DS has attended the same nursery since 9 months old, he is now almost 3.
No issues with nursery, but we moved house to around 20 mins away. Had always planned to keep him at the same nursery as that's all he knows, and I work in the same town as nursery to I drive here anyway.
However, doing every single pick up and drop off is taking its toll on me, and I don't think the drive is doing DS any favours as he's falling asleep on the way home most nights.
We also realised that when he goes to school, none of the children he knows will be at the same school as him, and I don't think that's ideal for him.
We thought about moving him to a nursery which is a 5min walk from our house, and also DPS work.
I would drop him off on a morning (DP at work at crack of dawn) and DP could pick him up most nights, and me maybe once or twice a week. I would also get stuck in a lot less traffic, because I would be setting off 15 mins earlier from the town my work is in because I wouldn't have to stop at nursery.
The nursery we have in mind is actually now managed by the previous manager of our current nursery. She is fabulous and I trust her implicitly. It is also £25 a week cheaper, which is a bonus but not something im making a decision based on. We don't have the money now, so its not like we miss it.
it seems like a no brainer when you think about it with no emotion.
However, I am really getting distraught about it. I am wondering whether I am ruining my childs life by even considering this. This is the only nursery he has ever known, he has bonded with most of the staff (some are quite new) and the children. There are 4 especially wonderful women who have worked there since he started and he absolutely adores them and so do I. I would almost feel as though I was personally insulting them. In an ideal world I would be rich enough to hire one of them to be his nanny but unfortunately I cannot afford their wonderful services!
I have weighed up the pros and cons of each nursery and I just feel stuck. Its a real head vs heart decision, and although DP is v reassuring that we are not in fact going to scar our child for life and cost him £££ in therapy, I still don't know what to do.
On one hand, I keep him in the nursery he knows, and he is exhausted for the next 18 months (and so am I), but generally happy and settled. He however wont know a single child at his new school when he goes.
On the other, we move him, take him away from everything he knows, but he will hopefully settle and it will set him up a little better for school (its next to the primary school he will most likely go to, so environment / walk will be familiar) , and hopefully he may meet some other children who will go with him. I will also get a bit of a break and DP will get a little more time with DS which I know he would appreciate.
Can anyone tell me if they have done something similar at a similar age? or whether I really am being an awful and selfish parent?
thank you