At what age do you think children benefit from nursery

[Emeraldrings]

I don't want this to turn in to a nursery bashing thread but I do want to ask at what age do you think babies/children benefit from nursery? I don't mean just enjoy being there but when they actually start learning and benefiting socially from being there.
Would I be unreasonable to remove my son if I felt nursery wasn't benefiting him? He's actually 3 but is more at the older baby stage (so probably around 18 months with no guarantee he'll progress). I can't decide if nursery is a good idea or not, especially if he might not progress like his peers.

It’s hard to say isn’t it. None if my kids went to nursery or pre school. They just started in reception. Eldest is severely autistic so a little different but the younger two are both bright, sociable kids (now teens) that settled into reception with no issues. My eldest was in some sort of intensive home based therapy from 3 before starting school at 4.

This is pretty much it. The padeateic team my DH, me and Senco suspect he may have autism as he's had a massive regression with language and social interaction, although neither were really within the "normal " range.
He seemed okay in toddlers but he's gone back in preschool. He seems happy enough. I don't think he hates it but I see the other children interacting with each other and chatting away. DS simply doesn't do that.
If a staff member can sit with him he will play for maybe 4 or 5 minutes but they quite often just don't have the staff for it and once they move away he will just go away and play by himself again.
He's waiting for SALT but of course there is a huge waiting list.
I have to work but think I might have to look for something with less hours as I'm not convinced any nursery would benefit him

So looks like 18+ months is most usual but I suppose I'm just worried incase he doesn't progress from being at this stage. My DD2 has autism and although the signs aren't exactly the same (DD masked until she was about 8) I can see similarities. I know it's not the end of the world but I just feel drained by everything. I actually cried at work today because I just feel like I'm running on empty all the time.

My eldest (with speech delay) started at 16 months and it did help her language... plus there was evidence for the HV that she understood language but just didn't speak (she did have non verbal communication). She enjoyed it from day 1... but it was 2 mornings a week. So it was one of a range of experiences, along with toddler groups and being at home.

Nursery (if it can meet their needs) can often help SEN and disabled kids a lot. But depends on the nursery. Be selective and ask lots of questions

Mine started at 6-8 months and I think they benefitted straight away. But it probably depends on what the alternative is like. I love my DDs, but I'm not great with babies. My desire to play, sing, make a mess etc is minimal and I am not anywhere near as patient as the nursery staff. So my DDs had a fantastic time at nursery doing lots of child centred activities. If I parented like the lovely nursery staff then home would have been just as beneficial.

Same

I'd say 2-2.5 years. I'm sure there was research to show that it benefits from age 2, and that's why low income families are offered free nursery hours from age 2. I've sent mine from 2y3m and 2y4m, they had to start in a September otherwise I would have preferred 2y5m. We did daily toddler groups or classes before that, which were great for some social interaction but still allowed one to one support from a caregiver.

don't think he hates it but I see the other children interacting with each other and chatting away. DS simply doesn't do that.
If a staff member can sit with him he will play for maybe 4 or 5 minutes but they quite often just don't have the staff for it and once they move away he will just go away and play by himself again

This was my son. Also suspected on the autism spectrum.
It hurt me also, I used to hate thinking of him playing on his own but you know he was happy. He tried his best.
Nursery applied for funding so his key worker can do work with him 1-2-1. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it though but hopefully someone can correct me!
It's took time but he has started to playing along side others, on occasions playing with them.
Nursery have done a lot of work with him and I've up'd the time he's spend with children outside of nursery to help.

Child clinical psychologist here. The research suggests 3 years.

When they have to go so their parent(s) can work to keep a roof over their head. The alternative doesn't really work.

For a NT child I would say there's no real benefit until they are three and home will always be the superior option (assuming home isn't abusive/chaotic). I'm not judging by the way, I've sent my DDs before then but I was under no illusions that it was in their best interest - it wasn't, but it had to be weighed up against other factors. As these things usually do.

For a child with developmental delay I would be very cautious. Some nurseries have truly great staff but almost all don't have enough staff to meet children's needs in a way you would hope for. I wouldn't send him full time unless I really didn't have any other choice. Little and often and then build it up if he's coping/not falling apart when he comes home?

Sorry to hear how draining things are right now OP 💐

Three years but the nursery/kindergarten phase should be 3-7 years with school starting after that.

I'd agree with around age 3 for nursery but think the vast majority of children do well at school from age 5. Reception is really like a transition to school so i would not count it as full school - EYFS is more comparable to what is counted as preschool/maternelle/kindergarten in other countries, its irrelevant that its delivered in the same building as ks1 & 2.

Nursery applied for funding so his key worker can do work with him 1-2-1. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it though but hopefully someone can correct me

Its called High Needs Block Funding.

Btw op if you need childcare, nursery isn't the only option.

Some children with SEN/delays do better in a smaller setting like a childminder. My DS childminder had two children with additional needs, one with a brain condition causing cognitive & social problems, another with suspected autism, both thrived with her.

Depends on the child.
Beneficial from 2.5 to 3. ???

My child was genuinely ready at 2 and needed more than family could give at that point. We could see the benefits almost immediately. Had I of sent him before that and it would have been for work reasons rather than that he needed it. Mind you, for his first two years we were always out at baby groups etc.

It depends. My eldest went two days a week from aged 2.5 and it was great for him. Lots of stimulation and activity with adults whose job it was to play with him rather than being at home with his knackered mum and poorly baby brother. I managed to organise it so more appointments for his brother were while he was at nursery too as they tended to unsettle him. My youngest went to preschool every morning from when he was 3 as he was the only one of my dc not in school by then so he was bored without his brothers. My 2nd and 4th did a couple of mornings a week at preschool from 3.5. My 3rd didn't go at all as there wasn't a local preschool around then. I think some children need it and others don't but as long as they are getting the opportunity to be away from their main care giver for a couple of hours regularly and spending time with other children learning to share etc then it's fine. My 3rd was monitored more closely when he was 3 and 4 by the HV because he wasn't in preschool which was fine but she always said although he would probably enjoy pre school he was doing absolutely fine without it.

DS definitely actively enjoyed it from 18 months. He might also have enjoyed being at home, but he liked the messy play and art activities, liked the garden (we don’t have one), and liked their massive range of toys. And actually really really liked the predictable structure. As he got older (3ish) he loved the songs, the trikes, the trips to forest school, and watering the plants in the garden etc.

He parallel played until he was about 4, so didn’t gain much enjoyment from the other kids being around (it was good that he had to share, wait his turn etc, but he would have been just as happy without them until he started making actual friends when he was about 4).

My gut instinct was 3. However, ds had developmental delays which were evident from a few months old. Paeds really pushed to get him to nursery aged 2, despite me being an early years teacher and SAHM.

Key worker 1 was a bit lost with him - lots of "we went for a walk outside to calm down" rather than actively engaging and helping him progress. She left and his second key worker was AMAZING.

So paeds clearly think nursery at 2 years old is a Good Thing, but it totally depends on the staff in my experience.

He was also eligible for free hours from 2 due to his developmental needs, so someone somewhere thinks early intervention/ education is sufficiently beneficial to deserve funding.

In general from age 3, maybe 2.5.

Some children, never. One of my kids has autism (which wasn’t diagnosed til later) and I realise now, she’d have been better not attending. We sent her from just before she was 3 as we were told it would be good for her. In hindsight, it wasn’t.

Going by my dds experience I would say 1.5 yrs. she’s been at nursery since she was 10 months but it was around 1.5 that she really started benefitting socially and developmentally. They learn so much at nursery, sitting down to eat with their friends all together, learning to do carpet time, learning from the more advanced talkers, potty training together, specialist activity and language coaches coming in to give them lessons altogether, different cultures. Way more than I could give my dd at home myself.

Completely depends on the child and the nursery. Literally every scenario will be different.

For me it was one when they could walk