To think DD should start attending nursery part time the month before I go back to work?

[creaminfudge]

Is my thinking correct on this?

Flexible working isn’t possible this time round so she’ll be in FT. Obviously her world has been quite small due to pandemic.

AIBU to think it would be sensible to have her in a couple of days a week in the run up to starting full time? Or is this a waste of money?

We did the opposite - DH took a month of shared parental leave when I went back, so I could settle back into work without worrying about DD. It also meant he did the settling at nursery and then he was doing drop off anyway, and I think she found it easier to be left by him than by me. It also corrected the Parent A and Parent B hierarchy thing you get with maternity leave.

They always say they settle better when they're full-time, DD certainly settled quickly and never looked back. Friends started a day a week well in advance of the mum going back but it just didn't work, and their daughter took a very long time to settle even once full-time. Personality plays a part though as well of course.