Top Five Nanny Share Sleep Tips

Once you have made all the decisions and ticked off all the boxes regarding your nanny share, then the questions around schedules and sleep come up! Where will the children sleep? Will they wake each other up? What if they don’t ever sleep at the same time? Will my nanny become exhausted and want to quit??

Read on to learn my Top Five Nanny Share Sleep Tips!

I often speak to families who nanny share and one or both have concerns about how one nanny can ensure the sleep needs of both babies are met. What if they need to nap at the same time, for example? And one of them will not be in their normal sleep environment – will they get overtired and cranky from not enough daytime sleep?

Here are some simple tips for families entering a nanny share to ensure that sleep is made a priority for both babies. By ensuring that both babies’ sleep needs are met, they will both be well rested to enjoy play time together.

Top 5 Sleep Tips for Nanny Shares:

1) Make sure your baby can fall asleep on his/her own. Before you return to work, start practicing with your baby to help them learn to fall asleep by themselves. From 3 months, babies can start to fall asleep independently. If both babies are able to fall asleep independently, this will help if they both need to nap at the same time. For help with this step, please read more here.

2) Give them both their own sleep environment at nap time. Assuming the host baby will be in their normal bed for sleep, make sure the other baby also gets a pitch black room (with white noise) and wears the same type of sleep sack that they do at night time.

3) Recognize that each baby has different sleep needs. Some will have shorter awake times than other babies their same age. Don’t try and stretch out one baby so they go down at the same time. That baby will likely resist their nap and find it increasingly difficult to fall asleep. Make sure they stick to their own schedule until 6 months. As they get older, consistency will develop, and you can start to encourage them to be on the same schedule- much in the same way a Mom who has a newborn and a toddler works towards the holy grail that is double nap time!

4) Use white noise for both babies. They don’t spend much time in deep sleep during nap time, therefore can be awakened much easier than during nighttime sleep. White noise will help drown out not only the other baby, but also barking dogs, door bells and other loud noises.

5) Have a nap time routine for the babies. This may involve both of them being part of the routine or having separate routines for each baby. The key is to be consistent with the routine every day. The more your nanny can be consistent, the more the babies will accept going to sleep as they know what to expect.

Good luck for a long and happy nanny share for both families!