1day or 2?

[2LittleFishes]

m due to finish my maternity leave in the new year, DD will be 2 and Ds will be 8m.

Money-wise Ive worked out that i can return for just two days per week quite comfortably, after this any extra days just pay for childcare.

If I work these two days then the Dc would be in nursery 1 day per week.

Initially this seemed okay, but I was wondering how well they'd be able to settle with such a short time in nursery? Or if it would be better for the both of them if I worked an extra day so they could go twice a week instead.

I would say that 2 days is better for the exact reasons that you said. I have absolutely no evidence to back this up though.

2 days would help them settle in better. Children who only go one day a week sometimes never get use to nursery. How about 2 days to start with and when they get the hang of it dropping down to one?

2 days ideally spaced out so not Monday and Tuesday

More like Monday and thurs / tue & fri etc

My DS goes 1 day and settled fine.

I'd disagree with the pp about spacing out nursery days. I think consecutive days work better all round:

• means activities can spill over from one day to the next if needed eg finishing a painting. If the others have done that on the next day but your LO isn't there it's a PITA for everyone to go back and finish off just one picture therefore might not happen

• routine is easier with consistency - LO will be a lit older before "getting" the pattern of one day in nursery, one or two days off, one day at nursery

• ditto for you at work - longer periods of time there then not there are easier for you to manage your work and for your colleagues to "get" your working pattern

Thanx everyone

Think we'l go with the two days then. Work would rather I did three consecutive days too so would prob be Thursday/Friday in nursery.

Found a lovely nursery near work where they have a brilliant settling in program where the two weeks before they'll build up to a days stay. So hopefully they'll both settle nicely.