Oh please help me make a decision about which nursery to choose ...:-(

[lessthanfrugalshopper]

Am really really struggling and am now feeling tearful about it all, have no-one else to help me make this decision!! Please help!!

Basically my place of work is moving very soon, better as will be only about ten miles from home not thirty, but it means moving ds from his lovely nursery which we have been using for over five years (DC1 also attended for nearly five years).

I have viewed four nurseries which I could potentially use (the best one and most convenient is totally full and not an option .

Two I really didnt like and so have ruled out. The remaining choice is between one very near to home and one five miles in the opposite direction to my work place.

Nursery one pro's

Very close to home
Nice staff
small and homely

cons

major con is it has virtually no outside space, the staff do take the children to olocal parks etc but that worries me as it takes boith me and Dp to 'control' Ds make sure he doesnt run off when out and about- how will they cope??!!

More expensive by £160 per month even for the shorter days I will need (school hours ish)

Nursery two pro's

Outstanding ofsted
beautiful location, excellent outside space
Cheaper by £160 per month even for full days which would be really helpful for ocassional training meetings at work etc

cons

An additional 45 mins in travelling /20 miles all in all per day due to distance, which dP says i am mad to consider as main reason for taking transfer at work was to reduce travelling/petrol etc

PLEASE HELP WISE MUMSNETTERS!!!

if your only concern with the nursery close by is him running off then chat to them. I've been a nursery nurse for many years and honestly children behave very different for nursery than their parents (my own ds1 is apparently an angel ). having said that outside access is a huge issue for me. have you explored childminders?

Hi Dribbleface, thanks so much for the reply.

I know deep down I am being ridiculous about thinking DS will run away but i am in general quite anxious about the DC so I think if i a worrying now I will keep worrying once he is there, whether it is rational or not .

I have thought about cm but again the two really good ones in our neck of the woods are full (we are in a very large village/small town tye location!).

thanks again for replying

If its going to worry you then don't do it. You need to be happy at work, its easy offering advice but its entirely different being the parent. good luck with it.

the nearest one sound lovely. There are lots of nurseries round us that take children out and about and they manage fine. Your dc may be a handfull outside but my guess is he will not be the worst they have seen.

also the full one, things change really quickly, which is why when I'm at work i spend all my time forward planning! i would call them regularly and pester ask them about cancellations.

the one that is a long way away would be too much for me. I'd rather be spending time with DC at home when I can rather than in the car.

The one nearest home. My DS went to a nursery that had a tiny concrete playground and a very small sandpit out the back - and it was absolutely brilliant. Not having outside space never even crossed my mind. He ran round and round in the concrete bit (or on the tricycles) and different slots were given so that children of different ages/sizes were in there at different times. Also they went out loads - and they would always have the appropriate number of adults to children - they went to the local park etc. Like someone else said they always behave differently at nursery. My DS will barely walk anywhere - but with nursery was always walking to somewhere! Good luck and let us know what you decide.