Can't chose between options

[momtoolliex]

Hiya all🤍

I am due a baby boy in July and I am due to start my 2nd year of university in September, I have the option of taking a year out or going back a couple days a week so I am exploring my options of going back.

If I do decide to go back a couple of days a week I have two options

1 - take him on the commute to university with me (about an hour each way on the bus when there's traffic, which there usually is) and he can go to the nursery that is only next door to the campus for a few hours whilst I attend my lectures/seminars however I will obviously not know any of the staff personally

2 - I can drop him off at the nursery close to my house where my mom and a lot of her friends works therefore he will be around family/friends and then go to uni, however it would mean him spending all day there as I would be doing the commute to and from uni without him

He will only be about 10 weeks old hence why I am abit nervous and unsure which seems like the better option. This will only be for a couple days a week in term time only (so roughly 20 weeks out of the year)

Which option do you think seems best?

Anyone?

Pesonally I'd choose the one nearest home providing you know you can make it back comfortably each day in time for closing as fees can be high if you are late.
Especially given you have family close by who could collect him, say for example he was unwell at nursery, it wouldn't be fun for him or you to then have to deal with an hour long bus journey before you are home.
I think if you have the option of someone collecting him on your behalf where they could have him safe and home quicker this would be easiest.
However bear in mind in the event of emergency could you get to him quicker than public transport? Say a lift or taxi? I know when your children are unwell you just want to be with them straight away.

I'd look for a childminder, 10 weeks is too little for nursery.

Definitely near home.

Take a year out. This would have been completely unmanageable for me

You'll be paying for a full day or half a day so judging by what you've said I'd go for close to home.
Saying that though all of the nurseries I've been to see, the earliest they would take is 3 months? Have you had confirmation that they will take from 10 weeks?

Oh and term time contracts are normally 39 weeks rather than 20 so even if you're lucky enough to find a nursery that will offer term time only it will still be double what you need by the sounds of it?

I would choose the near home option. It'll be lovely to have him looked after by your mum and also if you are sick it is much better to have a local nursery so you can still stagger in to drop them off then go home and sleep! I would also ask your uni about joining lectures remotely if possible, they may be more set up for this sort of thing after this term especially and it would mean you don't have to travel so much and can still just drop him off for the actual course time.

If you can take a year out - I'd seriously consider doing that. You are not going to get a particularly good Uni experience, if you are only there for the bare minimum time - always dashing off to collect your baby from nursery, and doing long commutes.
In a year's time, although you will still have the baby, he/she will be so much bigger, and you will feel much happier putting them into a daycare setting, wherever that may be.

Yes they defiantly take 10 week olds - I won't be paying for the fees (well I will have to pay around £10 a week towards it) due to getting a childcare grant as I'm a student

A year out defiantly is an option I'm considering, I was just asking for opinions on this particular scenario of the two nurseries - taking time out probably is the option I'm more considering but defiantly looking at the pros and cons of both

I would also ask your uni about joining lectures remotely if possible, they may be more set up for this sort of thing after this term especially and it would mean you don't have to travel so much and can still just drop him off for the actual course time.

Luckily I spoke to my uni today and they said I can do my lectures online for the first semester when he's still very young (which is good since they just stand there reading off a PowerPoint anyway) and just go in for seminars - which is literally an hour a day 2x a week! So max he'd be there in a day is 3 hours which makes me feel a little bit better but it's so hard to make a decision, I'm 30 weeks pregnant now and still haven't decided the entire pregnancy

I’d definitely advise the year out

@momtoolliex

There is a good chance all your teaching will be remote until at least Christmas if not Easter so it might be a good time to press ahead with your uni course.

I would definitely go for a nursery near home for the reasons others have said plus it means if you need to study at home you can take him easily.