Why can the nursery get her daughters to have a nap during the day when they refuse to do so at home, asks Working Mum

Childcarers are magicians, I’m sure of it. There’s no other explanation for how they have managed to get my two daughters to sleep during the day when I’ve consistently failed.

It’s always amazed me, on the occasions when I’ve collected my daughters from nursery during nap time, to see rows of children snoozing contentedly. How do the staff manage to get so many children to sleep at one time? Is there really no secret sleep potion?

From when my first daughter was around one year old, her dad and I had problems getting her to have a daytime nap. We’d rock her, push her in her pram, drive her, plead with her – and it felt a great achievement if we gained 45 minutes of sleep as a result. Her childminder had no such problems. I thought there must be some special trick that she used and was bemused to hear that she would just tell her it was time to sleep and she would settle in her cot without demur.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion

  • Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here