Would you wait to ttc to avoid a summer birthday

[justthinkingxx]

We want to try towards the end of this year and if we are lucky straightaway that would mean a summer birthday. I read it on here on other threads that people think it is the worst time to be born in, for the place in school year above all else

I can see some advantages though like maybe being off school for your birthday , always having good birthday weather , and importantly whilst cost of living is so high you would pay nearly a year less of childcare fees when lots of the first year of school is relaxed and play based anyway , so best of both worlds only you’re not paying for it ?

We’re in our mid20s so can wait if summer is truly disadvantageous !

For my first baby I met two teachers at childbirth classes. All due early Sept. They spent August telling their bumps to stay put till Sept 1. Maybe stop TtC for the three or four months that would give you a very young for year DC

I was the youngest in my year with an August birthday. It was never an issue.

As a nanny I looked after several summer borns, all were clever and confident. When I had my son I was desperate for a December baby so could have him in a cute Xmas babygrow… totally nuts, he’s mid December and bday always gets swallows up by Xmas stuff, illness and too cold to do anything much outside! If I had my time again I’d aim for June- sept to conceive for a March/April/May baby but unless you fall pg straight away it’s not something you can have much control over

Yes, wait a couple of months and avoid a July/august baby.

Summer is a great time for a birthday!

I remember caring about this stuff but months went by and pregnancy didn't happen. In the end we did ivf and went with when the clinic had availability.

My son has an August birthday, but he didn’t start Reception until Compulsory School Age which I always knew I would do. It’s not a given that Summer-born children have to start school when they’ve just turned 4.

I absolutely love him having a birthday in the summer holidays. I take the day off and we have a lovely day doing something nice, or have a little break away somewhere so for me it’s a big advantage.

@DuchessOfSausage thank you

@DandelionBurdockAndGin thanks for getting back to my comment

No one is suggesting summer. Orbs are 'lesser'. That's a weird interpretation. It's that youngest in year can be a struggle. Being in most cases, smaller and less able in early school years can have lasting effects. Obviously there are cases if the biggest sportiest smartest kid being young but obviously most dc who are 11 or 12 months younger than the oldest May struggle.
Also birthday parties are a pain as everyone is away

My brother was August born, has a masters degree and is the most intelligent person I know.

No. Hate winter birthdays - would far rather have summer ones.

More seriously, we have 3 DC - one born in March, one July and one Oct. They are all different and all turned out perfectly OK, despite any possible advantages/disadvantages of birth month. Summer born DC was perfectly ready for school at 4 years and 1 month but March born wasn't despite being 4 months older.

I thought so and managed to conceive 3 autumn and winter babies on the first try. Lost them all and it wasn’t so important. Wa lucky enough to find a cause for my miscarriages and by then didn’t care about birthdays. I have a September and a July born.

So much negativity about Christmas birthdays. I know I said upthread to abstain from TTC in March but there really are worse fates in life! My DS was born on Christmas day and whilst it's not ideal it's really not the worst thing in the world. He's always off school, we get to spend it together (I didn't see DD on her 5th birthday because I had to stay at work for an open evening), and I throw him a party in January when people don't have much on. And sometimes we save his big present until the summer. He's a lucky kid!

As the sibling of someone born on Xmas day, of course we made the best of it. It was far from ideal though, and if I had the luxury of time and ability to choose, I'd avoid it. It's also special, yes. But ultimately, not what I'd want.

@tammie49 exactly. That's what we did/do too. We don't have pudding after a late Christmas lunch, we have birthday cake at 6 and he has his presents then.

It wasn't exactly planned, he was due on 18th January!

DH, DD and I are all summer born; DH in August and we all did fine. However, having had a bleak midwinter baby and an early summer baby, the first six weeks in summer were much easier. 5am feeds are easier withiout a chill in the air and with the dawn chorus and rising sun as an accompaniment. I remember a two weekmperiod when ds was a tiny baby when we simply couldn't get out at all due to torrential rain, ice or snow.

Longer days help too. My mum, MIL or DH could take the baby for a walk at 6 so I could give ds an hour of quality time or could take ds for a quick run around the park.

You can’t guarantee that you will conceive within a certain timeframe anyway so I wouldn’t get hung up on this at all- I fell pregnant first time within a month and then after miscarriage it took almost a year once we started actively ttc. I was an end August baby and didn’t have any problems in school - everyone is different.

I was due in October. I have a late august birthday! Not only youngest in year but was preemie too ... I'm fine by the way, trotted off to university 3 weeks after I turned 18, would not have been impressed if my parents held me back!

The only other thing I will mention about summer birthdays is that you may want to bear in mind it's possibly very uncomfortable and hot being 8-9 months pregnant during the summer months. Obviously right now it's like winter anyway. When DS was born at the end of July I was just boiling and sweaty - other DC were Jan born - none of this was planned. I wasn't thinking about school years and all of that, and I wouldn't change anything but if you are making a list of pros and cons I will chuck that out there!

If you can manage to time conception to avoid a June-august birth you will definitely be going your child a favour. Just beat in mind that things don't always go exactly to plan, my predicted end of September baby actually arrived late August.

I have often wondered if things might have been better for her school wise if she'd been one if the oldest and not the youngest. She's doing ok but she was so tiny starting school I'm sure being physically bigger would have been an advantage in itself, and helped with her confidence.

That's what happened to me. I planned it for September. Baby arrived 3 weeks early! Nearly 27 now, worked out just fine.

Yes of course but there really are worse things that can happen in life to be honest. My brother's is between Christmas and New Year and people used to forget, give joint gifts, not be able to make his party. He's hardly scarred though! We TTC'd for a year before I fell pregnant- he's a blessing. Then we got married between Christmas and New Year. Nothing like having everything at once 🤣

My DS was due on December 11th. I was induced on the 25th! Poor kid was evicted. He was HUGE.

I liked that he was 6 months or so when Summer came and we could get out and about and he could enjoy playing with water and sitting on the grass etc. When they're tiny I find I like to hide in my house. Not that I'm doing it again!

My son will.be 17 on boxing day ,no it's not ideal but you cant choose.when babies will be conceived or born

@tammie49 ds is 28. By 6 months I was back at work.