To think that having a April birthday is the best month to be born in for school

[ReallyTired]

It is in the middle of the academic year so the child should have roughly an average amount of development/ maturity. (Assuming no Sen and that the child is not gifted.) Some September born children might get bored in nursery, some August born children need a little bit more time in nursery.

[hufflebottom]

It's all about the Feb babies. Sorry OP. I am really biased though as dd is Feb and dc2 is due in Feb stupid me

It sucks for birthdays though as either dd will be off as its half term or will be just going back to school.

However she's middle of the year she's working at the expected.

[namechangedtoday15]

Never come across a sports club / team which has age groups from 31 Dec (and I have 3 children). Its always done by Year Group (even though its called Under 15s or Under 10s etc) so no advantage if you're Jan/ Feb/ March etc. You're just the middle of the pack as you are in school.

[ReallyTired]

I think that the academic advantage of an autumn birthday is less than the past when children started school the term before they were five. Having every child start the september after they are four is really hard on the August borns who might not be developmentally ready. However my daughter was easily ready to start school at 4 years 5 months. She had good language, fine motor skills and all the independence skills necessary for reception. I don't think that a developmentally ready child benefits from defering starting school. A child's inate ablity has a greater affect than their birthdate.

Having a winter baby puts a mother at greater risk of post natal depression. Seasonal factors like lack of daylight, poor weather can cause depression in someone without a baby. The first few weeks of having a tiny baby are hard. Its nice being able to enjoy the sunshire or go for walks with a newborn. There is evidence that summer babies grow up to be healthier adults.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/babies-born-in-the-summer-grow-up-to-be-taller-and-healthier-cambridge-university-study-finds-a6691776.html

It would be interesting to know which month has the best compromise between the health benefits of a late summer birthday and the benefit of being the oldest in the class. Certainly there are competiting factors.

[howabout]

I have an April baby and as we are in Scotland where the school cutoff is the end of February she is also one of the oldest in her year. This is definitely to her advantage, as her November born sister is obviously younger for her school year even now they are teenagers. (Scotland has deferrals procedure in place for dc born in January onwards)

Ours get nursery funding the month they turn 3. This has the effect of giving the older dc like my April born 2 full years of nursery (1 in lieu of reception) when younger dc born after the start of the academic year will have less. However I didn't really see a noticeable benefit from nursery for my particular dc at age 3 and I think my dd1 had 6 months too much because she was old.

I am surprised about the findings on PND because I felt having a winter baby when they mostly sleep followed by a more alert 6 month old for the summer months was easier than having a summer baby followed by coping with a 6 month old in the winter.

[BarbarianMum]

I have an autumn born and a February born. I think the older the better tbh - extra time not at school, and being so much more likely to be ready for the academic stuff when you start.

I was an August baby. Pretty grim IME.

[Onthepigsback]

I think having a naturally intelligent and confident child is more important for success at school than any particular month of birth.

[timeforathink]

Eternal , more March to April will pass the grammar exam due to getting extra marks in their scores for age ,

[timeforathink]

I mean March April onwards would get extra marks in the scores

[namechangedtoday15]

timeforathink that is categorically incorrect.

[Stillwishihadabs]

My two pennyworth;
I am January born, did well at school, bloody hate my birthday,am a fairly healthy adult ,but much shorter than DM and dsis.
D's is April,lovely time to have a baby, he did get "marked up" in the 11+(at a superselective) but wasn't ready for reading till mid yr1.
Dd is October, always the tallest and strongest in her year,also academically strong. But she was at nursery for ever (5months-4years 11 months) and was heart broken when all her friends went to school the year before she could go, she was bored because at very nearly 4 she was cohorted with dcs who where just 3. Luckily the nursery was great and she went into yr R being able to read and do simple sums.
Dh is mid September which I think is perfect.

[namechangedtoday15]

Just to be clear there is some misunderstanding of standardisation of scores. It is absolutely not marking up

[Groovee]

Makes them one of the eldest in Scotland and start school at age 5!

[yeOldeTrout]

Before MN became OBESESSED with school results, people said that April was a great month to have a baby because you got bulk of maternity leave in summer.

Sometimes other things in life matter.

[PisforPeter]

I have a May baby & due another DC2 next May. I think it's a fab time of year to have a baby as mentioned above.

[KP86]

Quick question (new to UK).

Just checked the calendar and my DS will be 3 on Good Friday in 2017. Does that mean he will get his 15hr free funding after Easter or in Sept?

Do they need to be 3 before the end of the previous term or before the beginning of the new term?

[Maladicta]

I'm an April birthday, I've had two fall on Easter Sunday. No fun. Everyone gives you Easter eggs for presents, fine when you're eight but crap for your 18th!

From my 4 dcs I think January actually works best.

[namechangedtoday15]

kp it's usually payable at the start of the term after they turn 3, so Good Friday 2017 falls in April (I think) which is the summer term. So you'll have to wait until the start of the next term which is Sept.

[ineedamoreadultieradult]

I've 2 born in April one is quite mature but the other is definitely at the more immature end of his class. Birthdays are tricky with the Easter hols but also we can have lovely sun or even snow so hard to plan an outside party.

[KP86]

Yes, his birthday is in April - his birthday falls on Good Friday that year.

Will have to investigate further. Doesn't matter that much I guess, just makes it a bit cheaper for us if we have him at a nursery!

[hackedoffnow]

I think people born in April have the most health issues tho apparently.

[namechangedtoday15]

kp the 15 free hours is never not usually 'free' to you need to look into it.

I don't think it matters at all which month you're born from an academic point of view - genetics, nurture and personality are miles more important.

[Stillwishihadabs]

To be clear being 10.4 when he took the exam ds had to answer fewer questions correctly to get a given score than an older dc.

[EnoughAlready999]

Agree with howabout - Feb is a nice time to have a newborn. Days are getting longer and daffodils already out round here. I didn't staying in all cosy with her anyway especially as bf a lot in first few months.
Wrt to school, its swings & roundabouts - her & 4 friends are going for the 11+ and the youngest two (April & June) are the most competent!

[EnoughAlready999]

Btw, no such word as 'competiting' OP.

[namechangedtoday15]

That's still not correct still unless your school had a system which differed from the standard procedure. Standardisation of marks absolutely doesn't work like that.