Should I send my son to nursery 1 day a week?

[TashAnonymous123]

So I’m due my second baby in April next year and have decided to look around nurseries and request for him to start in March to get him settled in before the baby comes. He would be doing 3 afternoons a week and will be 3 end of March.

My son is a confident active boy and just as I thought he walked straight into the nursery and went off to explore on the nursery tour. He has been talking about it since we got back. I feel he is ready to go and needs help with sharing so I’m thinking whether to ask if he could start in January for just 1 half session.

I would consider the 3 days but I won’t receive the free 15 hours till term after he is 3 so would be paying till then. I’m thinking sending him 1 session a week could be really good thing for him that he will love or really hard on him as he will just be doing 3/4 hours a week so if he doesn’t settle as well as I hope then it could be horrible for him going just once a week.

Does anyone have experience of this or in a similar boat?

Fine to start him early but not on one session a week as it’s too long between visits.

All good nurseries refuse to take children one session per week. The only children I have met who never settled in were ones doing a half day. It's not enough to really feel 'at home'.

My girl went in for one morning a week, the rest of the time she has childcare with nanny and grandad (whilst I worked). She was 13 months when she first went and this was upped to a day and a half just before our free hours kicked in. She settled in fine, no worse than other children. The only time it seemed to be an issue was when we would come back from holidays and she’d had a break of a few weeks.

@Datsandcogs

Fine to start him early but not on one session a week as it’s too long between visits.

Worked fine for my son. They have decent memories at 3 so they can remember what nursery is. Same as they go to a weekly football lesson, weekly playgroup, weekly ballet class etc etc

@Mysterian

All good nurseries refuse to take children one session per week. The only children I have met who never settled in were ones doing a half day. It's not enough to really feel 'at home'.

Not true at all!

I think you'd be better to share the money out and let him go for 2 sessions a week, from January (rather than 1 for 2 months then 3 for one month). (If Nursery have the places).

Many Nurseries won't take children in for one session a week as it is too long between sessions and they often struggle with that and are back to 'settling in' sessions each week.

I think some children do struggle with one day a week. It's different from ballet or football because it's much longer than an hour. He's not yet three. Personally I would do two mornings.

Personall

@LynetteScavo

I think some children do struggle with one day a week. It's different from ballet or football because it's much longer than an hour. He's not yet three. Personally I would do two mornings.

Personall

And at that age you don’t leave them for ballet or football.

OP most nurseries round here have a minimum of at least 2 sessions a week.

Worked in nurseries for many years and although children did occasionally do 1 session a week it was not encouraged because it is much harder for them to settle as too long a gap between the sessions.