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Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum.

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum.

Nurseries

did you keep sending your child to nursery when on mat leave?

15 replies

micegg · 23/10/2007 13:31

My DD will be 2.5 years when we have our second baby next year. She has been going to the same nursery sonce she was 9 months and we/her are very happy with it. The only problem is it's really expensive. I feel she would benefit from carrying on with nursery once I am off next year but probbaly for 1 day a week instead of her current 2 days. Do you think thi is necessary or am I better offf just spending the money on taking her to playgroups, etc? Also, if she does stay at nursery I am considering moving her to a cheaper one nearby. She is going to have quite alot of uheavel with a new baby so I am wondering if this is a good idea. Any opinions on this please and/or tips on moving a child from this age to the new nursery.

Thanks

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micegg · 23/10/2007 13:31

Please excuse my terrible typing!

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Chipstick · 23/10/2007 13:33

We continued with nursery for our dd - we thought she had enough changing in her life without us taking away the stability and routine she had at nursery.

It was also fab for me and new baby to have some valuable bonding time.

GrapefruitMoon · 23/10/2007 13:37

Depends surely on whether or not you plan to go back to work? I kept my dd on when I was on mat leave with no2 but reduced the number of days. She was only a few months off starting school anyway and I wouldn't have wanted her to change to a different place (eg school nursery) just for a few months - but she would have missed the company of other children, etc if I had stopped her going altogether...

micegg · 23/10/2007 13:39

Thats what I am thinking. At the moment we pay £57 per day but the nursery round the corner only charges £37 per day. I could stretch to one day a week in the expensive nursery if I wasnt working. The other thing is when she turns 3 the fees reduce to £47 per day which would only be £10 more than the cheaper nursery. It's still an awful lot of money when you are not working though. . But as you say it will keep some level of normality for her when the baby arrives. She is off ill today and was still asking for nursery.

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micegg · 23/10/2007 13:44

Sorry GFM I was replying to CS so my message probably doesnt make sense. At the moment I plan to go back to work after a year which would make DD 3.5. Possibilty that I will apply for a career break in which case I will think of moving her to the local school nursery when she is 3 but as I dont know yet I am going to assume I am only having a year off. If thats the case I wont be using the local school nursery due to wrap around care problems when I work. I would therefore either keep her at the current nursery and new baby as well or move her to the cheaper nursery and the baby goes to the more expensive one (the cheaper nursery doesnt take kids until they are 2).

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GrapefruitMoon · 23/10/2007 13:48

if you can afford it at all and your dd is happy there, I would leave her where she is tbh... personally hate to see kids having too much upheavel in terms of childcare

bossybritches · 27/10/2007 22:30

If you can stretch to it financially evenif it makes things a bit tight, keep her at her present nursery & then enjoy the bit of slack when her vouchers kick in.

The upheaval is not worth it, especially at a time when yo want to concentrate on baby 2. It's so important to keep the same routine for your DD1 & will ultimately be less hassle for you in the long run which is priceless!!

Any change around the time of the new baby arriving will upskittle your eldest & could cause resentment.

PillockOfTheCommunity · 27/10/2007 22:34

I continued with it as I felt that the change of a new baby would be enough, without removing him from nursery too. Once she is 3 she can do 2.5 hour sessions for free, and most private nurseries offer them too, if not, you can use that towards the payment for the session she does

PillockOfTheCommunity · 27/10/2007 22:36

having just read your last post, definately keep her there. If youu don't go back to work then she could always do the pre-school maybe one day a week? and if you do then the last thing you want is to be dropping off at two places (trust me, I have to do this one day a week now and it is a nightmare)

ChipButty · 27/10/2007 22:40

I would keep her where she is if possible. Do you use the childcare voucher scheme (eg busybees) where they take the cost of childcare directly from your wages before you are taxed? - this can make a difference. Also are you claiming tax credit? - it could help, if you are entitled.

IndulgeMePlease · 27/10/2007 22:43

I agree with bossy. I continued to send my DD to her childminder throughout maternity leave and it worked really well. I had to fight some guilt about the financial aspect but it was really worth it. DD was happy in her usual routine, I got time to rest before DS was born and then time to bond with him, and I think we all benefitted from some variety in our week. DD adapted so well to her brother's arrival and I'm sure that some of that was down to her having a chunk of her life that remained unaffected.

PS If you do continue to send her, make sure you rest on those days before the baby is born. DO NOT clean, tidy or shop. SLEEP. And that's an order!

bossybritches · 27/10/2007 23:29

Seconding IMP's orders!!

micegg · 28/10/2007 15:05

Thanks IMP

I am going to keep her at nursery but reduce from 2 days to 1 day as we def can't afford 2 days. Re: pre-school. She wouldnt be going until Jan 2009 which is 9 months after baby is due so I think I will apply for a place and then have the choice to send her there if I don't end up going back to work. I will also talk to nursery about her having a pre-school days there instead.

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shrinkingsagpuss · 28/10/2007 15:05

)Oh yes... sanity - sleep time, peace quiet bliss... had to reduce to 2 days from 3 but it is still lovely.!

inthegutter · 28/10/2007 20:09

If you're planning to return to work after this DC, then I'd say def keep DD at the nursery. Apart from anything else, it's the only way of securing her place isn't it? Good nurseries can get very booked up, and once you lose her place, it may be difficult to get her back in. This is what I did with my DCs. These days maternity is far longer, and I can see your point that if you take the maximum leave of a year, bearing in mind that half of that is unpaid, then maybe you could try to reduce her days and do some deal with the nursery that they'll let her step back up again once you're earning.

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