Registering baby before they're born!

[smartcarnotsosmartdriver]

I'd read on MN about mums in very busy areas registering their children before they're born (e.g. central London) so I looked into it. I live in a fairly small town in Scotland with several nursery options. Well we've just registered our unborn child for a place we don't need for a year! They're full right up until about 2 months before I go back to work.
I've suffered a lot with anxiety and outside of close friends and family I haven't shared that I'm pregnant. Now that it's out there at a nursery I'm so worried that something will go wrong and we'll not need the space and I'll have to call and tell them but I couldn't risk no childcare for when I go back to work! Is this usual all round the UK?

[insancerre]

Yes, it’s usual
Babies are often signed up for nurseries before they are born

[YobaOljazUwaque]

Yes I did this - I signed up as soon as I had announced my pregnancy at work because I knew it was a great nursery due to someone I work with having kids there. A place came available petty much exactly when I was ready to return to work. The nursery didn't bat an eyelid I just had to amend my waiting list records once name, sex and date of birth were known.

[theworstwife]

We have done this twice - absolutely bonkers but childcare somewhere good is hard to find

[PotteringAlong]

I didn’t do it with my first but I did with the second and third - I wanted to make sure they had a place at the same nursery so I signed up early.

[seven201]

I signed up at about 16wks pregnant and got the last place ready for return to work at 10months. Bonkers!

[smartcarnotsosmartdriver]

Thanks everyone. I was just pretty surprised. I'd rather have been able to wait until he was actually here safely.

[YobaOljazUwaque]

Much better to get it sorted before the baby arrives, unless you are in an area where there are plenty of good options which will have vacancies with short notice.

Once the baby arrives, for the first few months you are a sleep-deprived hormonal wreck and your baby is this tiny scrap of clingy totally dependent need, and you simply can't get your head around judging decisions about the best nursery for the adventurous ball of mischievousness that he will become by the time he is 12 months old. My friends who didn't make arrangements while still pregnant found they couldn't face the challenge of getting it sorted till their babies were 6-8 months old by which time obviously their options were much reduced.

[mindutopia]

It's not usual here. I think with both of mine, I only registered them for a place about 2-4 months before we needed it. We live in a rural village in the South West, but the nursery is a small family run village nursery. I suspect in the towns where there is more demand, it may be more typical But as long as you are happy with the nursery, that sounds fine to me. I certainly knew where I wanted my 2nd to go (same as the first) and would have happily put his name down if I'd needed to, but I didn't even know that early on when I'd return to work. The good thing is now you can put it out of your mind and focus on enjoying your pregnancy and you won't have to stress about doing it again in the future when you are exhausted and wanting to spend time with your baby.

[Sheld0r]

Yes, that is usual. I signed our DD up when I was 20 weeks pregnant with her. The registration form even said "child's DOB or due date" so it was very common for that nursery. We requested a full 5 days and then adjusted it when I knew what days/hours I would be working. It took the childcare stress away completely for me. Others were stressing about where they were sending their child and not being able to find a place before they were due back at work and I had it sorted before she was born! Felt very smug indeed!

[insancerre]

I’ve just taken a registration today for a baby due in December to start next June

[cookielove]

Literally the baby waiting list of babies waiting to be born the names and dob are down as tbc.

We even had parents request a spot on the waiting list, they were thinking of ttc the next year

[Expressedways]

At our daycare you have to inform them of your future pregnancy plans in order to get an infant spot! The baby section is for children up to 15 months but the standard maternity leave here is 3 months so add that to a 9 month pregnancy and it means no guarantee of a place if you wait until you’re actually pregnant. It’s crazy.

[anotherBadAvatar]

Informed my nursery the day of the 12 week scan. 2year waiting list to get in.

[joffreyscoffee]

A colleague at work has just signed up her unborn baby, she's 27 weeks pregnant and is having a year off work - even so, she has 6 weeks when she returns to work here she doesn't have childcare because they have no space.

We're in Yorkshire, so it's normal outside of London too.

[Teddybear45]

They don’t let you do that in my area. Need to wait for the baby to be born.