Along with food/eating, sleep is right up there at the top of the stress inducing pyramid that is parenting.
In a childcare setting Infants sleep in cribs, while Toddlers and Preschoolers sleep on cots. While every effort by Educators will be made to make a child feel safe, secure and comfortable, there are not enough Educators to stay by each child simultaneously until they are sleeping.
Sleeping independently can be very scary for children who are accustomed to sleeping with someone next to them (ex. co-sleeping), or children who are regularly assisted in falling asleep (ex. held/rocked/fed).
It will put far less stress on a child beginning group care if they are confident in self-soothing, and falling into sleep on their own without an adult’s assistance. If a child is confident sleeping independently, they will have much needed restorative time, in which their body/mind can absorb all the fresh stimulus surrounding them.
Before your child starts group care, give them time to practise falling into sleep on their own, sleeping in a crib or child’s bed on their own, and settling back into sleep on their own if they wake prematurely.
If you have a child starting in group care who is transitioning to shorter naps, or no naps at all, then you can speak with the Educators on how best to support your child.
A great resource for assisting children with independent sleep: https://www.janetlansbury.com/tag/sleep/
Keep smiling everyone : )