To ask about which nursery hours would be better?

[racheyc]

I have two children, 3 and 4 and about to put them in a new nursery since moving for their 15 hours. The options are 9-12, 12-3 or all day. Aibu to think that putting them in for 2 full days and 1 half day would be more beneficial to me in terms of getting stuff done at home, I also work from home part time, rather that 5 days a week of the three hour sessions? It just seems a lot of faff to get them ready every day for three hours, which would only be two and a half by the time I got home and left to pick them up. Does anyone have any experience either way?

Go for whole days,means a reasonable period of time for yourself
They'll enjoy the whole day with other kids
With half day by time you drop off,return home,you've got limited time before you need to return

Whole days! Otherwise you'll spend all your time going to and from nursery.

I think if you work from home then 2 full and one half would be better for you. Could you make it so the 2 half days are different so you get 1-1 time with each of them?

My DD2 did mornings, but I had to be up to get DD1 to school at same location anyway, and then we had afternoons free for other stuff like swimming, and running around randomly wearing pink (also known as toddler ballet).

I manage a nursery and we offer our funded hours in a similar pattern
Most children do the 2 and 1/2 days
They get to have lunch so get the experience of the school hall and the social experience of eating with their friends
The longer day is also a good preparation for the school day

Saying that, children are very adaptable and will cope with what they have to and fit in with your family circumstances

I used to do half days but we were so close to the pre-school. If it's a faff, whole days.

Definitely two and a half days over 5 smaller sessions.

Handier to have a whole day free so you can go further afield, long weekends etc.

I'd go for whole days too.

I wish our (school) nursery offered whole days. Dd goes to the reception class and I'd love to drop them both two days and only one 2 days and leave only one day of toting and fro ing

Whole days or mornings. My 3yo had the afternoon session (the only one available) for a while and it basically takes up the whole day - especially once your older child is at school. By the time the school run is done there's no time for much before leaving home at 11.30am to get to nursery for 12. Then you've only got a couple of hours before pick up. She's on mornings now which makes mornings manic, but at least come 12.30 it's all done until the school run (8yo brings himself home).

Whole days are much better. You get more done and you've still got days for days out etc. Whole days does take a bit longer for the child to settle in in my experience though, becuase of the bigger gaps between the last session and the next, but it's worth it.

I'd go with 2.5 days - it's much easier to get work done when you have a good chunk of time. I tried working mornings when DC were at nursery when young, felt like a treadmill of drop off, few hours work, pick up, sort snacks, sort dinner etc. With 2.5 days, you get a weekday free to enjoy them.

We did the 2 whole days. We also paid to top up the half day to another full day. I work from home so it was the best option for my work and my DD. It's been good now we're on 5 full days at school. She was already used to 3 of them. And she was used to lunch with her peers.

My 2 girls went 930-23j with lunch. Plenty of time to do the other kids school runs (not same part of town) Time to get house work and shopping done. Am working now and hoping 2yo is offered similar in new area!