Which is better - 2.5hrs per day for 5 days or 2 full days?

[camera]

Not sure what sort of care is best for my 2.5 yr old - really to give me a break and time withthe new baby what words of wisdom do you have?

I would start with the 2.5 hrs a day, a whole day is a long time if she has always been home with you, you could change to 2 full days later on if you wish.

Do you have to do 5 days, sounds a lot to start off with ? Personally I preferred shorter sessions , particularly as it seems odd to me to pay someone just to watch them nap, but you may also want to keep some days clear for your own activities or just to have a no pressure day.

.

it depends on the child

is he very sociable
if so I would send him for a couple of hours everyday

but on the downside I would look at the fact of appts, rainy cold days illness etc
as he would have more days off iykwim
rather than 2 full days when your commitments can be made around the full days

sorry for waffling on

My dd currently goes for 2 full days but she has done since she was 9 months and is used to it. I work on those days. If this is for a bit of you time and time for the new baby, if it was me, i'd be inclined to start off on a couple of hours but build it up to maybe 3 shorter days. Just a suggestion. Imho, the 2.5 hours will go by so fast, you won't feel like you've had any time at all really and neither will your dd to settle and get stuck into something before it's home time. Good luck

btw, the nursery my dd goes to, you either pay for a morning, afternoon or full day session though some do it on an hourly basis. I would think 3 x 4 hours would be ideal but that's just me.