1 y.o. - put her into the baby room or the toddler room?

[loomer]

DD will be starting nursery next year when she will be nearly 13 months.

She has been offered a space in either the 'baby room' (which in theory takes babies up to a year but in reality some are in there until they're 18 months) or in the 'toddler room' (in theory 1-2yo, but in practice again six months askew).

My instinct tells me to put her in the toddler room which will be more of a shock (she's my first, and doesn't spend much time in the company of other children at the moment), I'm worried that going into the baby room will mean that she lacks attention or gets bored.

But will the toddler room be too much for her straight off? Which would you go for?

I'd go for the toddler room because she's at the age where she'll enjoy watching children play, regardless of their age, and older children are far more fun to watch. It will also mean she won't have the shock of "moving up" in a few months.

DD went into the toddler room a little earlier than planned, and loved it. She was mobile and talking so was actually better off in there as she had more interaction and more to do to stimulate her.

Depends on the child I think. They often have a lower staff:child ratio in the baby room.

Have you visited both rooms? I would see if you can spend time in each toom to see how they operate.

Yes, the baby room is 2:1 ratio, the toddler room is 3:1.

I spent some time in both when I originally visited the place, and I came away feeling quite strongly that I wanted her to go into the toddler room, as the staff in the baby room didn't seem to be interacting very much with the babies... but I guess this is inevitable when there's 3 & 4 month olds wriggling on the floor.

DH feels that he would much rather she comes home overtired and overstimulated than tetchy from boredom or lack of interaction.

I (obviously like to) think that she's quite advanced, and when she does spend time in the company of toddlers at the moment (she's 9 months) she simply lights up, watching them and laughing away.

I'm just worried that it'll be such a huge shock to her. She'll be going in for two full days a week.

it does depend on the child, but baby rooms can be very boring for them once they get older.

having said that, it might be less of a shock for her, because they have more one-to-one care and a quieter environment.

can you try them both out for an hour or so?

I can't remember how their induction works - but going in to see how each room operates again is a good idea. I will see if they will let me pop in with her and have a half hour in each room. I guess if she isn't freaked out by the toddlers at 9 months old then the signs are good for how she will cope four months from now.

Of course once we get to induction time it'll be too late to change my mind!

I'd go for the toddler room so she doesn't have to move again quickly.

I would go with toddler room as the toys in baby room may be too babish for her and then she will get bored , where as in the toddler room it will be catered more for her age and will help develop and stimulate her more , also if she goes in the baby room she wouldnt be in there long before she has to move up to the toddler room and that may unsettle her where as you might as well get her straight settled into the todddler room

What have the nursery suggested, have they had this situation before? At our nursery the children move up from baby to toddler as and when it becomes suitable for them. They do activities to suit the age so once the babies got older they used to interact with the toddlers anyway although they always did activities with the older babies that suited them seperately from the younger babies anyway. I would chat to the nursery about how they move the babies up to toddlers to see if they can do something similar for you lo to ease any shock about going into toddlers. My lo went in at 14mths and he loved it although he did sometimes go back into the baby room sometimes for that comfort of what he knew. Perhaps they might let her go between the two for the first few weeks while she settles in. Either way she's young and will adjust to either fairly easily - their robust these youngsters!!!

Given what you have said, I would trust your instincts and go for the toddler room. It saves on the disruption when moving her up and if she enjoys being around toddlers she will have a whale of a time. I did the same with my dd and she loved it. She would have got so bored in the baby room and this would have lessened the experience for her. If the nursery feel that it isn't working or if she doesn't settle well I am sure they will discuss alternatives with you. Good luck!

My thoughts are my DS wasn't walking until 17 months, and was due to go into the toddler room at 18 months, and I was getting really worried, as you all know toddlers running around don't notice babies sat in the middle of the floor!! so I think if she is walking at 13 months then its probably best to go in the toddler room

Depends very much on the child and the nursery, what changes between the two rooms? At DS nursery they have to be walking really before they go into the toddler room, it also seems to help if they only need one nap, they can semi feed themselves and they no longer need bottles of milk during the day.

So if your DD is wlaking - or very close, and an independant feeder who is weaned to a cup then she will probably be fine. At 13 months DS couldn't walk and still had 2 bottles of milk during the day so it would have been baby room for him.

JUST TO ADD MY BIT
my dd started nursery at 1yr andf went to tyhe baby room and she is still there, now 15months. she gets a lot more attention and does visit the toddler room too as it is only next door, I am glad she is still inb the baby room as she only walked at 14months and is only just giving uop her morning nap. in the baby room they hbave a gorgeous cot room with prtetty mobiles AND personal cots for ea h baby but in the toddler room they sleep on mats on the floor.

also, dd was very clingy at nursery and has only just stopped crying in the mornings, i was told its normal when they start at about a year so i was glad she was in a less busy, queter calmer environment.

Loomer - did you decide whether to start your DD in the baby or toddler room? I have a similar dilemma (although at the moment I haven't secured a place for DD at a nursery so might need to send her to a childminder for a while). My DD will be 13 months old when I go back to work at the beginning of March but is nearly walking and is quite good with a cup, I think there are more toddler room spaces available than baby room in my area but I don't wan't to put DD in there if she's not ready.

Lucy