Hey all, sorry for the novel, but I’m in desperate need of some advice about my 21 month old and sleeping at daycare. When she went back to daycare in September, she suddenly started fighting naps. She was upstairs in a sunroom/playroom, and although there were curtains, I suspect it was too bright for her. She was eventually moved into one of the bedrooms where it was darker, and she started sleeping just fine. At some point, her sitter moved her down to their finished basement, which was also fine...until she learned how to climb out of her pack and play. With that new development, it’s no longer safe to have her down there, so she was moved back up into the playroom. Apparently her sitter doesn’t have her in a bedroom anymore because the room she was in is messy (it’s her daughter’s room).

DD is the only one in the playroom, so there aren’t the distractions of the other kids, but she’s been screaming and refusing to nap since she was moved up there this week. I’m hoping she will eventually get used to it, but I don’t know how long that’ll take.

Her provider wants us to get a cover for the pack and play so she can’t climb out. I’m uncomfortable with that idea because I have read that can be a strangulation hazard. If she has climbed out already, I can see her trying to find her way out of the pack and play even with the cover on, and it makes me very uncomfortable.

We’ve been with our sitter for years and I really like her and typically don’t question anything, but in this case I said no. She is upset because the yelling and crying is hard on her husband as he is currently working from home. I empathize with that, so I would love to help her come up with a solution we are both comfortable with. Any ideas for how to help a reluctant toddler with adjusting to a new sleep environment?

At home, we’ll keep her room brighter for naps, but that’s only on weekends, so I don’t know how much help it’ll be.

Any suggestions from those who have worked with kids this age, especially in a childcare setting? I suspect this will just take time, but I feel pressure because her sitter seems really upset about this.

PS - If you think I am overreacting about the cover, let me know.