Should I put 2 yo DS in Nursery?

[Emsyboo]

I am having a dilemma DS is a lovely clever little boy who is nearly 2 however he doesn't interact much with other children and isn't talking at all.
I work part time and he goes to his Nana's the days I work, I try to take him to play dates and we go to some classes but he is terrible at sharing, he doesn't snatch toys but when other children take toys off him he just cries and cries. I am most concerned he isn't talking as other babies and toddlers even those a year younger than him are talking more. We are seeing a speech therapist tomorrow and he is great at communicating - one of his classes is baby sign language.
I wonder if putting him in nursery would help his development if he spent more time with other babies.
I would do this in a heartbeat if I could afford it but the money for even the minimum attendance would be a real strain financially and I am going on maternity leave next month so reduced income further.
Anyone any ideas should I carry on at home trying to get more play dates or should I just move things around financially to get him into nursery - a lot of my Mummy friends have said their toddlers have come on a lot from nursery.
To move things around financially it would mean getting rid of luxuries such as sky tv, family outings, and cut down on food (going more budget and less meat and veg).
Obviously i will do whats best for my DS but bearing in mind another baby is on the way I only want to put the financial strain on my family if it will be worth it.

Does your employer have a child care voucher scheme? If so then if you are only entitled to smp they have to provide them for nothing while you are on mat leave. This means 243 a month for free.

No I am self employed that would be a brilliant option though

In that case I would just try playdates and to get your mum to take him out and about to toddler groups. Your friends' children tbh it was probably just coincidence. I honestly wouldn't starve myself to send a 2 year old to nursery. What does your hv say? Some are just lazy with speech and 2 is early for playing with other children.

My dd goes to the childminder and its done wonders for her and she has become very sociable. She goes 2 days and on one day she is with another baby and picks up children from school. On Fridays she's with 1other baby at her aunts. So it's all the time she's spending with babies/children which you get at a nursery but personally I wasn't impressed with the ones I saw. Maybe she can go to lots of groups or the park or activity parks?

We wouldn't starve but would have to cut down on meat etc it is doable but the family would suffer as no treats or days out and Daddy wouldnt get tv lol but we would cope if its worth it.
i just don't know we could do more toddler groups they are cheap enough and that is what we do use our limited disposable income on.
The nurseries are good but expensive I have a lot of cons - money, bad timing with new baby (wou l d he feel pushed out) I would miss him but i may just be making excuses and the s social aspect is a big pro.
Would he just fall further behind if i wait for free places when he is 3?
Sorry i tend to overthink and worry

What do you mean by Nursery? Some people mean all day care, so 8am-6pm, whilst others mean what I would call pre-school... 9ish-Midday.

What do local pre-schools/playgroups offer in your area? Some may not take 2 year olds at all, others will take a few so will have a waiting list. Look at the costs of doing say 2 sessions (so total of 5 hours or so) a week.

Toddler groups can be good for children to interact with each other - some groups you will feel more settled at than others, so shop around a bit. You may get to know another local parent/career with a child of similar age and thus can then arrange to meet up at other times.

How delayed is his speech, u might be able to get him a funded place before 3 years if he really needs it for his development. Not just if he is only a little bit behind though, but in that case he would probably pick up fine? I was offered this for one of my ds when he was 2 although I decided not to and he is starting next week just turned 3, at the normal 15 hours free (i didnt feel mine was ready at 2)

If you just want him spending more time around other children then see what stay and plays available in childrens centre, also if they have courses where they have a creche then sometimes that can be a bit similar to giving them a taste of nursery - or local playgroups can be a cheaper alternative to nurseries but obviously check out how good they are!

He is very little though still if he is not yet quite 2, personally I wouldn't feel you have to rush to put him in nursery so young, there's a lot you can do yourself to help his speech n social interaction and also think of it that the ratio in nursery is not going to be one to one like you with him at home, so you can actually give him more attention. If I was you i would probably keep the option open in back of your mind and maybe think of it more once he has turned 2 and give it a few months see how he is getting on, don't have to rush into it straight away especially if financially not able.

Loads of dc do wait til 3 yrs for the free places so wouldnt say it will fall him very behind just cos of that

Thanks all
Can't afford full time and wouldn't want to either I have costs and when turns 2 next week prices are slightly lower
I definitely can't afford too much but the minimum 2 mornings a week will cost between £190 - £280 per month we have a very limited disposable income at the moment so this would wipe me out. A lot f his friends go to nursery some full time others part time which is partly why play dates have dried up a bit.

We saw a speech therapist this morning who said it was our choice but mostly it was a coincidence children start to do well in nursery and what he needs is one to one work for his speech as his language is fine and he needs to concentrate on us showing him how to use our mouths to form words she didn't say it would hurt but wouldn't necessarily benefit either.
She has also referred me to a small communications class so when that comes through we will get regular time with other children,and the SALT team.
I think for now I will leave him with me and my Mum new baby comes in March and local sure start does stay and play for babies and toddlers will also be a few of my post natal group on mat leave we all seem to have the same gap.

We remortgage the house in May so fingers crossed we can bring our outgoing down and re evaluate the situation then.

Thanks for your good comments made me feel a lot better