If your child will be starting a daycare program at a young age, one of the biggest adjustments will be how they nap during the day. Your child may still be sleeping in a crib at home, but daycare will eventually require that they nap on a small cot in their classroom. This can be quite an adjustment to make, especially if your child is very fussy about their conditions for how they nap. These tips can help you make that transition to using a cot.
Communicate With Your Daycare
It's important that you keep the lines of communication open about how your kid is sleeping in their crib. Daycares will want to transition a child from a crib to a cot when they start showing signs of trying to escape the crib, since children can hurt themselves by trying to get out.
Keep your daycare updated about if your kid is trying to escape the crib at home. The daycare can also provide with you with similar update, and you can plan to make the transition at the same time so that sleeping conditions are consistent.
Put Your Child's Mattress on the Ground
Not having a crib can give your child plenty of freedom they are not accustomed to having. That is why placing the mattress on a bed frame initially can be very dangerous. Children will try to explore their limits, which runs the risk of having them fall off of the bed and tumble to the floor.
It's a good idea to start the transition by placing your child's crib mattress on their bedroom floor. If your child happens to roll off, the floor won't be that far away from the mattress. Placing the mattress on the floor will also get a child used to the height of a cot at daycare. Watch how your child naps on a baby monitor. If they are successfully staying on the mattress, then you can use a bed frame with a safety rail on it.
In addition, be sure to use a child safety gate outside of your child's bedroom if it is on the second floor. You do not want your child getting up from their bed and wandering outside the bedroom unsupervised.
By taking these steps to help your child transition away from a crib at home, they will be prepared for sleeping on their cot at school.
