For many mums and dads, the first few months of their newborn’s life are a blur and it can take a huge amount of patience and perseverance (plus a healthy dose of humour) to get baby into some sort pattern for their daily routine.
And is so often the case, just as life looks to be a bit more predictable, it’s time for baby to transition to childcare!
Starting at childcare can be challenging on many different fronts – and getting baby used to a sleep routine in the new environment is often one of the biggest hurdles. Baby may be unsettled in the new surroundings and all the extra noise and stimulation can lead to some naptime mayhem.
But rest assured, a quality childcare centre which is staffed by an experienced, caring and loving team will have everything under control so there is nothing to worry about. That said, there are some things you can do ahead of your little one starting at day care that will help them ease into a peaceful sleep routine in their new surroundings.
Sleep is essential for the healthy growth and development of a baby and it is vital that your little one gets sufficient quality sleep.
Here are six ways that you can help your baby settle into a routine at childcare:
Your childcare provider should provide a nurturing and caring environment for your child and should be completely happy to chat to you about how and where naptime fits into their daily curriculum.
At Evoke Early Learning, we know how crucial sleep is for a baby’s healthy growth and development and we regularly review and update our sleep and rest policies and procedures to keep abreast of best practice principles and guidelines.
It’s a good idea to book a tour of the childcare centre to get first-hand experience of how the centre operates. Book a tour of one of our centres today – we’d love to meet you.
Childcare operators don’t all share the same views on naptime. Some have a system of established nap times for everyone, while others adopt a more flexible approach and allow children to sleep according to their individual body clocks.
Your provider should be completely happy to discuss your baby’s sleep routine and willing to work with you to ensure a smooth and restful transition from home to childcare.
You’ve probably got some special routines that you follow when putting your precious bundle down for a nap. You might rock them to sleep, put on special music, give them a bottle or read a book to them – whatever your routine, make sure you chat to the team at the childcare centre about how you get your little one to sleep.
This will ensure that the steps you take are mirrored at the childcare centre, so that baby feels as little disruption as possible.
It’s also a good idea to ask that your baby be settled by the same staff member for each nap until they become more secure and comfortable in their new environment.
As hard as it may be to hand over responsibility for your baby, it can be very helpful to get them used to someone else putting them down at naptime. Before the time comes for them to transition to childcare, ask a friend or another family member to settle them so that they get comfortable with the adjustment to a ‘stranger’.
It can also be helpful to try and establish a routine where baby self-soothes if they wake up during their nap. This will make the transition to childcare so much easier because they will be able to go back to sleep without intervention when there are disruptions or disturbances.
If your home napping routine involves comfort items (dummy, soft toy, special blanket etc), bringing some familiar sleep aids to childcare can make a huge difference to how well they settle.
Transitioning to childcare isn’t always a seamless process for you or your baby. Even if they are a strong sleeper at home, they may not settle immediately at childcare and it is helpful to have realistic expectations.
A quality childcare centre will always do their utmost to mirror your home routines when it comes to nap times, but the reality is that it may take time and patience to get the balance right. You might also like to read Why Regular Bedtime Is Crucial For Children
You may notice that home nap times are different from nap times at childcare. Try not to worry about these differences, the important thing is that your little one is content and happy.
The fact is, you probably have to be a bit flexible when it comes to childcare sleeps and although you have an established home routine, it may not be possible to follow it to the minute at the centre. The trick is to try and keep your sleep cues as consistent as possible and always communicate with the team at the childcare centre.
At our Evoke Early Learning Centres in Albert Park and Clayton, we have beautifully appointed sleep rooms with individual cots to support your baby’s sleep routine. You are more than welcome to book a tour to see how we operate and to chat to us about any aspect of your child’s care, including sleep times and nap habits.
Your choice of childcare centre is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.
A quality early education is a crucial foundation for a child’s healthy development, but it can be a daunting task making the final decision on where to send your little one.
Every family has priorities and preferences and there may also be several different options available to you in your area – making a difficult decision even tougher.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of questions to ask and issues to cover when you’re visiting prospective childcare centres. And as the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed, so it’s a good idea to discuss these questions with your family beforehand to clarify your expectations and get a handle on what information is important to you.
And remember, any childcare centre worth their salt won’t mind you asking questions at all. In fact, they’ll welcome the discussion. They know just how important it is that everyone is happy and that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision.
Topics you will want to cover are:
There may be other areas which are of specific interest to you that you would want to discuss with a prospective childcare centre. These could include things like the school’s sustainability practices, cultural integration, the centre’s policy on incursions, specialised resources if a child has additional challenges etc.
It may be helpful to print out the following list of questions so you can make notes or additions ahead of your meeting.
Here at Evoke Early Learning, we understand what a huge decision this is. Whether it’s choosing a separate nursery, toddler or kindergarten programme or an early education centre that caters for 0-5 year olds at the same premises, taking that step is big for parents and for the child.
You want to find the right place for your child and for your family. You want to ensure that it’s a happy, safe, secure and loving environment where every individual is nurtured and where their development is supported by proven educational principles and facilities and staff of the highest quality. You want to know they’ll be getting the best possible start to prepare them for school and for success in their later lives too. That’s why it’s so important to ask lots of questions and dive deep into the detail before making a final decision.
And if you would like to find out more about our Evoke Early Learning centres in Albert Park and Clayton, you’re welcome to book a tour. We’d love to meet you, answer your questions and show you around our safe and nurturing environments which have been carefully curated to promote knowledge and inspire a life-long love of learning.
We often hear someone say: “Look at those children having such fun playing”, but the observation “Look at those children having such fun learning” is far less frequent.
Play is the universal language of childhood and encompasses many different types of activities that children do for fun and amusement. But play and learning are also inseparable.
Young children may look like they’re ‘just’ playing, but when you consider that through play, children develop many valuable life skills, you realise that there is no such thing as ‘just playing’.
With a growing body of research pointing to the long-term benefits of play-based learning, many childcare centres now focus their daily activities entirely on play-based learning. Here, children are allowed to be the discoverers and explorers, constructing, and directing their own learning according to what interests them while the educators act as facilitators and collaborators.
Instead of the more traditional education practices which involve teaching by instruction, prescribed outcomes and repetitive rote learning, play-based learning such as the Reggio Emilia approach is child-centred. Play drives discovery and the child’s experiences lead to deeper, more meaningful learning opportunities.
Children are born with a natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge and play-based learning provides them with endless opportunities to engage with others, with objects and with their environment.
The beauty of play-based learning is that it supports learning in a developmentally appropriate way and doesn’t discriminate or deter participation based on the child’s ability or the pace at which they learn.
Play-based learning is a more natural approach to learning and while it may seem unstructured and unfocused to a casual observer, the reality is that it is the most effective way for young children to accrue many crucial skills.
So whether a child chooses to play with toys or other objects, participate in physical activities, colour, draw, sculpt or craft, play on their own or with others, engage in pretend play and role-play, construct or deconstruct something or dance and sing, by actively engaging with things that interest and inspire them, they’ll be more motivated to learn about the world around them.
Promotes physical development. Active play and movement help children develop their gross motor skills, plus it builds their strength, improves their balance and helps boost their hand/eye co-ordination. Their fine motor skills also get a workout through activities like holding a crayon, cutting and threading.
Promotes cognitive development. Through play, kids develop their intellectual skills such as numeracy, problem-solving, critical thinking, planning and memory skills and retention of knowledge. Why does my tower of blocks keep falling down? How do I get the ball through the hoop? They learn about cause and effect and the consequences of their actions, which lay a strong foundation for their futures as critical-thinking, confident and well-rounded adults.
Encourages their language and communication skills. A child’s vocabulary and their oral skills will grow quickly when conversations are encouraged and when they’re doing things they enjoy.
It helps foster their imaginations. Play activities support a child’s innate creativity and curiosity, driving them to find solutions by using their imaginations.
It helps with the development of social and emotional skills. During play, children are exposed to important lifeskills such as negotiation, co-operation, taking turns, sharing, empathy and resilience. Play teaches them about relationships and how to resolve conflict. If you’ve ever watched a group of young children engaging in a make-believe game, you’ll quickly see how many opportunities there are for them to learn about themselves and about others!
It builds independence. When children are free to play on their own, they’re more likely to take responsibility for their actions.
It helps build a child’s confidence and self-esteem. Play isn’t results-orientated. There are no time pressures to finish an activity and no prescribed outcomes, so children are less likely to feel judged or inadequate. By doing things that they’ve chosen and that they love, they build up their confidence in their abilities and feel good about themselves.
Ultimately, every parent wants their child to have a happy and healthy educational experience.
Quality environments which encourage playful learning and discovery are proven to promote the child’s holistic development and to provide a solid foundation for success throughout the child’s life.
We’d love to show you our play-based learning environments at Evoke Childcare in Albert Park and Evoke Childcare in Clayton so you can make an informed decision about your little one’s future. So why not book a tour? We believe that our open-ended play and child-centred learning sets the foundation for children in our care to develop strong learner identities and empowers them to construct and enjoy opportunities to learn as they head towards school and beyond. We hope to meet you soon!