8 Month onld only getting 1, 2 hour nap, at daycare per day. Any studies if that is enough?

[texasmom33]

The daycare our LO is in, "promoted" her to the next room. On the weekends, she'll take 2 naps, easy. The daycare says they'll put her down for a nap if she looks like she needs one, but it's noisy in the room with the other infants, so she just watches them instead. She only gets a chance to nap once a day when the other infants nap. My wife and I feel like they may have moved her up too soon so they could make room for another infant....($$$)

Is there any negative consequence to her not napping enough during the day at this age, or are we being too critical? She gets about 12 hours of sleep every night. Usually waking once in the middle of the night.

 

[the_precious_one]

@texasmom33 Most babies transition to 1 nap closer to 15-18 months, so transitioning at 8 months - and especially without the baby showing signs of being ready herself - does seem early. One nap a day with two naps on the weekend might work, at least for a while, because it sounds like she sleeps well at night, but she might become progressively more tired.

This recent study suggests the benefits of 2 naps a day (vs 1 nap) for memory for 9-month-olds; this study showed that better-rested babies and toddlers have relatively lower levels of cortisol at daycare. For me, these two reasons would be enough to ask the daycare to keep her on two naps if possible. I would also consider how appropriate the older room's environment is for your daughter overall (not just sleep-wise): types of toys, space to practice crawling and walking, is she in containers more because others are more mobile, how she sits during mealtimes, how she moves outside, and such. I know the option of moving her back to the younger room might no longer be there, but it might be worth exploring.

Edit: typo.

 

[rewind2grace]

@the_precious_one Do you mean transition to one nap (in your first sentence)? Just wondering if you made a typo. I think the one nap transition happens around 15 months

 

[the_precious_one]

@rewind2grace Yes, sorry, I meant to type "to 1 nap". Thanks for catching it! I've corrected the post.

 

[kingdomkings]

@the_precious_one Yes. She’s on a toddler room schedule but she’s still a baby. It would be more appropriate from 12 months.

 

[texasmom33]

@the_precious_one Thank you for that! We'll have to talk with the daycare.

 

[tempfunny]

@the_precious_one 15-18 months sounds wild to me, our kid naturally transitioned to one nap just before her first birthday