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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

Routine around nursery

85 replies

theotherfossilsister · 05/05/2023 12:21

Sorry I know I make lots of anxious threads but.ik.now worrying about routine aroud nursery, bedtime, dinner, etc. If a child is collected at five thirty, and it's forty minutes home then isn't dinner/bath etc all a bit of a rush? Do you let them sleep on the way home

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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Ostryga · 05/05/2023 12:31

They have dinner at nursery, snack at home and you skip bathtime if they’re extra tired. Quick read and into bed.

Kids are good at routines. I used to get home with Dd at and be out of the door at 7am and she was fine. School seemed like practically a holiday after that!

Ostryga · 05/05/2023 12:31

At 7pm that should say

Original poster

theotherfossilsister · 05/05/2023 12:49

Thank you, his nursery doesn't do dinner but they have a five o clock snack, I think

I'm wishing now we'd got him a place closer to home

OP posts:

cpphelp · 05/05/2023 13:16

Could you take him a 'car picnic' to eat on way home from nursery?
Will keep him awake too, then home for bath and bed?

reabies · 05/05/2023 14:27

We get home from nursery 6.10 and bedtime is 7. It does feel a bit like a sprint from 6.10 to 6.50 when I head upstairs.

On bath nights I run the bath really hot before I leave, so in the 20mins it takes me to get DC it has cooled and I lob him straight in when we get home, and he's out by 6.25. I appreciate 40 mins is a lot longer for a bath to cool though.

What time is bed and could you push it back 15-20 mins just to make the evening a bit less frantic? What are your actual 'must-do' things between getting home and bedtime? Eg for us it's nappy change and pjs on, teeth cleaned and eczema cream on. Everything else (bath, playing, snack) is optional and if I don't have time I drop it. When you boil it down to the essentials you might find you have more time than you think?

Wannabedisneyprincess · 05/05/2023 19:46

We get home at about 5:45 and bedtime is 7, we have never been in a strict bath then straight to bed routine so one of us does bath while the other cooks tea then they have tea in their pjs, 20min play and upstairs at 7

Original poster

theotherfossilsister · 09/05/2023 10:54

Thank you, at the moment he goes to bed between eight and nine but we're working on trying to make it earlier

I'm a bit scared to give him a picnic when I can't totally supervise and focus as scared of choking

Potentially we could be home six ten, six twenty and have dinner straight away

OP posts:

cpphelp · 09/05/2023 15:17

Can you buy a slow cooker then and pop it in and ready for 6:20?

Bath then at 7, book and bed at 7:30

cpphelp · 09/05/2023 15:18

Equally in the summer months, a pre made picnic to have when you get home at 6:20?

DancingQueen2019 · 09/05/2023 15:19

I would pick my son up from nursery at 6, tea around 6.45/7 and bed at 8/8.30.

jannier · 10/05/2023 09:43

Your child will sleep in the car which could make bedtime much later. Was there no childminder or nursery nearer?

PuttingDownRoots · 10/05/2023 09:51

What do they give them at lunchtime? If that's the main meal he might not need a lot in the evening.

JenniferBarkley · 10/05/2023 09:57

40 minutes home will be the tricky bit, a nap at that hour would be disastrous for ours (and frankly for our sanity, we need the evenings to decompress a bit as the days are very busy).

We get home about 5:30-600 depending on the day. We cook a dinner and all eat together but nursery do a small hot meal at 4ish so the DC don't always eat much. Then straight up to bed. We only bath them once during the week if possible.

You'll hit your rhythm.

Original poster

theotherfossilsister · 10/05/2023 10:02

There were nurseries nearer but we didn't get into any. It's actually a forty minute walk home (the bus at that time would take longer and if we did have a car driving would also take ages, I guess it's finding a way to keep him awake.)

OP posts:

shakeitoffsis · 10/05/2023 10:03

Christ no I don't even let my 8 month old nap after 5 for a 7pm bedtime never mind a toddler!

JenniferBarkley · 10/05/2023 10:16

Walking might be easier - I'd definitely be bribing with food! I don't let mine eat in the car but they eat in the buggy all the time.

Original poster

theotherfossilsister · 10/05/2023 10:19

I'm a bit scared of choking but maybe I could try to keep a close eye on the buggy, the fast one doesn't face me (we have a slow one which does but would add time to the journey.) Any other ideas for keeping him awake? Thank you x

OP posts:

Mutabiliss · 10/05/2023 10:23

Our nursery is a 7 minute minute drive and mine often used to fall asleep on the way home by the end of the week 😬 I don't know how you'll keep him awake, so bedtime will probably end up being much later.

Ours give 'tea' at 4.30 so we pick up at 6, home by 6.15, quick snack with TV to wind down (some combination of cucumber, babybel, fruit, crackers, or sandwich if he didn't like tea) while we eat dinner, then upstairs for bath and bedtime. Usually asleep around 8.30, wakes up at 7ish.

tikkanaan · 10/05/2023 10:24

cpphelp · 05/05/2023 13:16

Could you take him a 'car picnic' to eat on way home from nursery?
Will keep him awake too, then home for bath and bed?

Bad idea what if they choke

tikkanaan · 10/05/2023 10:25

theotherfossilsister · 10/05/2023 10:19

Buggy snack is fine if you're walking as you can stop easily. Go for low risk foods

cpphelp · 10/05/2023 10:25

@tikkanaan do you never ever leave your kid alone with an apple/bag of crisps etc whilst you shower?

Mutabiliss · 10/05/2023 10:26

How old is he, 1? Or 3? If you're working full time that 40 minutes each way of a huge chuck of time out of your already very busy day. Less of an issue if you're a SAHM, obvs.

I don't allow for in the car in case of choking, but buggy is fine as I was often looking in to talk to him anyway. If he's only little he still might fall asleep though. If a toddler you could get a buggy board to stop him sitting down and risking sleep.

tikkanaan · 10/05/2023 10:26

cpphelp · 10/05/2023 10:25

@tikkanaan do you never ever leave your kid alone with an apple/bag of crisps etc whilst you shower?

Nope not at nursery age

Mutabiliss · 10/05/2023 10:26

*don't allow food in the car

cpphelp · 10/05/2023 10:26

@tikkanaan okay

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