HELP! feeling so gulity about sending DD to nursery and working 4 days a week!!

[jakeyscousin]

DD is currently 3 days a weks at nursery and enjoys thurs and fri but unsettled on wed. she is 11 months at the moment and is going full time in mid August. Have spoken to nursey and DH and they agree Dd would be generally more settled if she was Full time and also we've had feeding issues which are sooooo much better since nursey we feel it really is in DDs best interests to improve her social eating etc if she is full time. I''m expecting number 2 at Christmas and plan to work full time up til christmas to allow us to afford nursery for DD1 when baby number 2 comes along! I've found the small baby stage quite difficult and stressful and worry that despite in my head thinking full time nursey is best I worry that in some way I may be harmimg her or that she'll feel in some way pushed out when number 2 comes along! Does anyone else have their LO in nursey fulltime and how do you feel? ANy support would be grately received! Stressed out pregnant mummy!

I only ever worked part-time, and used nursery with both my DCs. Fulltimers will have been at work when you posted, so hopefully this will bump it for you.
My advice is work out what is best for you and your family. My SAHM friends said they couldn't believe I'd leave a baby even for 3 days. My full-time working-mum colleagues said they couldn't believe I'd compromise my career for a child. So someone somewhere will always criticise you, whatever you do and you will probably be your own harshest critic!!! Hope that some fulltimers will come along and answer your questions!

My dd has been going to nursery for four days a week since she was 7 months. I would love to SAH more but the mortgage needs to be paid and anyhow she absolutely loves it there. And the weekends and the evenings are all about family time. Quality of time is as important as quantity and if you get excellent child care you will find it works out fine. Hope that helps.