Nursery for 2 year old or is he getting “enough” without?

[Motherduck9]

We are in quite a fortunate situation with our second child (currently 10 months) where both my partner and I both run businesses from home flexibly and are don't "need" childcare.
We have an unofficial nanny for 4 hours twice a week (she is qualified but she is a friend of a friend) and we also have a gym membership where there is a crèche we can use for 1-2 hours per day. I also do groups with him and I have friends with children plus he has older siblings! My first son was in childminder then nursery from 5 months 4 days a week so it's weird for me to have options and he is also my last baby!

My question is... when he is 2, do you think nursery would be better for him rather than a few hours creche here and there? Or am I over thinking it and should I keep things as they are until he gets the 30 free hours then do pre school?

I am going round and round and the nursery need an answer asap as I have a placed booked!

Any advice or comments on what worked for you would be great! It all seemed a lot easier first time round when I had no choice!!

If you don't need childcare, then yes I'd wait until the early-years funding begins. This was originally set up as support for early education (not childcare, and is why it was arranged on a termly funding basis)

I agree. We didn’t start DD till she was 3.5 and got the hours and she goes 2 long mornings a week. She took to it straight away and loves it but she didn’t need to go before.

No child' needs' to go to nursery. My kids did a few mornings of pre- school for the year before they started school to give me a bit of a break,but I had a friend whose kids never attended nursery before school and were all fine starting school.

Neither of my DC went to nursery till they were three and a half. I was a SAHM and did lots of activities with them and they had play dates with friends. I really only sent them at that age as the nursery was attached to the Primary School and I wanted to make sure of their places. Why would you send them to nursery when you are giving them a good experience yourself.

Children don't need nursery, parents do. If you don't need the childcare then fab, carry on as you are.

I do think preschool is useful for children so I'd look at getting them booked into one for when they can access the funding (or before if you can afford and the preschool takes them)

It entirely depends on your financial situation. I am a SAHM but my children have all gone to nursery 2 days per week from an early age because we can afford it and we personally believe that it's beneficial for their development.

If you're asking for an opinion on whether people think it's beneficial for a child to go to an early years setting then yes, I absolutely do. There are many benefits to nursery (routine and structure / speech & language / diversity (both in play and otherwise) / independence / building their own friendship circle / confidence - I could go on). If you're asking an opinion on whether it's essential then no, of course it's not. Lots of children don't go until they're older and are absolutely fine and settle in wonderfully when they do.

It all comes down to whether you can afford it and if you comfortably can, then yes I think it's beneficial, but not essential.

Agree with the above, I'd wait until they're 3 and get their funded hours. We waited until 3 for DD to start preschool a few mornings a week and she was just about ready then too.

Mine went two mornings (9-12).

Completey necessary? No. More for my mental health! (DH was away for weeks/months at a time)
Fun for them... definitely.

It was different opportunities. They did things I would never even thought of doing (the sensory/messy play, different craft ideas, just different toys).