To ask if it’s bad to send your children to childcare when you’re not working?

Not bad at all. Opportunity for your children to be sociable, have some routine.

We had similar with holiday club and after school club - big complaints if we collected them even five minutes early and ruin their time with their friends. Was good to know they were happy and enjoying themselves.

I think I'd be OK with this and not feel guilty. I do, however, remember being taken out for the whole of summer (usually spent 3 months with my young grandparents who lived abroad by the beach). As a child, I found it difficult to get up early enough for the nursery so it was nice to have a more relaxed routine at home. No issues going back as far as I can remember.
So from that perspective, it is hugely individual whether your kids need a break or not. But from your perspective as a mother, if it makes your time with them more enjoyable - there is no shame in sending them in.

Mine (2yo) currently goes three days a week and I’m currently not working - I freelance and I have to have the childcare option for when I do work which is probably about half the year? If I don’t have any work booked I usually pick him up early and get him in late and occasionally don’t take him in.

His nursery is excellent and the waiting list is long, plus he’s settled so I don’t like messing around with his routine. The freelancing thing is relatively recent so I do feel very guilty compared to when I had a permanent role!

No. We broke up last Friday 1pm and by this point with no routine we are all feral and sad 😂

Are you a teacher, OP? If so, I imagine your terms are full on and your holidays aren't entirely your own. Teachers do so much unpaid prep/work out of hours. And then you come home and have to wrangle 2 small children. Are they both sleeping through the night yet?

Take your down time when you can get it. You will be a better parent for recharging your batteries.

If I thought nursery was a bad place to send them then I wouldn’t send them at all.

My child loves nursery, they get so much out of it, they have friends, they socialise without me hanging about, they develop relationships with other adults, they learn and play. I send my child to nursery for those reasons, and yes I do work, but even if I didn’t I would still send them for those benefits.

100% ok to do this

I absolutely did this.

Keeps routine, stops them getting bored, change for you and for them.

I do it just to keep them off the streets :)
Or probably should say screens these days :(

No of course not, it's a good thing for you to have time to yourself - either to get things done - or (gasp!) do something nice for you like get a haircut or go for a bike ride!

Of course someone will along in a minute to say you are letting other people raise your child and how can you not spend every waking moment with them?

And even people who work in nurseries often come onto threads like this to say how awful it is that parents (mothers) dare to have a day to themselves.

Utterly ridiculous.

When ds was small DH and I used to take our birthdays off, send him to nursery and go out for a nice lunch!

Nope I only work school term and I find these are my actual break days. Although I end up gardening and doing housework I can’t do with a child underfoot.

She normally goes 3 days a week but when I’m on school holidays I send her 2 days a week so I feel less guilty

I always did this. Some days I did nothing but go to the gym and have coffee. Other days I went to appointments and did all the boring life admin things. Having time to myself helped me be a better and more patient mother.

I think its more than fine, I think its good for you and the DC. If you can afford it, why wouldn't you? It still leaves 4 days to spend with them.

🤣🤣🤣

I'm a sahm, ds10 is in school anyway and we paid for dd to go to a private nursery then got her in to the school nursery and paid extra for afternoons, 5 days a week.
No regrets whatsoever, DD has flourished in that environment, probably more so than being stuck with me all day. I love spending time with them both but not all day, every day!!

Plus surely, they'll still need the nursery places once you go to work so you'd still be paying for the place, might as well send them in!

Of course not. It would also be harder to settle them again after summer.

It's fine. Mine always went in on the day I didn't work. It was the only way to get anything done with pre-schoolers.

It would be nice if you wanted to spend your free time with them but it isn't bad if you don't.

I've been sending DS to the childminder even if I'm home with DD (who is school age). I have to pay for the childminder if he goes or not, and it gives DD time to enjoy things that are less appropriate when her little brother is around. He doesn't go every day

Assuming it's day nursery so they are under 4, the consistency is probably easier on them than having six weeks off! And it means you can have some time to yourself to maintain sanity 😁.
I kept my son at the childminders 2 days a week (he was in term time preschool the rest of the week usually) last year and I loved being able to do all the boring grown up jobs while I knew he was having fun with other children. It meant I could be much more present the rest of the time.

I think you’ve got to take advantage of it now as won’t be too much longer and you’ll have them every holiday! Plus you’re paying for it and can’t exactly stop as you won’t have your place again when you need it. I might take them out sometimes for days out or whatever but don’t feel guilty.

My DS is moaning that he's not at childcare today because he likes his friends more than me apparently

Of course it’s not “bad” - if it’s good childcare then keeping up some days is probably beneficial.

I might not send them every day if it was me, but some days.

Do they like it when they get there?

Everyone needs some time to themselves at some point!

Im assuming from this they are nursery age?