3 Month old baby too young???

[Efay5]

I'm potentially looking to put my baby into Nursery at 3 months old. I'm due in July so this will be mid September time - the same time I start back at Dance college!!

I was in 2nd year when I got pregnant.
I'm looking to retake 2nd year this September.
This is Mon - Fri 8am-6pm ish
My partner works Mon - Fri full time too.

Lots of people are suggesting going NEXT September but I'll be 24 then! That's pushing it for a dancer. The college also can't hold my funding that long so I'd have to find a way to pay for it.

3 months seems very young to be putting my baby into nursery but I don't have another option. Other than say goodbye to my degree and our future.

Opinions pls!!! Good / bad experiences with putting your baby into nursery
Or just any comments will be helpful thank you !!

I would have found this unbearably hard. They are so little and so dependant on you at this stage, and the sleep deprivation...

Physically be able to do a dance degree at 3 months post partum that is, not physically be able to leave the baby.

I worked in a nursery as part of my degree placement- I worked in three in outer London. The babies were not badly treated but I would not put my baby in a nursery at three months. They were left in car seats for long periods and given care but very basic care.

Mine went at four months although pt.
They were fine. I went back to work and felt 100% better for not being at home all day.
Now 19 and 16 and never a single regret. Both extremely smart independent teens. We're all bonded well enough and my pension looks great.

I'm sorry but it's far too young. I really wouldn't. I don't see a difference in a year for your dancing... 23/24 🤷🏼‍♀️

I know that the nursery my dd is at has had babies start even younger than that- one was 2 months and they settled in fine. Healthy, happy, well adjusted toddlers now. A childminder might be a better option though if there’s not a good nursery that will take them?

My mum went back to work when my brother was 6 weeks old and, although she says it was hard at the time, she never regretted it. He was the happiest baby and child and the childminder he was with became like extended family. It’s whatever you’re comfortable with. The problem is you might not be able to predict how you’re going to feel physically/emotionally/mentally at 6 weeks or how baby is going to be (I had horrific reflux and was seriously ill for the best part of my first year so my mum had to take over a year off with me!) so perhaps have a plan b and even a plan c in place.

@Opus17

I'm sorry but it's far too young. I really wouldn't. I don't see a difference in a year for your dancing... 23/24 🤷🏼‍♀️

It is far too young, I had no idea until I did my placements. Still the parents had good pensions 🤦🏻‍♀️

I wouldn't.

Our generous maternity leave in the UK is based on British psychological research by John Bowlby and others who showed that separating a baby from its mother is associated with negative emotional and cognitive effects, which can affect the child throughout their entire life.

DS nursery takes babies from 3 months. They have small classes and they always seem very happy. DS started at 6mo and settled in well. I didn’t enjoy mat leave and it was the right decision for us.

I think the issue is more whether you can cope. I had a difficult birth and haemorrhaged which took a long time to recover from. I don’t think my body would have been up to dancing each day at that point. I also got one of the ones who doesn’t like sleep. Until he was 5mo he woke pretty much hourly. I was exhausted.

As pp have noted, is it really worth continuing to pursue a dance degree if your already reaching the upper age?

Lots of nurseries take babies from 6 weeks where I am...... I guess there's a market for it so it can't be that unusual.

Ah OP, this is a really tough one. Dance is brutal, and I totally understand you feeling like you'll be too old. I let a dance career pass me by because I thought I was too old (I wasn't), and although I had regrets, I don't any more (although not related to being a parent).

3 months is really young, and may be really physically tough on you too. Honestly - I think you should wait another year if they can possibly keep your funding. You may not fulfil you're original dance dreams, but you may find another path, still in dance.

what do you plan to do with your dance degree?

no, i would not leave a baby under 6 months at nursery or chlidminder. I know someone who went back to work full time awhen baby was 2.5 months and i find it just sad!
they are only little once, go back next year or mabey do a pgce and go into teaching!

For us three months was the peak of sleeplessness. No way could I have studied let alone something physical. I had a fantastic birth and was back on my bike after three weeks but it still took months to rebuild my core.

I couldn’t have done this (unless I absolutely had to in order to keep a roof over our heads).

3 months is tiny and they are so dependent on you at that age. It would have felt like a limb was missing.

It will be a huge struggle organising yourself and a potentially 3 month old who may or may not of had a good night in the mornings for nursery. Why not get a nanny?
For context I have run a baby department for many years in a nursery and also nannied so I'm speaking from experience.

5 months old and settled straight away. Goes into nursery smiling, comes out smiling. The clingy babies I know, all started nursery later...

I have and I would

(But find a nursery you are comfortable with - most you reserve a slot at the 12 weeks scan)

We would take a baby that young and have done in the past although it isn't common to have them thst little. The baby that did come was really nurtured as so.little and thrived.