Feeding to sleep on the boob and nursery

[ElphabaTheGreen]

We're going to be starting 5 mo DS in nursery for about 3 half days per week fairly soon with a view to a very gradual introduction to childcare for when I return to work full time in February.

His main way of falling to sleep is on the boob, especially for naps. We've been using some gentle gradual withdrawal to get him to start self-settling at night which is slowly starting to work, but he still feeds to sleep for daytime naps. I've never known him to feed to sleep on a bottle - mind you, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he's used a bottle.

Has anyone else had a baby starting in nursery who still breast feeds to sleep? Has it been a problem for them napping at nursery? If so, what did you do?

TIA!

My DC1 started nursery just before she was 6mo. I had tried to get her to take a bottle and a dummy before starting nursery, to no avail. She always fell asleep on the boob.

My advice would be not to worry about it and to let the nursery handle it. I bet they get him napping successfully without the boob within a few days. They are a) paid professionals and have probably been there, seen it before and b) it is in their interest to get all the babies asleep so that they can clean up/tidy up/take breaks.

The other thing is that if you devise one method to get him to sleep, the nursery will probably find a different one.

My DC2 was also a bit funny about his naps when he started nursery and they sorted him out too.

DD2 aged 13 months still only goes to sleep on the boob for me. She goes to crèche 3 days a week and they have no problems settling her. They half swaddle her, give her a teddy and she pops off to sleep after a minute or so grumbling. If she doesn't settle they cuddle her, put her in a pram and rock her. None of those work for me, but she sleeps like an angel for them.

Please don't worry, I was in exactly your situation, and the nursery quickly sorted it. Don't really know how, but they get dd to take three naps a day at least. Whereas, with me, she ALWAYS needs boob to sleep. Methinks there's an element of choice going on here, dd?

Phew - thanks very much

Obviously, I'd rather put pins in my eyes than start him in nursery so small but this gives me one less thing to feel guilty worried about.