Nursery naps help

[Lockdownbaby2021]

Hi my little ones starting nursery soon and I have no idea what time to tell them to do his naps.

His naps are a little all over the place anyway between 2-3 naps.

However his meals at nursery are

8am breakfast
10am snack
12pm lunch
3pm tea

He will also need a bottle in the middle of this too.

What time shall I tell them to do his naps and the bottle?? I’m predicting he won’t sleep very well at the start with it being loud/ different environment.

i just feel he doesn’t have a routine and with my going back to work I want to be able to tell his caregivers when he needs to sleep.

hes 8 months

I’d just let them figure it out. I never told the nursery about my baby’s routine-she adapted and just follows their meal and nap times. Babies sleep surprisingly well at nursery in general!

This. They will have their way of doing things and can’t and won’t accommodate every individual child’s previous schedule. Let it be. Hope he enjoys nursery!

Honestly most of them have looked after more babies than you. They will have him nap when he’s tired, in a few weeks he will probably fall into a short morning/ long afternoon nap pattern and then they will push for him to do one long nap in a couple of months.

You’ll have loads of people saying this but nurseries are sleep wizards - I had two kids that would only sleep in the buggy, in the car, or in arms. Both napped beautifully in cots at nursery. Don’t worry too much!

Thanks guys! It’s only because on the website they stated with the baby room they follow the routines at home and at the moment we’re doing like a 0930-11 and a 2-4 but then again this last week he’s been back to 3 9-10, 12-130 and 430-5 so I’d rather him fall into one around nursery etc. xx

I wouldn’t stress about it. Both of mine started around 9 months and had variable nap times at home but fell into a routine at nursery and it worked fine. In my experience they tended to try to get them all napping around the same time anyway. Nursery workers seem to have magic nap powers - my DDs would fight sleep to the end at home but once they were settled at nursery just lay on the little mats and off they went! I’d just explain it varies at home but let them know his tired cues.

As DT’s were at nursery five days a week from six months old, we let nursery sort out nap times and we followed the same pattern at home. Nurseries are amazing at getting them to sleep

So should I just say we try and do 2 naps and then let them figure it out? Just they ask what time he has his bottle but don’t know what time to say as I won’t know when he’s sleeping / waking up

Tell them that and ask for their input on when naps should be. It might take a few weeks to fall into a routine.

I would just tell them exactly what you’ve said here and let them follow his cues and establish a routine (or not!) he may not be a fixed routine type baby, some are more changeable day by day!

thanks all. I will ask them at his last settle on Monday what time they’d usually put them down and try work out his milk from there.