Which nursery conundrum- urgent opinions!

[Velvettoad]

Shameless posting for traffic but I need to get back to the nursery today.

I'm going back to work next March when DD will be 9 months. Clearly I've left it too late to organise as loads of the local nurseries are full. Managed to get the following 2 spaces but can't decide which to go for!

1. Local nursery in walking distance. Seemed OK when I looked around, some toys a little tired, large outside space though. Felt a little chaotic.

1. Nursery a 10 min drive away. Brand new, looks amazing. Sensory room, nice outside space, serve only organic food, wooden toys etc. Little bit more pricey but affordable.

I wfh so commute not an issue. I much preferred the second nursery but not sure if it's just because it was nice and new, plus am I going to end up really regretting having to drive to do drop offs and pick ups??

Please help me decide!

YABU- Nursery 1

YANBU - Nursery 2

I'll be honest, a big factor no-one ever talks about andthat you don't mention is - how do you think you would relate to the office staff/manager/owner?

Private nurseries are so often little kingdoms - if you don't feel like the management are people who can take criticism/don't seem like they see you as what you are, which is a customer, even if the room staff, activities, menu etc are all wonderful you will have issues.

No matter how wonderful a setting, there will be issues and things you don't like and occasions when you need to raise a question or a problem - as a parent and a customer it is absolutely right that you should if you're concerned or unhappy about something. And then your first port of call is the manager; if they are a domineering or defensive type, it's a bloody nightmare, because once your child is settled in a setting, it's a nightmare to move them, and the nursery can hold that over you to offer a less than fantastic customer service because while they can easily fill the place, your child will struggle to adapt to a new setting. As i discovered to my cost at my first child's (excellent, new, child-centred and OFSTED-rated outstanding) nursery.

So the first question I asked when looking for a new nursery for my second child was "If I have a problem I want to raise with you about the setting, what approach would you take?" The answers were instructive.