1yo starting nursery, still breastfeeding before naps, help!

[Mahonia]

Hi everyone

My little one will be starting nursery in January when she turns a year old. She currently has a morning and late lunch nap, and breastfeeds before both of them. She then self settles to sleep in the cot. I'm really worried about what will happen when she starts nursery, as I won't be there to breastfeed her and she won't take a bottle. I try to give her milk first thing when she wakes up but she often refuses it and has it before her first nap instead. She eats three meals a day but doesn't have big portions, at least not compared to what I hear other babies her age are eating, so I feel like she needs the milk still. Or perhaps she's not eating bigger portions because she's getting the milk? How do I help her remove the link between the breastfeeding and the naps? And do you think I need to ask nursery to try giving her some formula (or expressed milk if I can manage to get any out) at some point to make up for the lost feed at lunch time? Or should I be encouraging her to eat more solids now?

This is all so new to me so any advice would be really appreciated.

Thank you.

My little girl was still feeding to sleep when she started nursery at 11 months (now a toddler). Wouldn’t self settle for naps but was ok at bed time but somehow nursery managed to get her to nap perfectly fine there (no cry it out was used). Didn’t send her with any expressed milk or formula as she point blank refused bottles

If your little one is 1 soon, she will be able to just have regular cows milk rather than formula/expressed whilst at nursery unless you specifically want her not to have it. I also found that my DD really upped her eating of solids when she started nursery as I think she wanted to be like the other kids, but maybe I’m simplifying that!

If she can self settle for naps then she’ll be fine. She won’t expect a breastfeed if you’re not there.

Same as pp - my now 15 month old just ate / had water at nursery (zero interest in any milk) since starting at 12 months and just makes up for it when we're home. They have nursery magic where he naps beautifully without feeding to sleep and just lies down for them. They're amazing!

If she self settled in the cot already, I’m sure she’ll be fine. At 1, I wouldn’t faff with formula or expressing if you don’t do it regularly already. You could ask them to offer a cup of cows milk, however I expect she’s feeding for comfort at those times rather than hunger so it’s unlikely to have the same effect. As above, if you’re not there, she’s unlikely to expect a breastfeed and will probably be fine with a cuddle from the staff if needed instead. All parents worry about children adapting to sleep at nursery, and all babies have different ways to settle which might not be sustainable at nursery, but the staff will be experienced in this. Really, she will be fine

She will be fine. Between the very experienced nursery workers and baby peer pressure she will adjust beautifully. Don't forget your boobs night miss her! Be prepared for leaking and feeling a bit full the first few weeks

Honestly she’ll be fine. Dd was 22 months when she started nursery and still bf for all naps and sleeps, she used to take herself off for naps with absolutely no bother at all.

It was exactly the same for my little one. She started nursery full time at 11 mos when I went back to work. At that time she was still breastfeeding to sleep and was a bottle refuser, so I was stressed about how things would work at nursery. It turned that she was absolutely fine just going with the flow at nursery and had no problems napping. She would breastfeed in the evenings at home, but actually after a few weeks that tapered off naturally too.

Don't worry, the nursery staff are magical and can get babies to nap and eat in ways they won't do for their own parents... My first DS never napped at home past age 2 but did at nursery for another two years, just lay down on a mat on the floor when they asked him to 😂

Wow thanks everyone for your super quick replies. It's really reassuring to read about how well your little ones adapted to napping at nursery.

Do you think I should still offer her milk before naps at home for the next couple of weeks before she starts at nursery or should I start adjusting her to not having milk in the day? She'll be going part time so I could give her milk the days when she is home with me or would this confuse her too much?

I had exactly the same with mine and like others DD always napped absolutely fine at nursery. I just kept giving milk as usual at home on the days she wasn't at nursery. It didn't cause her any confusion. As others have said, if you're not there she won't expect it.

Echoing Pp- she'll be fine. Mine was pretty similar and adjusted pretty quickly. I found I needed to express a little at lunchtime initially at work for my own comfort but that is a personal thing- absolutely no need to. If you want to keep feeding her while she is with you do; they seem quite adaptable and unconfused by bf when mum is there and not at other times!

My Ds was the same, still feeds to sleep. Started nursery at 14 months, but they get him to sleep, and he is still fine feeding to sleep for naps/bed the days he isn't there. He also transitioned to one nap a day pretty quickly.

My 1 yo started nursery at 10 months old and still feeds to sleep for naps with me. Nursery staff are magicians and can pat him to sleep at any time either they or I want lol so his nap times coincide with mealtimes there - he then breast feeds when he comes home and at night.

If you want to still offer it at home, do it. Kids are very good at adapting to different routines in different scenarios/locations. She’ll be able to distinguish between mummy naps at home and nursery naps and the different routines they come with. Unless of course you want to phase the feeds out, in which case, it seems like a good time to do it.