Starting Daycare: How It Impacts Sleep
Starting daycare is a big transition. Even when your child enjoys it, the change in routine, stimulation, sleep environment, and separation can impact naps, bedtime, and night waking. Many families notice sleep shifts within the first few weeks, and it can feel confusing because what worked at home suddenly does not work as smoothly.
The good news is that daycare related sleep disruption is very common, and in most cases it settles once your child adjusts. The key is knowing what changes are normal, what to prioritise at home, and how to support sleep without accidentally creating new long term habits.
This blog explains how starting daycare can affect sleep, what to expect by age, and practical ways to help your child stay rested during the transition.
Why starting daycare affects sleep
Daycare changes several parts of the sleep picture at once.
More stimulation and a busier nervous system
Daycare is full of new sounds, lights, movement, social interaction, and learning. Even if your child naps, their nervous system often stays more activated. This can lead to shorter naps, more night waking, or bedtime resistance in the early weeks.
If bedtime becomes a battle, see Bedtime Battles.
Different sleep environment
Many children sleep differently at daycare because:
the room is brighter or noisier
they are sleeping in a different cot or on a mat
educators have different settling patterns
they wake more easily with other children around
Some children compensate by catnapping at daycare and then needing earlier bedtimes at home.
Changes to routine and sleep pressure
Daycare naps often happen at set times. If those times do not match your child’s natural sleep needs, sleep pressure can get out of balance.
If naps are too early, too late, too short, or too long, you may see:
false starts
early morning rising
frequent night waking
bedtime resistance
This is where routine alignment matters. See When to Increase Awake Windows (And When Not To) and When to Decrease Awake Windows.
Separation and emotional adjustment
Even confident children can show sleep disruption during a separation transition. Starting daycare can increase bedtime clinginess, difficulty settling, or overnight calling out.
This often overlaps with Separation Anxiety and Sleep.
Illness and recovery
Daycare often brings more illness, especially in the first few months. Sick nights, disrupted naps, and extra support are normal, but sleep can take time to stabilise again.
See Illness and Sleep if sickness has been part of the disruption.
What daycare sleep disruption can look like
Common patterns include:
shorter naps or skipped naps at daycare
falling asleep in the car on the way home
early bedtimes becoming necessary
increased night waking
early morning rising
more bedtime resistance or bedtime battles
needing more comfort overnight
If your child is waking often, it can help to revisit Why Is My Baby Waking So Frequently at Night? because daycare is often only one piece of the puzzle.
What to expect by age
Babies under 12 months
Many babies find daycare naps harder because they rely on familiar sleep cues and a predictable environment. You may see shorter naps, increased catnapping, and more night waking while they adjust.
Keeping a consistent home routine outside daycare days often helps, especially by following your age based routine blog.
12 to 24 months
This stage is already full of developmental shifts, nap resistance, and changing sleep needs. Daycare can amplify these patterns.
If your child is in this age range, it can overlap with the 12 month sleep regression or 15–18 month sleep regression, which can make the adjustment feel bigger.
2 years and up
Toddlers may sleep less at daycare due to stimulation or fear of missing out, or they may nap long at daycare and then resist bedtime.
Toddlers are also more likely to show bedtime anxiety, fear of the dark, and boundary testing during a transition, which can lead to getting out of bed.
See Getting Out of Bed at Night if that is happening.
How to support sleep when daycare starts
1. Protect bedtime, even if naps are messy
During daycare transitions, bedtime is often the anchor. An earlier bedtime is one of the most effective tools because it protects against overtiredness.
If your child is falling apart in the evening, early bedtime is not a setback, it is recovery.
2. Keep home sleep cues consistent
When your child’s day is unpredictable, consistency at home matters more.
A stable bedtime routine helps. Use Creating a Night Routine That Supports Sleep to keep the wind down predictable and calming.
3. Use your routine as your baseline
Even if daycare naps do not match perfectly, having consistent home sleep timing on non daycare days helps regulate your child’s body clock.
If your child is in the infant stage, start with your age routine blog and adjust gently. If you suspect sleep pressure changes are needed, use When to Increase Awake Windows (And When Not To) and When to Decrease Awake Windows.
4. Communicate with educators, but keep expectations realistic
It can help to ask:
what time naps are offered
how long they usually sleep
how they settle your child
whether they are showing tired signs earlier
That said, daycare sleep is rarely perfect, especially at first. The goal is not a flawless daycare nap. The goal is a rested enough child across 24 hours.
5. Manage after daycare catnaps carefully
If your child falls asleep in the car, it can protect them from overtiredness, but it can also shift bedtime later.
If the car nap is unavoidable, keep it short where possible and protect bedtime.
If short naps are becoming the norm, see Catnapping.
6. Expect more reassurance at night
If separation is driving night waking, your child may need extra comfort for a short period. Keep the response calm and consistent.
If your child is becoming very clingy at bedtime, revisit Separation Anxiety and Sleep.
7. Support recovery on weekends
Some children do well with a slightly earlier bedtime on daycare nights, then slightly longer naps or longer sleep on non daycare days.
Try not to swing too wildly, but allow sleep to catch up where you can.
When sleep disruption continues
If sleep has been disrupted for more than a few weeks after daycare starts, consider whether there are additional drivers:
routine mismatch and sleep pressure
lingering illness
separation anxiety peaking
bedtime boundaries slipping
fear of the dark in older toddlers
This is where looking at the whole picture helps, including your routine, environment, and settling approach.
Looking ahead
Starting daycare is a big change, and sleep disruption during the transition is common. With a consistent home routine, an age appropriate bedtime, and realistic expectations about daycare naps, most children settle into a new rhythm within a few weeks.
The 5–24 Month Infant Course supports families through routines, regressions, catnapping, daycare transitions, night waking, and nap changes with clear age specific guidance that adapts as your baby grows.
For toddlers, the Toddler Course supports families through toddler sleep challenges including daycare transitions, bedtime battles, getting out of bed, fears, and emotional development, with practical strategies that grow with your child.
If you want long term guidance across both baby and toddler stages, the Infant and Toddler Bundle supports the whole journey so you always know what to do next.
Eva Beke
Certified Paediatric Sleep Consultant
Founder The Sleepy Little Bubs
I’m Eva Beke, a certified baby and toddler sleep consultant and founder of The Sleepy Little Bubs, supporting families across Australia and the world with evidence based baby and toddler sleep support.
My approach is realistic, supportive, and designed to evolve as your child grows, so you’re not just getting help for today, but confidence moving forward.
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