A unique child: Sleep - Rest assured

Helping young children to rest and sleep is something which many of us do every day in nurseries, yet it is hardly ever discussed or written about. It's one of those aspects of working in the early years that seems to be learned 'on the job', without much consideration of different approaches and theories.

There are very few references to sleep in the new Early Years Foundation Stage. Yet there is growing research evidence to suggest that getting enough rest and sleep is essential to children's health, development and learning in early childhood.

When Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children's Centre was piloting the EYFS, we wanted to consider how we could put the principles and commitments in place for all the children across the whole birth-to-five age range. One of the issues which arose was that there were breaks in practice between our work with children from birth to three, and the older children. Nowhere was this more evident than in practice relating to sleep.

Our Birth to Threes base has a sleep and rest area, specifically designed for this purpose. But there was nowhere for the older children to sleep. Some of the three- and four-year-olds would rest on the sofa in the book area, and others would go back to the Baby Nest for a sleep - which, of course, had implications for the younger children. But most of the older children simply kept going all day, and our observations appeared to show that some of them were becoming very tired by pick-up time.

This seemed like a problem that needed further investigation. With the support of a CWDC Best Practice Research Bursary, I have been able to investigate the issues from a range of perspectives to aid the further development of our practice.

I began this process with the aim of considering a range of different approaches at Kate Greenaway and in other nurseries.

Observations

When I observed in a nursery that had a well-established key person system, I noticed that the space for sleep was very carefully organised and that there was a calm atmosphere. A key person in the team was singing quietly with a child, who was then placed in her cot with great care, ensuring that the child was not 'jolted'.

While placing the child in her cot, the practitioner continued to speak in a calm and quiet manner to the child. When the child was in the cot, the practitioner finalised the transition by gently placing an open palm on the child's tummy. The child then settled into a deep sleep.

In another nursery I observed, where staff had indentified the need to develop a key person system but had not yet put it into practice, the atmosphere was very different. At the end of lunch, one member of staff was supervising bathroom duty and washing all the children's hands and faces before taking them all down a corridor to another room.

The room was brightly lit with natural daylight and the children's mats were laid out in rows. There was almost no time for the children to adjust from being washed to lying down on the mats, while a couple of members of staff patted them in a routinised way.

Good practice aspects

From my initial survey, I indentified five aspects which I judged to be good practice. These were:

- individualised care routines in the context of a key person system

- organisation of the environment to allow children choices and individuality - for example, having their own bedding and choosing between mats, cushions or low beds

- space and organisation for children to store and retrieve special objects, like a dummy, a cuddly toy or pyjamas

- time for children to make unhurried transitions, so that they could be comforted and fall asleep gradually in a calm environment, and so that they could wake up slowly and gently, deciding when they felt ready to get up and leave the sleep area

- the importance of having a team member who takes responsibility for thinking about and developing practice for sleep and rest. They need to be responsible for supporting the key people and their children throughout this period. They may be responsible for ensuring that the room temperature is appropriate or that transitional objects are easily accessible for the children.

Children's views

I also asked three- and four-year-old children for their views. Some of them had been in the setting since they were younger and remembered when they slept in the sleep room.

Most of them felt that sleeping in nursery was something for babies. Morayo, who is three-and-a-half years old, said, 'I don't sleep any more. I'm a big girl. We could have toys.'

Three of the children suggested a quiet area where they could rest in the day. Eleanor, who is three years old, said, 'I was asleep. I had a blanket and my bottle. I'm a big girl now; we could have toys and no bottle.'

Venus, who is four-and-a-half, said, 'We could have cushions, covers, drawings, little metal lights. Maybe pictures, and some little toys.' The children's desire for 'no bottles' suggests they want an area for rest and sleep that is clearly for older children, not babies.

Consulting parents

To support the planned development of a sleep area, I drafted a guide for parents, which I took to several parent groups in the area. There was some important feedback to take on. For example, the fathers' group felt that the leaflet was too feminised and aimed solely at mothers. I also met with the clinical psychologist who links to the children's centre, to set up a group for parents to talk about sleep issues at home and in the nursery.

Parents were particularly interested in the emphasis on allowing time for transition, both in nursery and at home. However, there were differing opinions on the issue of allowing three- and four-year-olds to sleep in nursery when tired. About half the parents wanted nursery staff to keep the children up however tired they were, to ensure that they slept well at night.

A very positive aspect of the group was that it became a space for parents to support each other. A number found that they were not alone in having broken nights or fractious bedtimes.

Improving practice: next steps

- We have agreed to develop a sleep and rest area along the lines suggested by the children, but accept that this means we will lose some precious space and will still need adequate space for play.

- We will also need to respect the issue of parents' needs. We will make it clear that if children are very tired, they will be given the option to sleep - but not for so long that they will then have a late bedtime. Our view is that there are times when practitioners have to make an informed decision about what is best for a child in the here-and-now, and that we would be neglecting our duty of care if we allowed children to become over-tired and stressed in the nursery.

- Finally, integrated working with the clinical child psychology service means that parents can get advice in the informal setting of their local children's centre.

Liz Dolan is senior nursery education worker at Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children's Centre, London.

LINKS

- To find out about the CWDC Best Practice Research Scholarships, go to www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/plr

- To download Kate Greenaway's leaflet for parents about sleep, go to www.kategreenaway.ik.org

LINKS TO EYFS GUIDANCE
- UC 1.1 Child development
- UC 1.4 Health and well-being
- PR 2.4 Key person
- EE 3.2 Supporting every child