comfortable and familiar sleeping in a crib at UMCC. While the occasional catnap in a car seat or baby swing is perfectly acceptable, it is important that an infant associates sleeping with a crib. Infants who don’t sleep consistently in a crib at home often have a difficult transition into the child care environment. They are often very tired and unhappy, as they don’t sleep well at the child care center because they aren’t used to sleeping in a crib. The reduced amount of sleep can be detrimental to an infant’s healthy development.
SLEEP ASSOCIATIONS: SLEEPING ON THEIR OWN UMCC has a CD player creating peaceful sleeping music in the nap room. For babies to sleep well during naps and at night – to get the important rest needed for healthy development and content, alert wakeful periods – infants need to learn to fall asleep alone in their cribs under conditions that they can reestablish for themselves while cycling through sleep. Usually by eight to ten weeks of age, infants are ready to begin putting themselves to sleep in their crib (instead of being rocked or fed to sleep). We encourage parents to begin helping your infants learn to fall asleep in their own crib, as teachers at UMCC we will be working to help your infants learn this valuable “first skill” at the Center. Experts and experienced parents agree – infants who put themselves to sleep in their cribs – sleep better, often for longer periods, and are more content. Teachers will rock infants briefly to transition them to naps to help them settle themselves to sleep while lying in their cribs.
TRANSITIONING BREAST MILK TO A BOTTLE If a baby is to be fed breast milk in a bottle while enrolled at UMCC, we ask that recently expressed breast milk be brought to the Center daily in bottles. We encourage breast feeding mothers to introduce a bottle of breast milk at least one feeding each day to their infant before starting child care – usually considered appropriate by the fifth week. The earlier bottles are introduced, the easier the transition. Even if an infant readily accepts a bottle, we encourage parents to keep a minimum of one bottle feeding (of breast milk or formula) daily until an infant begins child care. A common mistake made by breast feeding mothers is not introducing and starting a bottle feeding (whether breast milk or transition to formula) until just prior to starting in child care – and then an infant is learning to handle both the new feeding method and the new child care environment at the same time. To ensure smooth transition into child care, we encourage parents to introduce bottles early and on a consistent basis. COMMUNICATION: LET’S TALK UMCC teachers need to be able to reach parents (or an alternate) every minute of every day their child is in attendance. It is important that teachers be able to reach parents to ask questions about care, routines, behaviors and feedings. If your typical work routine changes and you can not be reached as usual – please inform the teachers whom to contact. Parents may need to call the Center to inform teachers of changes in location or to leave information on a daily basis with the teachers as to meeting or coaching/ class schedule changes and locations. We encourage parents to talk to teachers (e-mail works, too) about any questions or concerns. Your questions serve to help us better explain the program and to better understand your expectations and your child’s home experience. So, please ask. We find more questions parents