Talk to me about your nursery experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly!

[hashnag]

Dd is 1 next month and about to start nursery for 2 days a week. :( I have left her a few times with family but not very often or for very long. She is well socialised but I want to prepare myself so please tell me about your positive and not so positive experiences.
Any tips or advice would be very welcome. Thank you!

Try not to worry so much. DD has been going to nursery since about 9 months old, she is now 4 and has always loved it, and I have just started to send the twins (1 year) there too. You are not abandoning them, they get to make relationships with the staff and other children. I like the fact that they go to a place which is set up purely for them - to do fun and educational things, whereas with me there is always a certain amount of tagging along while I shop/do the laundry/housework etc.

That's a nice way of looking at it, I hadn't thought of that.

My DD started @ 11MO and struggled to settle in at first as she wouldn't sleep and became over tired. I was so worried.

I started her a month before I went back to work, which meant that she could do shorter sessions, and build up to the 3 full days a week.

By time I went back to work she would grin when we pulled up out side of the nursery! Last week she had a strop and wouldn't put her coat on, so I said do you want to see X? (her key person) and straight away she let me put her coat on!

She has lots of fun activities, messy and noisey, and has learnt social skills in the 4 months she's been there, and some sweet habits -she hugs everyone, blows kisses and goes "Aaaahhhh" whilst patting your back!

Downside? Still only has one sleep a day when there, so she can be a bit grumpy when I pick her up.

The good definitely outweighs the bad for me. DS is now 2 1/2 and he has made friends and talks about things he likes doing at nursery and I love the opportunities he gets there that I simply couldn't give him. They also have been more age-aware, so I think it reminds me to keep letting him grow up - things like starting to let him use a spoon himself, moving on to open cups rather than beakers, independently playing etc. It has also really helped his eating as they give him a big variety of foods (including things we don't really eat at home) and he sees the other kids around him eating well and the peer pressure does get him eating well and 'following the rules' (good manners!).

The bad, I would say have grown with his age, possibly because as a baby most of the looking after him was relatively dull compared to now, so I do miss being around him. Also, he's started picking up bad habits - personal things that he's obviously seen other kids or adults do at nursery, for example, picking up an accent (which means he says some things like I do and some things with a thick accent!) or putting his plate on his head.

I didn't ever find it very difficult cope with the guilt that he was in nursery because I was able to get such pleasure from my job, which meant that when I spent time with him I didn't feel bored or tied down, I saw it as precious and important to make the most of.

Thank you, I'm trying not too worry too much but the 1 nap a day does worry me because she does get ratty on too little sleep. I'm dreading going to pick her up and find that she's crying because she's so tired.