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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DuneFan · 26/05/2022 08:45

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.

This was the case in my area, then one biggish one shut and now most of the others are running waiting lists. Doesn't seem to take much to tip an area over.

GreenRainbowSun · 26/05/2022 08:55

Where I live there is a lot of hype about needing to book early- but the people I know who left it closer to the last minute did all manage to find somewhere. (including the person who was told by the nursery that the place they reserved at birth wasn't in fact going to be available when promised but three months later as if it was no big deal). Unless you are set on a particular nursery I wouldn't worry too much - but maybe ask around people in Cambridge or contact a few nurseries?

If I ran a nursery I would only allow sign ups after birth (and I think there are a lot that do that)- I think needing to sign up while pregnant is ridiculous.

Tumbleweed101 · 02/06/2022 11:00

Where I work most parents get a space signing up 6mths prior to needing it. It has got busier over the last year even where we are. If you're in a city or large town then you may need to check ahead with local nurseries. If you're more rural or in a smaller town you may not need to worry until baby is born and you know what maternity leave you want to take.

Chrita · 02/06/2022 11:44

I live just outside Cambridge and signed up at 12 weeks pregnant. Of the 2 nurseries I was interested in one was booked up until the end of 2023, the other until summer 2023. I would put your name down asap. I'm not sure if I will be going back FT or PT so advised to put FT by nursery manager and reduce if needed.
Good luck!

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