OK, CM question that may be really dense, but be kind!!!....

and remember this is all temporary, he will all too soon be denying your presence at the school gate and say as mine did, 'mum no kissing me, god how embaressing'.

all part of the journey so keep that in mind and dont worry.

Hmmm i understand the cost. Ive had to cut back on loads to afford the extra session as dd doesnt get funded til jan. Its heart wrenching to know your child is so upset. I sent dh to do the drop offs sometimes as i couldnt bear the screaming. What was worse was the day when i collected her, she cried 'please please mummy just take me home' that was awful. Amazingly they said she didnt cry on dh's drop offs prob as she was used to seeing him go off to work.

Have you spoken to nursery? What do they say happens whilst he's there? My dd was apparently ok and they showed me lots of photos of her playing. But she wet herself three times a session there despite being out of nappies day and night since april so i knew she wasnt completely at ease.

I just wanted to let you know my experience with my DD to reassure you a bit. My DD is almost three but I started her 1 day a week at pre-school when she hit two. I'd been working from home but it was increasibly difficult so i opted to put her in one day per week. She took ages to settle, became very very clingy with her key worker and would sob if she left the room etc. I was getting extremely worried. Her keyworker is actually a childminder and so I explored moving her to her setting instead.

Her notes suggested that the only areas of development were to boost her confidence, social skills etc which broke my heart as she's extremely vivacious and spirited at home. I was tentative at taking her back after the summer but opted to put her in for an extra day hoping it would help her to settle as more time in the environment.

She is a different child, the difference since July to just a couple of weeks in, is massive. She begs to go, runs off without a glance and gushes with stories about it.

I'm not saying you shouldnt take DS out if thats what you think is best, or get a mothers help. But I realised that for my DD one 5 hour session in a week wasnt enough to settle in, to get familiar with the place or the people. It's a long time for an almost three year old to go 6 days without revisiting somewhere and it may be similar for your DS with short sessions and only a couple in hand. I was very very upset at the end of term before summer, my daughter to me was emotionally affected and I felt torn. This term she is now asking when she can get to big school and she doesnt start until 2013!!!

Empathise not emphasize !! Bloomin I phone!

Yes OP I can totally emphasize with the knackered thing!
I work and actually find it gives me a break, when I was at home I cried at least once a day. There is simply no break, EVER when you SAH. Unless you have family around.
A mothers help sounds good or even a nanny. My nanny used to do one afternoon a week for another family. In fact we are in the east mids and have just dropped our lovely nannies hours by half a day per week and I know she would like extra work.
Pm me if you want more info or I can help anymore.

Oh and a lot of people are looking for nannies who will work before and after school and not get paid for the day and with the economic climate the way it is there's a lot of nannies who have to settle for that. So someone with that sort of position would LOVE to be able to work for those hours for someone else (especially if you really don't mind which days/hours!)

Advertising:
Try Gumtree; Childcare.co.uk, the other mums forum, a notice up in your local shop window, a community newspaper.

A Mother's help is exactly that, someone to help you!

They can be a mum whose children are in school and wants a few hours of work during the day, a new nanny who is willing to take on some housekeeping work combined with nannying to get experience, a university student (especially a childcare student), someone's au pair looking for a few more hours of work, a housekeeper who is also good with children. Very broad range of people who would qualify!!!

And yes, they could do ironing if that's what you want!!!!!

If you need a break, why not see if you can get a Mother's Help for a couple of mornings a week instead? Maybe being looked after in your own home by someone else will make it easier for your DC. After a few times you could go out for an hour or so, maybe get your hair done (Oh the luxury !).

A double benefit in that you don't have to waste time getting them ready and dropping them off at nursery/CM, and the mother's help would be able to help with a few simple chores.

Becaroo
I am a nursery nurse and have lots of experiemce. For lots of children, 2 mornings a week is simply not long enough. He sounds as if he is finding it too traumatic at the moment. if he doesn't need to go, then don't send him yet. Wait a while till he is developmentally ready.
I have seen lots of children who are too upset to engage with anything at nursery. They spend the whole session crying, upset and fearful. Most parents stick it out because they need their child in nursery because they work. Sure, the children do settle, but sometimes it can take weeks or even months. We try to play it down if we can sense the parent feels guilt because of having to use a nursery.
I disagree about setting a precedent. In a few months time he will be older, more in control of his feelings and more able to express them. You are more likely to set a precedent for him to be hard to leave, which can continue well into the school years.
Wait until he is older and he will get so much more out of nursery when he is confident and happy in his surroundings.

Does he get his free hours in January? You could even just try stopping for now and having another go then.

I think it's totally okay for you to want a break. It does sound like he is struggling with it at the moment though. He might find a childminder setting easier - more like being cared for at home/at GPs - but you could give him a little while before you try it again. They change so much at this age!

Our (lovely, lovely) childminder did do the free 15 hours. You're not in south London are you btw?

This very thing happened with my niece at nearly 3. She screamed the place down and made herself ill with it. Dsis didn't send her again and she started school last week, no problems, bye-bye mummy and a wave.

When I was little i didn't go anywhere until school, and I was fine.

If you are a SAHM why do you need to send him anywhere?
If he wants to be with you why not let him?

He's not even three - if he doesn't need to go don't send him.

I don't agree at all that you are setting a precedent! Almost 3 is very different to almost 5, starting school is half his life away. He's not going to refuse to start Reception on the basis that 2 years ago you didn't make him go to nursery when he didn't want to.

But what if he does this when he starts school? I think you should try for longer because you are setting a precedent - sorry if that sounds harsh but i would try again. Has he been around other children? Toddlers groups, soft play and stuff?