Advice please - do I send 2 yr old DS1 to pre-school as well as nursery before DS2 arrives?

[Snowtiger]

Hi ladies, I've got myself into a nice little pickle over this quandary I'm in - I know it's a pretty trivial one but I can't think straight, and would love some advice and feedback from you if you've time.

DS1 (age 2.3) goes to nursery full time 2 days per week on a Mon & Thurs, which he loves. I am pregnant with DS2 who's due in April.

I put DS1 on the list for pre-school to start in January, and asked that he go on a Tuesday morning. This would increase to a Tuesday and Friday morning in Sept. when he's 3 (and we get the govt. funding). I didn't want him to start pre-school in April as this would be too close to DS2 arriving and all the upheaval that goes with that, so am thinking January or September are the best options for me to introduce such a big change.

Pre-school phoned me this mornind to say DS1 has got a place in January, for Tues & Thurs mornings. I said I only want the Tues morning, they said they don't do single sessions, it's both Tues & Thurs or nothing.

DS2 is due to be born in April and my concern is that DS1 will feel that he never spends any time at home with mummy (although to be honest it's only 2 mornings extra that he'd be out of the house). On the plus side though it'd be helpful for me to have a bit more time to myself to prepare for DS2 and when DS2 arrives. But I'm worried I'll miss my DS1 with him out of the house so much...

So the quandary I have is - do I try to shuffle his nursery place around so that he can do 2 full days at nursery on Monday and Friday, and 2 mornings (Tue & Thurs) at pre-school, or forget about pre-school for now, continue with nursery 2 days a week and let him start pre-school 2 mornings a week in September?

Any thoughts? Particularly those of you with 2 or more DCs, would love your feedback. Thanks!

Does he need to go to pre school? The nursery should follow the same 'curriculum' and get you the government funding.

No, he doesn't need to and his nursery is great. Nursery is in the next village from us though, and the pre-school is in our village, in the same building as the primary school I'm hoping he'll go to, so I was thinking it'd be good for him to go there and get used to the place. But I suppose he could just as easily do that at 3 as 2, couldn't he.

I'd be inclined to leave him in the 2 full days at nursery, certainly until he's 3, as it looks like you're introducing unnecessary change, when he will have other changes to deal with. He will have plenty of time to make friends at the pre-school if he starts at 3, or even a bit later.

hi snowtiger

i think waiting until sept is probably best. its 3/4 months after the arrival of new baby so should be enough time for him to have gotten used to not being an only child anymore. plus then the pre school is a big adventure for him and something big boys do not babies etc

my ds loved pre school when he started and still does so hopefully yours will too.

Cosette and Nicnac thanks for your wise words, you're right - I think leaving it til September is best too, and love the reasoning that when he starts pre-school in Sept it'll be something that only 'big boys' do!

As you say, I don't want to introduce too much change at once, and he'll be moving bedrooms around Christmas time too so that's probably more than enough change for the time being.

Hurrah, mind made up and feel much better about it, thanks so much for your advice!