ready to drop the other nap. If that's what you think then chat to the creche about the best way to manage it. I'm surprised they tried to drop a nap without discussing it with you first.

margo321 · 23-06-2017 07:38PM

at around that age they start to fall asleep on the floor when at home. just nod off while playing so i think its normal and probably safer as the risk od falling out of a cot increases at this age as they tend to climb more.

lawred2 · 23-06-2017 07:40PM

How did we ever survive as a species at all I wonder!?

OP it's normal. It's not cruel.

baldbear · 23-06-2017 10:22PM

Thanks for the replies. Cruelty is too strong a word alright.

I honestly hadn't a clue about the mats. I only realised he wasn't having 2 naps when I looked back at his daily diary after he went demented tonight going to bed.

I'll just have a word about the 2nd nap next week.

Regards
Clueless

rainemac · 25-06-2017 09:39AM

baldbear wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Cruelty is too strong a word alright.

I honestly hadn't a clue about the mats. I only realised he wasn't having 2 naps when I looked back at his daily diary after he went demented tonight going to bed.

I'll just have a word about the 2nd nap next week.

Regards
Clueless

When I ran a creche 2 years ago, any child under 2 years of age had to sleep in a cot. Under Tusla pre-school regulations. Definitely think it doesnt sound fair that they dropped his second nap without any consultation with you. Hopefully when you highlight this to them they might be more flexible.

markpb · 25-06-2017 09:48AM

rainemac wrote: »

When I ran a creche 2 years ago, any child under 2 years of age had to sleep in a cot. Under Tusla pre-school regulations. Definitely think it doesnt sound fair that they dropped his second nap without any consultation with you. Hopefully when you highlight this to them they might be more flexible.

My 5 year old moved to a mat before she was 2 and my 18 month old is now sleeping on a mat. Didn't bother either of them and I've never heard of a cot being required for under 2s before.

Anne2014 · 25-06-2017 12:16PM

In my son's creche they sleep in cots until they turn 2

sareer · 26-06-2017 03:03PM

I know what you mean with the mats. I realized that especially when my son visited his grandparents, saw a yoga mat which he tried to nap on face and belly down...making me feel terrible somehow. As long as he sleeps, it's fine but I understand why it seems not comfortable enough.
I saw another creche where they had simple fold-up beds which I would prefer but he does his nap on the mat so wouldn't change creche only because of the mat now.

Sleepymissymoo · 26-06-2017 03:22PM

My girls crèche only have cots for them when in baby room. She moved to wobblers room around 13 months and moved to 1 nap a day, not a mat but on little beds that stack up, a few inches off the floor. Tulsa recommend kids under 2 sleep in cots so I had to sign a form saying I was ok with her sleeping on the little bed thing. In her crèche they have 6 babies max in baby room and a separate cot room with 6 cots so each baby has their own cot. They just wouldn't have the space to have all the wobblers sleeping in cots too. My little girl never slept well in the cot, was doing little 20-30 min naps and crying lots. Once she moved to the little bed things and moved to one nap she started sleeping 1.5-2hrs and was much happier.

I was told all this when booking her into crèche, again when she started crèche and then she had 2 weeks of gradually moving from baby room to wobbler room so I was kept well informed on how she was transitioned. I would be annoyed if they just moved her and changed routine without telling me.

shesty · 26-06-2017 07:35PM

God, 13 months seems very young to move to one nap in a day.Is that just done to suit with the older kids in the room?My little one is 15 months and still takes a morning nap, as did her big sister til 18 months.She may not need it every single day now, but if she misses it one day, she definitely needs it the next day.She wouldn't survive a whole week with only one nap in the day.I wouldn't be impressed with that.

Moonbeam · 26-06-2017 07:50PM

6 years since we have used a creche but it was normal then,

Neyite · 26-06-2017 07:57PM

It was normal when we first used the creche in 2013 but I think that around 2014 the guidelines changed because I remember the creche adjusting Toddlers nap times to utilise the cots in the baby and wobblers rooms. I don't remember all the details as my lad was moving up to the next room a few months later so it didn't apply to him after that age.

hollymartins · 26-06-2017 08:24PM

My son was about 13 months when we (in agreement with the creche) dropped one nap and to be honest it has made it so much easier - instead of usually fighting me twice daily he now goes down for a 2 hour nap with ease. Each baby is different but it's certainly not too early to drop a nap.

flatty · 26-06-2017 08:24PM

You think it's cruel, but you throw him in regardless ?
Dear me.

rainbow kirby · 26-06-2017 09:27PM

hollymartins wrote: »

My son was about 13 months when we (in agreement with the creche) dropped one nap and to be honest it has made it so much easier - instead of usually fighting me twice daily he now goes down for a 2 hour nap with ease. Each baby is different but it's certainly not too early to drop a nap.

My son was very similar to this. He sleeps better at night if he has only one 2 hour nap around lunchtime, he dropped a nap around 12-13 months too.

mrslancaster · 26-06-2017 10:00PM

OP, there are national standards for preschools / early years services in addition to the preschool regulations.

afaik standard number 14.7 is about cots for children under 2 years

they were the standards in 2006 so it could have been changed in recent years

tusla will have the information so may be worth a call

pwurple · 27-06-2017 06:56AM

flatty wrote: »

You think it's cruel, but you throw him in regardless ?
Dear me.

Cop on to yourself.

What are they supposed to do, walk out of their job with zero notice because they think the mattress the child sleeps on should be 2cm thicker?

Would ya give over.

lawred2 · 27-06-2017 10:36AM

flatty wrote: »

You think it's cruel, but you throw him in regardless ?
Dear me.

that's helpful

John Mason · 27-06-2017 12:56PM

The creche we use doesn't have mats, they have little stacking beds and they don't seem to all go at the same time.

But if you and your child are happy with the place, I would just go with it

baldbear · 08-06-2019 11:04PM

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread.

But I feel foolish now looking at the front page of the Times and what Tusla is saying about Giraffe and putting kids to sleep on cots.

Apologies I can't put up the link.

Giraffe really put profit over childcare but I suppose all creches are the same. I feel guilty.

s4uv3 · 10-06-2019 08:16PM

baldbear wrote: »

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread.

But I feel foolish now looking at the front page of the Times and what Tusla is saying about Giraffe and putting kids to sleep on cots.

Apologies I can't put up the link.

Giraffe really put profit over childcare but I suppose all creches are the same. I feel guilty.

What was it saying?

Creche & sleeping on mats. Is this the done thing?

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