Baby that won't sleep!!

[Crayola kiddies]

Generally I give the patents a list of things to do to get their child ready for group care..... Top of the list is to self soothe ..... No rocking, no singing, no swings....actually I don't even have one and they are not safe for a child over 20 lbs.... So I put children in bed and walk away. You need to have a discussion with the parents (this is some thing that I do when the contract is signed ) and let them know they need to stop rocking at home and he needs to learn to go to sleep on his own. Make sure he is dry full and tired.

[smileyface]

Oh no! First thing is he has to learn to sleep on his own. The parents need to be on board with this and understand that you have X amount of children you are caring for and you can't leave them to rock someone else to sleep. I let the kids cry it out. I will check on them every 10-15 minutes to make sure they have a clean diaper still and have their sleeping aids still (didn't throw them out of the playpen). I then lie them back down and say it's time to sleep. I keep doing this every 10-15 minutes until they are asleep. Sometimes morning naps can be hit and miss, so I'm not as strict with the child sleeping in the morning. If they aren't asleep after 30 minutes in the morning, I will let them stay up until the afternoon nap at 1pm. But ALL children must sleep/rest in the afternoon. It will get better! He will eventually get used to your routine and it will be smooth sailing.