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Original poster

Local nursery or close to work?

34 replies

JammyRedRooo · 19/01/2022 18:53

Help! DH and I are trying to choose a nursery, it's for our first baby (she will be 1 when she goes but waiting lists are long).

Options are

A) Nursery attached to my work. Cheaper, nice enough but not fantastic. Work is a 30 minute commute from home.

B) Nursery approx a 20 min walk/5 minute drive from our house. Seems really really lovely and if all things were equal would be my choice. More expensive.

DH thinks itll be more convenient to have her in nursery close to me so if anything happens I'm round the corner. If she goes to the local one and I go into the office I wont be able to be there for at least 30 mins. HOWEVER I do work from home a lot (even before Covid) and so does he, plus my parents are local too and have said they can be around for emergencies. I'd also be later into work (after 9) if I chose the local one, although Dh can share drop offs and pick ups and there is an option for an earlier start.

Please could someone help make a decision for us? I feel out of my depth here! Thanks

OP posts:

Motherland101 · 19/01/2022 19:04

I'd personally always chose based on which nursery would be a better fit for my baby. In this case, it sounds it's the local nursery as you say the one near your work is not great. Also, not negligible that if she goes there, you will have a chance to meet & connect with the parents and children who will become school mates / play dates later on.

Plus, if you are working from home quite a lot and baby goes to the nursery near your work, you will still have to take her so it's an unnecessary trip.

Jingleballsjellyballs · 19/01/2022 19:15

Also on days you’re sick and she’s not do
You want to be driving 30mins to the “work” nursery unnecessarily when you just want to get back to bed

daisydalrymple · 19/01/2022 19:18

I was advised nursery closer to home is best, as either parent can do drop off and no need for a nursery change disruption if you get a new job.

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TheDayOfTheDucks · 19/01/2022 19:18

If you work from home a lot, how will a nursery where you work work? That will be really impractical.

WorriedGiraffe · 19/01/2022 19:20

I’d choose the one closer to home, partly because it’s nicer. But also it’s closer to your DH and parents too, and when your child is older if there’s a half an hour drive home from nursery they will be guaranteed to fall asleep in the car which isn’t something you will want when they are bigger and dropping naps! Being closer to home also gives them a chance to grow up with kids they may end up at school with which is nicer long term.

guardiansofthegalaxychocs · 19/01/2022 19:20

Choose the local one to your house. Otherwise if you moved jobs, are unwell, have some training elsewhere etc then you’ll be making a trip for no reason. I’d also be suspicious if your OH thinks you will be doing all the emergency pick ups or just say to day nursery runs! If nursery is local to your house these can be shared.

Nichola2310 · 19/01/2022 19:21

I had this debate and choose one by my work which was also 30mins from my house.

Then covid happened, I was changed to full time working from home and I spent over a year doing a 1 hour round trip in the morning and same again in the evening as there weren't any places available near me.

I'd choose the one by your home.

Flocon · 19/01/2022 19:23

The one nearest home. If she needs picking up early you or DH will be taking her home anyway.

Flocon · 19/01/2022 19:23

@guardiansofthegalaxychocs

Agreed with this.. sounds suspiciously like he wants it near your work and expects you to do the pick ups.

Pegasussnail · 19/01/2022 19:25

Nearer home and dh picks her up. I don't know why he's suggesting its you doing picks ups all the time.

TolkiensFallow · 19/01/2022 19:27

Close to home.

Otherwise wfh is over and it’s a ballache to drop off if you are off sick or take a day annual leave

Defaultuser · 19/01/2022 19:28

Local definitely for all the reasons mentioned, plus if anything happened you would just be spending the extra 30 minutes in traffic driving home anyway.

Dammitthisisshit · 19/01/2022 19:31

Close to home.
You should be sharing emergency pick ups equally!

Imohsotired · 19/01/2022 19:31

I’d go for home. Aside from the reasons mentioned I’d want to avoid my little one having to ‘commute’ if it’s 30 minutes by car

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 19/01/2022 19:34

The one close to home.

It sounds nicer, you both WFH regularly, you have parents nearby and it means if you change jobs, you're not stuck with a nursery half an hour away.

It seems like a no-brainer to me.

xyzandabc · 19/01/2022 19:35

Closer to home one. If you went with the work one, but WFH sometimes, you'd totally lose the time and fuel savings of WFH as on those days you'd be driving to work and back twice rather than just the once in an office day.

Sounds like your DH is trying to sway it to go with the work nursery so that he can get out of doing most drop offs and pick ups. Local one, you can share them equally.

You say if you chose the local one, you would have to be late for work, but your DH WFH a lot, so he can drop off and you leave earlier. My DH WFH and does all of the school drop offs, I leave the house at 7.15am. Likewise his argument that you'd be close by to the work nursery is rubbish. At the work nursery it'd just be you. At the local nursery it could be you, him and grandparents, so many more options.

scrivette · 19/01/2022 19:35

I would go for closer to home too, less commuting for DC, easier for when you are WFH or have a day off. If DC is poorly then there is less of a commute home too.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 19/01/2022 19:36

Close to home- jobs may come and go- you may have annual leave, sick days- always better have childcare closer to home. If your baby needs you, you’ll be leaving work anyway.

LostForWords2021 · 19/01/2022 19:40

Closer to home. 30 minute car journey around 5pm has nap time written all over it, then it's a struggle for bed time!

Flocon · 19/01/2022 19:41

You also get a nice transition from mummy mode to work mode on the commute in

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 19/01/2022 19:43

@LostForWords2021

Closer to home. 30 minute car journey around 5pm has nap time written all over it, then it's a struggle for bed time!

Omg so true!

BunnyRuddington · 19/01/2022 19:43

Nearer home and dh picks her up. I don't know why he's suggesting its you doing picks ups all the time

That's what I was thinking. Sounds like he's trying to opt out.

BungleandGeorge · 19/01/2022 19:45

The one close to home wins on both convenience and being a nicer nursery. Well worth the expense if you can stretch to it. Does your oh think it’s solely your responsibility to do all nursery drop off/ pick off including if baby is sick then? I’d knock that on the head if I were you! If they ring because they need you to pick her up the 30 minute drive really makes very little difference it’s not like you’ll be able to pick a sick baby up and head back to the office with them…

MindyStClaire · 19/01/2022 19:46

Closer to home, for all of the reasons above, but also:

The commute is the only downtime you'll have until after bedtime. I savoured it (pre covid).

The thoughts of commuting with a grumpy toddler in a couple of years. No no no no no no...

Pootles34 · 19/01/2022 19:48

Closer to home, especially if its near the school you'll be using, as then they'll move up with all their little friends - it makes the transition to school so much easier!

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