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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Getting a 1 Year Old to Sleep in Pac n Play
pintsize 11:23 AM 12-27-2017
I have a 14 month old that wont nap in a pac n play. At her old daycare she slept in a bouncer every single time she was tired. She napped from 9-9:30 and 12:30-2 or 2:30. They bounced the bouncer constantly to keep her asleep. At home her mom says they just lay her down with her blanket and paci, and take the blanket away after shes asleep. Ive tried a nap mat so i could sit by her and rub her back and I've tried putting her in the pack n play in our playroom. when i leave her in the living room she just screams (happy screams) and wakes up the kids. When i put her in the playroom she screams mad tired screams and wont lay down. Help! Thanks.
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HappyEverAfter 12:08 PM 12-27-2017
Some may frown on this, but, can you put her pack n play in front of a tv? I have a 17 month old that sleeps in a pack n play in my master bedroom. When I put her down for a nap, I put her in a wearable blanket, lay her in the pack n play, turn out the light and close the blinds so it’s dark, then turn on the tv to the baby first channel and set the sleep timer for 20 minutes before saying “night night” and shutting the door behind me on my way out. The tv seems to lull her to sleep and 9 out of 10 times she falls asleep within 10 minutes. Only a handful of times has she ever been still awake when the sleep timer turned off the tv and even then she is usually drowsy enough to go on and sleep. In the almost 6 months I’ve had her, she’s only not slept twice. I’ve found that if I put her in a room with other kids she won’t sleep unless utterly exhausted so having her own room is key. Before she came to me, her old daycare person didn’t have naps or routines. If she slept at all it was whenever and wherever she laid herself down so she definitely didn’t come to me with a solid nap habit in place but she has one now. Build a routine. Try the tv if that’s something you aren’t opposed to, find her own quiet space if you can.
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Blackcat31 12:44 PM 12-27-2017
Originally Posted by pintsize:
I have a 14 month old that wont nap in a pac n play. At her old daycare she slept in a bouncer every single time she was tired. She napped from 9-9:30 and 12:30-2 or 2:30. They bounced the bouncer constantly to keep her asleep. At home her mom says they just lay her down with her blanket and paci, and take the blanket away after shes asleep. Ive tried a nap mat so i could sit by her and rub her back and I've tried putting her in the pack n play in our playroom. when i leave her in the living room she just screams (happy screams) and wakes up the kids. When i put her in the playroom she screams mad tired screams and wont lay down. Help! Thanks.
Why do her parents take the blanket after she is asleep?
After 12 months blankets are deemed acceptable.

Regardless, I'd use a wearable blanket or a sleep sack and just put her down for nap at nap time. Ideally, away from others so she doesn't disturb them.

I'd let her be... let her talk, chit-chat to herself...whatever. She clearly needs to teach herself how to fall asleep as she hasn't been taught that just yet.

I'd also consider asking mom/dad to video the "routine" of just putting her down at bedtime so easy peasy.... I'd say I want to make sure I am doing things as closely as they do at home since they have such good luck with whatever it is they are doing.....

My experience however, has taught me that what ever a parent "says" they do at home is RARELY, if ever, what they actually do and most parents aren't lying so much as they are just seeing things differently than we do.

I would not put her in front of a TV. If she requires or likes the background noise there are so many other ways for you to provide that. Fans, white noise machines, audio books, music etc... At her age, she really shouldn't be exposed to TV in conjunction with sleep at all.

I understand where previous poster is coming from with that advice but to me, that's just replacing one bad habit with another.
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Indoorvoice 07:17 PM 12-27-2017
I have found a cool room with a warm sleep sack plus loud white noise does the trick. I have a loud fan in my nap room that drowns out pretty much all noise. When I first start nap training a child, I start them out alone in the nap room. I move my other really great nappers just outside the nap room for a few weeks until I get the new napper trained. The new napper can cry, talk, scream, whatever. I go in every 10 minutes and make sure they don't have a dirty diaper, say "shh it's nap time" and walk back out. It usually takes me 2 weeks at the most to get them trained. I turn on music when nap time is over so they equate the music with nap time being over instead of crying. I got that tip from a poster here and it really works. Once they start napping a solid hour, I move my good nappers back in the nap room and start training everyone how to nap together.
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HappyEverAfter 07:25 PM 12-27-2017
Originally Posted by Indoorvoice:
I have found a cool room with a warm sleep sack plus loud white noise does the trick. I have a loud fan in my nap room that drowns out pretty much all noise. When I first start nap training a child, I start them out alone in the nap room. I move my other really great nappers just outside the nap room for a few weeks until I get the new napper trained. The new napper can cry, talk, scream, whatever. I go in every 10 minutes and make sure they don't have a dirty diaper, say "shh it's nap time" and walk back out. It usually takes me 2 weeks at the most to get them trained. I turn on music when nap time is over so they equate the music with nap time being over instead of crying. I got that tip from a poster here and it really works. Once they start napping a solid hour, I move my good nappers back in the nap room and start training everyone how to nap together.
Not to take this thread off the main question of the op, but how do you train everyone to nap in the same room? All mine are currently in separate rooms but schedule changes with some of the kids will change my ability to keep it this way next summer as I’ll be short one room. One of my goals is to get my two oldest (8 months and 17 months) napping in the same room by next May and I’d love to hear any tips you have!
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 08:40 AM 12-28-2017
Originally Posted by HappyEverAfter:
Not to take this thread off the main question of the op, but how do you train everyone to nap in the same room? All mine are currently in separate rooms but schedule changes with some of the kids will change my ability to keep it this way next summer as I’ll be short one room. One of my goals is to get my two oldest (8 months and 17 months) napping in the same room by next May and I’d love to hear any tips you have!
For me I just had to bite the bullet and do it. When we moved houses I went from separate rooms for all to one nap room. Everyone who is on the same schedule goes in one room. For me that is everyone over 12 months and my 8 month old still has a separate room. It was easier for me to do the older kids first then add the younger ones or hard to get down. I've also found (with my current group) that they'll largely ignore the 14 month old that fusses her way to sleep.

I used to worry and over think putting everyone together, but once I did it I was pleasantly surprised.
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e.j. 09:56 AM 12-28-2017
Originally Posted by TheMisplacedMidwestMom:
Everyone who is on the same schedule goes in one room. For me that is everyone over 12 months and my 8 month old still has a separate room. It was easier for me to do the older kids first then add the younger ones or hard to get down. I've also found (with my current group) that they'll largely ignore the 14 month old that fusses her way to sleep.

I used to worry and over think putting everyone together, but once I did it I was pleasantly surprised.
I do it much the same way. My babies sleep in a port-a-crib in the living room until they're old enough to move to a cot in the day care room. The younger kids know they can't move to the day care room until they are "big kids" so it's a big deal when they finally get their own cot and are allowed to join the other kids. They take their cues from the big kids and will usually settle right down and go to sleep with little trouble. If they're too disruptive, they're moved back into the living room for a week or two more. It usually only takes that once and they're ready to go.
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Annalee 01:45 PM 12-28-2017
I nap 12 kids in one large daycare room. I place a fan on each side of the room and play lullaby music or stories being read on CD. After one year old, all are placed on cots for nap.
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