Help please! Really unsure on the best thing to do...nursery :(

[Emilycreaven999]

Hi,
This is my first time posting on this site.
I have a son who will be 3 mid September.
I have applied for 3 school nurseries for next year when he will be near enough 4.
All of these nurseries I would be happy of he then got into the school so I am hoping he will not have to move once settled.
Now, I am getting quite a bit of pressure from friends, family members and my husband to start him somewhere in January when he receives his 15 hours free funding.
My reasons for not wanting to do this are :
The disruption if he gets a school nuWrsery place as he will only have been there 6 months ( it doesn't run through holidays )
He is dry however can forget himself and would personally prefer him to be completely dry before attending a setting like a nursery
He is happy at home and I am happy for him to be here
I have another son 15 months younger so we are constantly socialising with other children at playgroups, parks, soft play centres so it just seems unnecessary
Any opinions would be fab!
Emily

I'd stick with your arrangements. It sounds like you've thought about what suits your family best, and the only advantage to letting him go to to nursery from Jan is the social interaction, but you've already got that covered with the activities you do with both DC.

Stick to your guns, tell everyone to bog off.

I'd either wait, or start him this September, maybe just two morings a week until funding kicks in, so he does two years in one setting and then starts school.

I don't see any point in settling him in one setting, then moving after two terms if you and he are happy hanging out together.

I will say, though, not to rely on the nursery he ends up at to automatically 'feed' him into the linked school. It certainly doesn't work that way around here.

Thanks for the replies
Oh no, it doesn't here either.
I can only hope!
All 3 schools are very good and they are catholic which we are so fingers crossed!
We are very happy together and I guess it's social pressure making me second guess my own instincts

Any more help?

Definitely go with your instincts. Just because something is available doesn't make it right for you. You've thought about what's best for your son and it sounds a sensible plan.

I wouldn't want to settle him into one setting and then move him immediately, but on the other hand 6 months is actually quite a long time in child terms, so it might not feel like that for him.

I also wouldn't be planning for January around his current toileting as he may well be completely dry by January.

"We're happy as we are and he gets great opportunities with to socialise and play with his DB" sounds like a good reason to keep him with you for the extra time. You do need to think about your whole family for this - I'm sure his DB would miss him and might lose out by having to plan your days around pick ups and not having his DB to play with.

If you felt like it you could put his name down for somewhere for January and then make a decision nearer the time. But if it really is a case of social pressure making you do something that you don't feel is right for you then this might only make it worse.

I think that the subtext of your post is that you would like him to stay at home. Don't feel pressurised to send him anywhere if you don't want to; it sounds like you are really busy and he's not missing out on anything.

My dd started nursery as she turned four at the school she will be attending. I hope that she has got to know the staff etc as she is starting full time school in two week's time.

I loved having her at home with me, we've had some wonderful times, days out and really enjoyed being together. The years have passed so quickly and I don't regret keeping her at home for so long for a minute.