To find the timing of nursery's family fun day really odd

[ballinacup]

DS's nursery are having a family fun day in a few weeks time. I'm just really puzzled by the timing. They work really hard to settle the kids into a routine of lunch at 11.30 then nap from 12-2 and yet for some reason have decided to hold the fun day from 11-2.

AIBU to find the timing a bit odd? Don't get me wrong, I'm aware it's a minor issue in the grand scheme of things and I still feel sad about the firemen in Arizona, but it just seems... odd. We won't be going as DS would be an angry bundle of screaming hysteria by about 12, I just don't understand why they didn't do 9-12 or 2-5.

My guess is that there will be food to pay for to raise money for the nursery. Plus the timing will be easier for people with school age children to manage if they need to, assuming that it is on a weekday.

Ah you see Llareggub, I thought the school child thing initially... Until I checked the calender and realised it was a Saturday.

Could it be because they have children doing either morning or afternoon sessions, so holding it in the middle of th day means that parents dropping off or picking up could arrive a bit earlier and come to the fun day. This is the reason we're doing our games and picnic and a very similar time.

They'll be selling food, so want most people there during a typical meal time. They're catering for the masses, not the handful of children who use the nursery.

I think you're being a bit stubborn to not go even for half an hour before nap time. These things are most often a drop in, drop out sort of arrangement with no obligation to stay from beginning to end. Go along and support them!

We live too far away Shatner, or I would. I've already contributed £10 in raffle tickets and have signed up to bake cakes, so I'm not refusing to have any part in it. But DS would not enjoy himself and subsequently neither would I.

Fair enough. I don't know why you're bothered about the times then

Because I'd have liked to go. I meant we live too far away to drop in for 20 minutes or so but if we could have stayed for an hour, we would have gone along. It's okay, like I said, not a huge issue, just wanted to know if anyone else would find it odd. Apparently no one does so no harm, no foul!

DS's nursery had a fun day 10-2. Presumably no one wants to have to be at work before 10am on a Saturday and finishing by 2pm means they still have the afternoon to do things with their families, plus there was a bbq.

Is your DS still a baby? When they're little it can feel like the world should revolve around their nap times but really life goes on and they survive!

Why not just take a pushchair for him to nap in?

we ifit is a saturday then nap times are not really their worry you dont need to stay the whole 3 hours you can go for an hour or so then leave,

They can't time things to suit everyone's nap times. That time would be fine for my DS. It will suit some and not others. If you have a child that is rigid in his nap times then you need to expect that you may miss out on some things.

Oh believe me, I'm not a stickler for routine but unfortunately DS is if it had started at 10, that would have been nice. We could have gone along for an hour or so and had him home in time for lunch/nap.

Ah on a weekend, I should think the timings had to suit staff to a degree

Why not ask why that time slot was chosen?

Does he really have to eat and sleep at home? Why not go at 11am, have some lunch there and then he can sleep in the pushchair? You don't do anyone any favours by being so rigid - how do you ever do anything as a family?

To be fair it's not so much that I'm aghast that they'd dare to have the fun day during DS's usual lunch and nap time, I don't expect the world to revolve around my child. I just find it odd that they timed it for the exact time they encourage every child in their care under the age of 2/3 to nap and eat Monday to Friday.

but it is a funday and the nursery is not open to children they dont care when the kids sleep when they are notlooking after them , take some food for your child go on live a little

Assuming nursery goes up to school age, there will be plenty of 4/almost 4 year olds who will have long ago stopped napping for whom timing won't be an issue. Try as they might, I bet the nursery will also have failed to get all the 2 year olds to nap from 12-2 so all those kids will be fine on the day too, as will the babies who presumably are not in that routine yet. And, finally, not all of the ones who do nap so regularly are going to have a meltdown because the routine varies for one day!

Go at 11, play till 12, eat there then let him sleep in the car on the way home, then you have the afternoon to yourselves, perfect!

I'm going to say I'm with you OP. I work in a childcare centre and I can say for certain that we would take routines into consideration when planning an event.

YANBU. It's not that you're pissed off about it, and you don't expect them to cater to your every whim, you just find it odd. Fair enough, I would too.

go for 11am, they'll have food, feed your DS there at 11:30, put him in the car at 12 and drive back, he'll sleep in the car. Sorted.

Okay IABU and we'll go.

But be warned, when he starts screaming and we're getting tuts/judgey looks, I'll be telling everyone Mumsnet told me to do it

But if you go at 11, feed him as normal and leave at 12 then he isn't going to have a meltdown is he? Because he doesn't normally have his nap until 12 anyway so unless you are saying that he is an "angry bundle of screaming hysteria" by that time every day then I really don't see the problem?

Only a small proportion of the children are going to have that exact routine though Notafoodbaby - say, the toddlers aged 1-2.5. Younger babies will still be having 2 naps, from 2 lots of children are dropping their naps all together. It would be odd to plan the whole event around the routines of some of the children without taking account of what is best for the staff, other children, parents etc.