travel cots v buggies for nap time

[newbie]

I currently have 3 travel cots that are available as and when my babies/toddlers need a nap. However I find it a real nuisance having to put them up and down every single day. I am considering switching to having the babies sleeping in a buggy and the older toddlers napping on sofas. Is this ok??? The other issue is that the travel cots are always put up in my own kids' bedrooms and they are getting a bit fed up of other children being in their rooms even though they are at school and I make sure I put the cot away by the time they get home.

[Ali56]

It can be a pain, I agree! I have 2 cots and hope that is enough!!
OFSTED prefer you to sleep babies in cots, although if your buggy lays flat and you have written permission from parents then it is fine. I currently have a 15m old who will not go down in a cot at all as mum naps him in the pram at home. I put him in a lie flat buggy and he's out for the count in moments!!
Mostly I put the cots in my room (can stay up) or my daughters room. But then I'm the same as you, I have to put it down at the end if the day!

[smurfette]

Hia I think whatever works for you as long as yOu have risk assessed it. I have five under three on different days and only one now sleeps In the travel cot although I have three. Others sleep on big armchairs or couch and little one in the buggy which he seems to sleep better in. It may take a while to make the transition ESP if they are used to sleeping in separate rooms but maybe just move one at a time and don't change the next one until the first one is settled. I now have them all going down together. I think if you arent happy with how it's working then keep trying Til you get a solution that works for you. Had a think about the summer tho and how it will work when yours are off school at Easter I sent mine upstairs to rest or play or they went outside to play at naptime.

[nipper]

I bought a sleep mat from www.kitforkids.com like the ones they use in nurseries for my 2 and 3 yr old mindees (obviously attending on different days and with their own sheets and blankets). It's great because I shut the curtains, stick on the disney cd, a quick rub and pat of the back and they are fast asleep in five minutes) whilst the two other little ones are asleep upstairs in the travel cots.

I'm lucky though because we have two spare rooms which is just as well for my 11 month old as she's a screamer when she goes down and wakes up:panic:

[nikki thomson]

There's nothing wrong with giving it a go if it'll work better for you, my mindee sleeps much better in a travel cot, it's in my bedroom and I keep
It up all week, she sleeps for a good 2hrs after lunch but in a buggy she literally has 20mins and then is completely grumpy for the rest of the day, I always try to be home in the afternoon so she can have a proper nap. X

[rickysmiths]

Call me old fashioned but I offer home from home care and I would never sleep my child on a mat like the one in the above link so I wouldn't a minded child. I use a travel cot unless a child will not sleep in one and then I consult with the parents and use a buggy.

I also use Ready Beds for the toddlers which are far more comfortable and cosy than a sleeping mat. I use the sofa bed in the playroom as well.

I have 4 travel cots and there have been times when all have them have been in use every day. To me it is all part of the job to put them up and down each day it can be a bit of a bore but its my bread and butter at the end of the day.

Mine sometimes have to go in my children's bedroom, they are at school and out in the day and tough, if they want mummy to earn a crust so they can do their activities, go on holiday and have treats, learn to drive, go to university then they have to put up with it. :laughing:

[Bridey]

I only use a buggy as a last resort for a baby that won't settle elsewhere and only with the parent's permission. I do not believe its good for children to be strapped down in one position to sleep. It can't do their little bodies any good at all.

[Hayley102]

I prefer to use a travel cot, but have found that about half the children I have cared for have prefered the buggy - and of these most only slept when out and about!

[butterfly]

I have one cot up all the time in my d's room - her and i worked together to choose one that would go with her room, chose bedding to fit in with her colour scheme etc so that she's happy for it to stay up. at the moment i don't ever have to have two sleeping at the same time but i guess id have to resort to a buggy as i don't have room for another travel cot.

i always chat to parents at the beginning re where they want their child to sleep - it varies!! have to do the best i can though at the end of the day!

[The Juggler]

i do have the toddlers on the sofa but i prefer babies in cots if they are happy to settle in one. nothing wrong with a buggy as long as they are happy in it and you have permission from mum and dad.:thumbsup:

[clairelou]

I prefer to use a travel cot, but have found that about half the children I have cared for have prefered the buggy - and of these most only slept when out and about!

I find this too, they feel a little insecure if put in a different room in a cot, i tend to rock them in a pushchair.

[primula]

I had an inspection a couple of weeks ago and the inspector wasnt to keen on the fact that the almost 2 year old naps in the buggy usually for about 30/40mins, she said it wasnt ideal and any longer than that and she would expect the child to sleep in a travel cot.
I personally find it problematic with little space and finding an answer to sleeping, I will also have a school pick up to do and will try and fit in a sleep for the younger one starting:panic:

[rickysmiths]

I do school runs as well and usually find that because we go out and are active in the morning that I give the children their lunch at 12ish, put them all down for their sleep at the same time after lunch and then they are awake in plenty of time for a drink and nappy changes for the school run.

I have never put a child to sleep in a buggy so they are ready for the school run.

I am inclined to agree with the inspector, and older child is better if at all possible, on a proper bed or ready bed to sleep. I get them out of travel cots at about 18mth to t 2 depending on how big they are and sleep them on the sofa bed in the playroom or on Ready Beds in the playroom. It has always worked for me.

I have never had a problem with them being in a different room from me or even upstairs in separate rooms I just check them regularly and use a baby monitor.

I must confess I would question the number of children I took on if space was an issue for sleeping. I wouldn't take on any more than I could give the space to sleep properly. When I lived in a flat this was the case and Ofsted restricted my numbers anyway.

[jadavi]

Have you all had to get your upstairs rooms registered in order to put sleeping mindees there?

[sharonmanc]

Javadi, i had my bedroom registered as I am doing overnight care, which means that I can use it during the day too, not had my childrens rooms registered as I want them to have their own space. But i doubt i will put mindees upstairs to sleep when i am downstairs as I like to be within ear shot and where i can peep on them> I was the same with my own children

[rickysmiths]

Have you all had to get your upstairs rooms registered in order to put sleeping mindees there?

Yes. I have always had all my bedrooms registered. It doesn't mean you have to use them but I have found that it just gives me maximum flexibility.

[The Juggler]

Javadi, i had my bedroom registered as I am doing overnight care, which means that I can use it during the day too, not had my childrens rooms registered as I want them to have their own space. But i doubt i will put mindees upstairs to sleep when i am downstairs as I like to be within ear shot and where i can peep on them> I was the same with my own children

why not creep upstairs to peep on them hon. I had 3 babies in cots in 3 different bedrooms on Friday. All fine :thumbsup:

[Baildon bears]

I have one child who sleeps better in a travel cot and one in a buggy, it really depends on the child, I hate putting mine up and down every day and I only have one, its back breaking, I like to have it away before my son gets home, as it is his room. I have some fab walkie talkies that have a baby mode setting so I can use them as baby monitors. Theres no easy answers to these things im afraid, what we would all like is a separate working area attached to the house :rolleyes: a girl can dream can't she :)

[Vickster]

I use two travel cots as my DD does not nap anymore. I put the cots up in my childrens bedrooms and leave them up for the three days that I work. My children have never questioned it, they might if I worked five days. My 1 and 2 year olds I mind sleep at 1pm after lunch and they wake or I wake them for the school run at 3. I have a monitor in one room and there is a spy hole in the other ones door, I creep up and check on them too.

[Twinkles]

I quite like sleeping mine in pushchairs in the garden. Parents like it too.

[onceinabluemoon]

I quite like sleeping mine in pushchairs in the garden. Parents like it too.

Mine sleep in sturdy lay flat pushchairs (not buggies) in the garden in the fresh air if at all possible. Parents like it, the children like it and I like it. I can see them and check on them constantly as we have patio doors between the playroom and the garden and they are less likely to get disturbed by any children not asleep, for example if they go up to the loo and invariable shout downstairs "Blue I washed my hands".