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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

When do I need to sign new baby up for nursery?

29 replies

trrk · 20/05/2022 12:05

Our baby is due in June and I was just wondering as a FTM when I will need to register her for nursery? Straight after birth or is it OK to wait a little bit? What do I do if I haven't decided whether to take 9 months or 1 year maternity leave? Just go for the earlier date just in case? Also we are hoping to move house sometime during my maternity leave which might affect our first choice of nursery. For those reasons I would prefer to wait but wouldn't want to miss out on a place of course. We live in Cambridge and am not sure how crazy waiting lists are here.

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showmethegin · 20/05/2022 13:36

I'm also due in June and the baby will be going to nursery at 12 months. We signed up about 4 weeks ago. We live in south Birmingham and that's pretty normal here if you want one of the best nurseries.

Hugasauras · 20/05/2022 13:40

It really depends on your area. DD's nursery has a two-year waiting list right now. I was only able to get in with DD2 when I told them at 12 weeks and because DD already goes I got to jump the queue! And even then she will be starting three months later than I wanted.

But some areas you can ring up and have them start next month!

Worth approaching a couple you like the look of and asking what their waiting list time/policy is.

Hugasauras · 20/05/2022 13:41

(Told them when I was 12 weeks' pregnant*)

Buffysoldersister · 20/05/2022 13:46

It's a tricky one. We chose ours just after baby was born and still struggled to get the days we needed as the good nurseries are so popular and people having second/third children often book their spots as soon as they are pregnant. However, personally I had a much better idea of what I was looking for in a nursery once I had an actual baby - it wouldn't have occurred to me to ask about settling to sleep, naps or routines as I was clueless about babies before actually having one. I would look round now and talk to the nurseries you are interested in about their waiting lists etc so you have a better idea. It also depends what days you have in mind - Fridays tend to be much easier to get a space than midweek days for example.

stuntbubbles · 20/05/2022 13:49

We moved when DD was eight months and managed to land her a place in the new city to start at 12 months. First choice of nursery, Ofsted outstanding, four minutes’ walk away – nappy valley bit of south London. No issues or waiting list.

We’re about to move again only now I’m back at work so we’ll need a place to start the moment we move, without knowing exactly yet when that will be – in a chain. Hoping it’s as easy 😬

HairyScaryMonster · 20/05/2022 13:50

Get looking now. You can pay a deposit for a couple of nurseries and decline the place nearer the time.

SpringRainbow · 20/05/2022 13:52

In my area all the nurseries have really crazy waiting lists, so you will need to ask around your local area.

AnnaSW1 · 20/05/2022 13:53

Totally depends on the area. Contact local ones to check. I signed mine up the week they were born for a place when they were 16 months old. I got the last remaining place. I'm in London. I don't know if that's relevant.

Mufflette · 20/05/2022 14:04

I'm not too far from Cambridge and it depends on what nursery from my experience this week (due in August) - have had everything from no waiting list to a few months to need you to commit today for September 2023 which is the earliest we have spaces!

I'd imagine Cambridge is more competitive so would at least ask about waiting lists now if you want to make sure you can choose rather than ending up with what's available. It's so surreal to pick a nursery for someone not even here yet!

breatheintheamazing · 20/05/2022 14:36

Depends on availability on your area - I had to sign my twins up and ish a deposit when I was 10 weeks pregnant

cafedesreves · 22/05/2022 08:37

I would sign up asap. I might even sign up for a couple just in case, then you'll can decline one and it will pass to next on the waiting list. We were so lucky, our nursery had a space in the next 2 months when we moved house. But now the same nursery has a year waiting list at least, as do the other local ones.

PlanBea · 23/05/2022 14:38

Another one here where we signed up while pregnant and are only getting a space at 13 months old, though they are letting us do a phased start to match my phased return. Someone in baby groups said they tried to get a place at the same nursery for their baby and were told it was an 18 month wait.

NewtoHolland · 23/05/2022 14:40

In our area the best ones have long waiting lists. It's worth looking now and asking to be ready.

passport123 · 23/05/2022 14:40

In my area you put names down when you're about 13 weeks pregnant - as soon as the first scan is OK. So I would do that now, in case you don't move, then if you do move asap after that.

Cafeaulait27 · 26/05/2022 07:38

I wonder if our area is oversubscribed with nurseries. I really worried about this as my town is full of young families, and a few people in my baby group secured places before their babies were born. We never got around to it, and now my baby is 7 months we’ve started looking round for when he’s a year old and found that all the nurseries still have good availability (the well known ones which people seem to say are best, and ofsted outstanding). I know some areas are really tricky and there are waiting lists but I think in some places it’s a bit if a myth! Best to check with all the nurseries in your area what their waiting list is.

CaramelWaferAndTea · 26/05/2022 07:47

going by here (affluent zone 3 london), very variable.

basically if you want a place in or close to September it’s fine for 2022 (as nurseries partially empty for school). Between November and Jan 2023 almost impossible. Lots of places then saying full to September 23.

Change123today · 26/05/2022 07:48

I would check a few out & if you find one you like put a deposit down?

Dont worry if you then don’t take the place - we had put a deposit down & then 6 weeks before I’m due to return I re- visited & didn’t like it!

I managed to find another nursery (very stressful to find a full time place) due to another parent deciding to not return to work & as I wanted a FT place got priority- she loved it there!

nearlyspringyay · 26/05/2022 07:51

As soon as you're pregnant around here.

Aspidistra1 · 26/05/2022 07:58

This may be a daft question but how can there be a 2 year waiting list for a baby place? Who knows in 2 years they will be having a baby?

purplesequins · 26/05/2022 08:08

when I lived in london you could only sign up a baby once born.

as pp say, as early as possible. check their website for the documentation they need.

Rainbowshit · 26/05/2022 08:10

We should have signed up when pregnant.

breatheintheamazing · 26/05/2022 08:10

Aspidistra1 · 26/05/2022 07:58

This may be a daft question but how can there be a 2 year waiting list for a baby place? Who knows in 2 years they will be having a baby?

I guess it would mean if you reserved a spaced for a child as soon as you found out you were pregnant then they'd be able to start aged around 1 year 3 months which if many mums take a year of maternity leave then it's about right

snowflake29 · 26/05/2022 08:34

Wow, people actually have to sign their babies up before they're born?! We must have got very lucky then because we only went to view DS's nursery about 3 months before he started and got a place straight away! It's an excellent nursery too.

Hugasauras · 26/05/2022 08:40

Aspidistra1 · 26/05/2022 07:58

This may be a daft question but how can there be a 2 year waiting list for a baby place? Who knows in 2 years they will be having a baby?

It's because the first age group for our nursery is 0-2.

Hugasauras · 26/05/2022 08:42

And yes it basically means no availability for foreseeable for baby spaces, unless people change their mind or you have a child already at the nursery. Older kid slots tend to come free a bit more often as people move their 3yos to school nurseries and of course the ratios mean they can have more. Our nursery can only cater to 8 under-2s at a time and 30 kids altogether.

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