Starting Daycare at 4 Months
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19630
Printed Date: 12 September 2025 at 9:54pm
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Topic: Starting Daycare at 4 Months
Posted By: mandz
Subject: Starting Daycare at 4 Months
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 12:38pm
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Hi All
Oliver is due to start daycare full time on Monday 11th August, he will be almost 4 months old. He has been for 2 x one hour visits, and his first 2 hour visit this morning. First visit was fine, second visit he cried when I tried to leave him, so I settled him and then he was fine. But this morning when I went to pick him up he was bawling. He had woken at 7am, been fed at 7.30am and normally I would have then put him back to bed for a catnap. But instead took him to daycare for 8am as that is when I will be dropping him off when I have to go to work. I told them he would be due a sleep pretty soon after I left. When I arrived they told me they couldn't get him to sleep in the cot (he normally is wrapped and has a safety sleep at home) and so they rocked him and he fell asleep in one of the carer's arms for about 25 minutes. Well of course by the time I picked him up at 10am he was waaaayyyy overtired. But still only took me about 5 minutes to get him to sleep once I got him home and into his own bed. (he is still asleep now!). Now I know he will get used to it eventually but does anyone have any tips for how I can help daycare get him to sleep...? I don't want to try and tell them how to do their jobs  Thought I might buy another safety sleep for daycare to use for him.....maybe?
Sorry for the novel and any advice welcome. Amanda ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Zack Robert Henton - 29th December 2009 |
Replies:
Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 1:58pm
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It took Chloe a few days to settle in with sleeps at daycare, but she seems fine now. I took all the things she used at home (dummy, sleepsack and a toy that sleeps beside her at home in her cot). And I gave them a list of our normal routine at home, how I usually settle her, all her normal sleeping and eating patterns etc. Of course they can't stick to the same way you would do things at home *exactly* but I found it really useful for us and them to have an idea what the other is doing. At our daycare they have various sleep things and routines written down for all the little babies that need it... it just makes sense to tell them what works, really. Other than that, it took a few days for her to settle in but she seems okay now, even though she is always a little more tired after daycare (it's much more exciting than being at home all day, lol). ------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 3:30pm
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If he is going fulltime, then I would personally get a 2nd safety sleep for them to use and you want to be as close to an enviroment as he is used to. ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: mandz
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 4:14pm
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Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice. I too think I need to get the safety sleep for daycare to use. I currently don't use any other sleep cues with Oliver, and he is still being wrapped as well.
LittleBug - I haven't yet given them his routine in writing cause he is just visiting, although was planning to do so when he started full time. However might write it all down now so that when he goes back for another visit on Friday morning I can give it to them  ------------- http://lilypie.com">
Zack Robert Henton - 29th December 2009 |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 7:02pm
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Maya started at 5 mths, I used to take her safety sleep (altho if you can afford it, a second one would be a good idea coz it's a PITA taking it on and off the cot twice a day!) and her wraps so they could follow her normal sleep routine with her.
I agree with the others re: giving the routine in writing, I found I had to be really strict on them with settling coz to start with they were patting her to sleep which we had never done at home and I didn't want her getting into that habit as she was a happy self settler. It didn't take Maya long to settle in, she coped far better than I did lol! The biggest problem we had was feeding as she refused to take a bottle so I would have to go breastfeed her in between classes. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: mandz
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 7:08pm
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Hey Emma
Thanks for that. Yes am concerned about the settling thing. Currently Oliver is slowly getting the hang of self settling, and I certainly do not rock or pat him to sleep. But when they told me that he slept in one of the carer's arms for 25 minutes, that did have me worried that he might get used to it and expect it at home.... I agree with him probably dealing with it better than me, I felt like the meanest mummy in the world when I went to pick him up. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
Zack Robert Henton - 29th December 2009 |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 7:21pm
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LOL I could see Maya's daycare from my classroom and I used to sit and look at it out the window and imagine an ambulance coming to get her coz she'd died of cot death or something dire and when my cell phone rang in class once and I saw the daycare number on the caller ID I was almost too scared to answer it! Crazy stuff huh?! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: pikelets
Date Posted: 30 July 2008 at 9:28pm
OMG Maya - I so can imagine myself imaging that when my DS will go to daycare and that wont be until he is around 10-11 months old!
It sure is crazy!  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
3 Angels - Dec10 / Mar11 / Dec11
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Maya wrote:Posted By: mandz
Date Posted: 31 July 2008 at 11:05am
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Emma - I am sure I will be the same! Daycare is about 2 minutes drive from home and about 5 minutes drive from work. But those "what if" scenarios still keep popping into my head! Am off to trawl through TM for another safety sleep.... ------------- http://lilypie.com">
Zack Robert Henton - 29th December 2009 |