Would changing his routine like this be confusing?

[Maveta]

Hi, wondering if anyone can advise.. ds started nursery at 11mo and was going 5 days a week 9am-2pm. After 6 months my winter hours kicked in so i only work 3 days a week, hence he dropped 2 days at nursery. Around this time the nursery said we could not pick up at 2pm, had to be 4pm as 1pm-4pm is naptime and no pick ups blah blah. After some negotiation they said we could collect at 3pm. So he goes 9am - 3pm 3 days a week (bearing in mind they eat at 12.30pm and sleep from 1pm-3pm)

Now. my mum would be happy to pick him up at 12pm, take him to hers (round the corner from us) give him lunch and settle him for a nap and dh would collect him from there at 2pm (or whenever he wakes up). I like this idea as he´d then only be in nursery from 9am-12pm.

BUT in approx April or May i start summer hours (back to 5 days) and he will need to go 5 days/week again. Around this time my mum will be going to spend a month or 2 to help my sister with her ds as she returns to work. So he´d have to go back to 5 days per week 9am-3pm (possibly til 4pm as the concession they are granting us is because he´s still quite young).

Would this changing routine be confusing to him and counterproductive? He seems to enjoy nursery when he is there but he´s still only 20mths and would definitely be happier in a 1-1 environment, esp with my mum who he adores. On the plus side he would be 2 yrs old by the time his nursery hours upped again so maybe better equipped to enjoy it more???

WWYD?

Hi Maveta!

I'd go for what works for you now (i.e. your mum collecting him at 12) and worry about the future when you get there - by which time loads of things might have changed and N will be a different boy because he'll be a different age. He'll still be going to the nursery so he'll still be familiar with it and the staff there, so I would have thought he'd settle into the extra hours fine when you need them.

I would say that two changes of routine (including extending and then losing a relationship with your Mum) within 6 months is a bit much TBH. You don't say his age now but I get the feeling he is young. Would the Nursery acually have spaces to take him back in the Summer? I know some places would make you pay a retainer for the time if you want a place holding.

(Btw, I mean losing the extended relationship with your Mum, not losing all contact altogether, I assume you are not going to let that happen!)

Hi Bramshott! thanks for the input..my instinct is as you say, to do what will make him happiest right now.. just not sure if it will ultimately be more confusing/unsettling for him.

NCBirdy - he is 20mths now. He sees my parents almost everyday anyway, I imagine if they did this I wouldn´t also then take him to see them in the pm (after work) which i currently do so as not to overload them. So when the routine changed back, he´d still see her almost everyday, just later on iyswim?

But you make some valid points and I think i´ll also need to talk to the nursery to see what will work with them. We have pay all 5days anyway regardless of if he goes 1 or 4 so it would just be a case of if they had space from 12-3 in summer.