Is having an August baby really so terrible?

[SunflowerOwl]

I'm expecting my first DD in late August. I'm so excited and thrilled.

But people keep telling me I should 'keep my legs crossed' until September as summer babies are at a massive disadvantage when they start school, they will be a year younger etc.

Aside from the fact that theres very little I can do about when she decides to arrive, is it really so terrible? People are starting to make me feel like I've set my child up to fail already and it's making me feel pretty crap.

I think something like 98% of professional sportspeople are born in sept-Dec in the UK. Also more likely to get into selective (a 11+ exam school)

Good article here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/18891749

Anyway I'm an August baby and have an August boy. When I went to infant school I only started reception in the summer term. I hadn't got a clue what was going on, and I was totally left behind by the older children, who had done two term before me I'm so glad they don't do staggered starts now.

But my august DS is in reception, he's doing well, but he's not doing the level of extension work some of the older girls are. Writing their own structured sentences ( without copying it .) There are certainly some summer born boys struggling, but I think right or wrong the local council run preschools don't teach any phonics or writing around here, so it's a lot to learn in reception. So some of the success will depend on which setting your child comes from and what you do with them at home before and once at school. My DS hated writing at his nursery and refused to do it, but we did a little at home in the summer and it clicked for him at school. I couldn't teach reading I had no idea.

I was due in August but was premature and born in early July. I did absolutely fine (got into grammar school, got good exam results and went to a good university) but my sister (born November) always did better at school - not sure if that’s because she’s brighter than me generally but I think it is an advantage to be earlier in the academic year.

That said, my friend’s twins who were born in August are child geniuses and mine born in September are both autistic and non verbal so there’s obviously a lot more to it than when a child is born!

DD10 is in year 6 (born August 18) and she’s done brilliantly at school.

She passed her 11+ with a really high score and is in greater depth in all subjects.

She did need a little bit of support for her confidence when she was little but she came into her own in Juniors.

I am late August - never had to go to school on my birthday!
Mum told me l was one of the best readers in the class and l sailed through primary school.

@DelilahTheParrot I really do!! Don't know why though!! They've got to be Leo, the show offs 🙄

My dtds were due at the end of September but born 30 August and are fine and happy at school.

I think you can choose to defer summer babies nowadays and have them start the following year?

I have 2 August babies. Both doing brilliantly at school!

I know people who have engineered to have autumn children...but it took us ages to conceive and in august he came.
Yes I did worry about him starting school etc as he was just gone 4 at the time but he’s in y3 and totally fine academically, ahead in many areas in fact.

I am a summer baby, but in my year group of 50 odd girls about 10 were before march. The majority were June July and August. In fact, the brightest girl was the youngest. You can't predict things like this.

My mid-August born DD is in year 1 and doing really well - ahead in reading and at the expected level for everything else. I don’t understand the angst over august babies.

I work in a school supporting children that need extra help. Up to age 8/9 there's a lot of summer born children that struggle academically and socially. But most do catch up. Some get disillusioned with being behind all the time though. A year in age is a huge difference at age 4/5.

But as pp have said, there's a lot more to it than just when you birthday is. And anyway, it's mostly a difference in academic achievement at primary school, which is not exactly the be all and end all.

The August borns always look so little starting school when they’ve just turned 4. A year is so long at that age so next to the ones turning 5 at the start of term they are far behind. Being totally honest if I could choose a September or August baby I’d choose September but it’s not like you can choose so why stress?

Statistically summer born children are at a disadvantage and achieve less. This carries on all the way through until secondary school. But it is much easier to start reception a year later now, there is a bit of a process to go through but you should look into it if you're worried.

I have an Aug 20th baby. It has never held him back although back when he started school they had a January intake as well as a september intake.

@ZednotZee

I am far more worried about my December born DS4 who is due to start school in September. He knows his multiplications up to twelve and can read The Lord of the rings but still prefers to shit his pants rather than use the loo.

This causes me more anxiety than his sister's summer birthday ever did.

Oh this resonates. My December born twins start school in September and one was a toilet refuser, went for a poo in the loo first time ever yesterday. Oh the relief. Funnily enough she is also extremely bright, can read etc.

My daughter was born in late August she never struggled at school and is now a GP x

@ShutUpAlex

My 22nd of august baby is top of her class.

My 22nd Aug baby ended up dropping a year and having to re-do his A-levels. At 17 he suddenly seemed so much more immature and younger than his classmates, unlike his big sister, who was born in early Sept.

My August baby is now studying conservation at a top university after getting A stars and was top of her college last year.

I wouldn't worry so much.

In contrast my October born ds really struggled in school and dropped out of college early

@SunflowerOwl
Definitely don't worry! I have a 13 year old son who was due mid Sept but came early on 29th August. He was born on the 2nd percentile - tiny baby. He did struggle with tiredness when he started full time school a few days after turning 4 but we didn't notice any difference compared to my eldest son who is Spring born. He has always been a high achiever (due to being the youngest in his year which maybe made he more determined to succeed) and has always been top of his class. He has just been accepted into one of the top 10 independent schools in the UK for his GCSES. He loves being August born as his birthday is always in the summer holidays and doesn't find it a disadvantage at all. Enjoy your pregnancy, the baby will come when they are ready.

My brother has an August birthday. He also has a PhD.

Haven't RTFT but from another perspective, I'm a September baby and was often ahead of the class and bored & ended up being quite disruptive by teen years. Impossible lump every child's experience together based on their month of birth.

If anything you've given her more options. If you think she's not ready for school it's much easier now to delay and start Reception a year later and you no longer have to catch up at any point, she would just stay with her adopted cohort throughout. If she is ready for school you've saved up to a year of childcare fees. Win win!

If you're interested in the possibility of sending your child to start reception when they are 5, there is a really informative Facebook group called 'Flexible school admissions for summer borns.' We have a June birthday DD, it was great as a newborn, being able to go out walking all the time and light mornings etc. We are almost certainly going to send her to reception at 5 instead of 4. It depends how easy this will be depending on where you live unfortunately it's a postcode lottery but it's becoming increasingly popular and some LAs, like mine, have a guaranteed acceptance of any such request for summer born children.

Mine was a late August baby, the youngest in his year, but you wouldn't really know it apart from him being smaller than some of the others. He was at nursery from 3 months so had lots of social experience, and could read a little bit and write his name when he started school. I didn't want to wait for him to start school because he had settled into the nursery attached to the school when he was 3, and his friends there continued with him into primary. He is still best friends with the boy he met on his first day at that nursery and he's an adult now.