Nursery at 9 months or 1 year

[SebbysMum]

Am planning my return to work. What difference do you all think it would make to a baby to be put in nursery 3 long days a week at 9 months versus 1 year old. I've heard different things about attachment anxiety etc. What experiences have people had with putting a 9 month old baby in nursery? Was it difficult? What are the main problems? Is there any clear advantage in waiting an extra 3 months? Thanks

Some people say that around 9 months is peak time for separation anxiety.My dd1 started nursery at 9 months, no real probs. Dd2 will be the same - next month.

To prepare myself I made an effort to leave both of them for short periods even half an hour or so - with my mum, or in church creche etc. Did this from 6 months onwards. No idea if it works or may just be coincidence.

It also helped that I was very happy and confident about the nursery and the fact I had to return to work.

I did think about nursery but then hearing about nurseries locally decided that a childminder would be better initially. He's started at CM age 10 months and he loves it there - he gets attention from CM, 3 other mindees who are older (ranging from 18 months to about 7) and her children (aged from 6 to 20 and her 6 year old adores my ds).

He cried initially when I left him there for trials, and for the first 3 days. Now he's all smiles as soon as he gets there, he knows he's got a day of fun ahead of him!

I would suggest a year only because most nurseries separate children from 0-1 1-2 2-3 3-5's and your daughter will spend 3 months in the baby room and then be moved up to the 1-2 room = lots of upheavel - why not leave it 2 or 4 months so she can start in the 1-2 room making the transition easier. Good Luck - at any age I am sure it wil be hard - she will cry for a couple of sessions but she will soon enjoy herself - also try to space ou the days so she doesn't have 4 days between her days at nursery. x

Hello. This is a pertinent question for me. I put DS1 into nursery at 9 months for 3 full days. I wish I had waited until he was 12 months. The reason for this is because those 3 months made a huge difference in his development - mainly because at 9 months he was just about crawling around and able to move whereas at 12 months he was on his feet and nearly walking. I just felt that the difference between barely moving and being on your feet and nearly walking is a big leap. Because of this, I have decided that with DD2, she will go 3 days a week when she is 12 months old and not 9 months. I won't get paid maternity benefit for those 3 extra months but it is going to be worth it for my piece of mind.

Hope that helps a bit

all of my 3 dc had separtion anxiety at 9 mths ish and it was gone by 1 yr - really would make a big difference in my opinion - i think it should be nursery by 6 mths or over a year. I also think 1 person is alot easier to get used to and bond with than several - so childminders for under 3s do help with this.