Good to send dd to nursery or not?

[mamamea]

We have no need for childcare, but wonder if it's good to send her to nursery for a session or two per week before she starts at school, which will be at a local private school which has received successive 'Outstanding' reports from Ofsted, when she is 3.

She is 18 months old and she hates being left alone at the creche at gym and church, we don't want her to be too upset when she starts at the school.

I do think that once children are 3 or 4, then it can benefit them to spend some time in a high quality nursery or with a childminder with a number of other children the same age.

It gives them the opportunity to explore their own interests, with other children, without parents being around to interfere .

A high quality nursery or childminder should be a play based setting, with lots of opportunity for exploratory and investigative play, rich language opportunities etc. etc. etc.

She's only 18 months at the moment - it's highly likely that she will change enormously in the next 18 months and will enjoy having time at nursery with friends.

Personally, I don't think that only 1 or even 2 sessions a week is quite enough. I don't think your dd would have time to get settled in and develop friendships in such a short time. I think you would be better to consider at least 3 sessions per week.

My only concern with nurseries attached to private schools is that in my experience, they tend to be more formal, ie. with greater emphasis in reading and writing, rather than play.

She will go three mornings a week when she is 3, I'm thinking before then, perhaps when she is 2.

I personally don't think there's anything in particular to be gained by sending very young children to nursery if you don't need to do so for childcare reasons.

Do you go to toddler groups etc. so that she has the opportunity to socialise with your support?

I put DD1 into nursery for 3 mornings a week when she turned 2 and she loved it. She is a happy confident girl and I think the nursery had a lot to do with it,even though I took her to lots of classes etc as well. We could have continued to manage/juggle our childcare between us but I felt we made the right decision for her and it eased things up for us

DD2 had to go in a bit younger because of work and I don't feel it was right for her at all, I'm on matty now and have dropped her right down to the occassional ad hoc day just to give me a break - she's nearly 3 btw

I think it depends entirely on the nursery and the individual child. You'll know if your daughter is ready enough for it and if not am sure you can drop her right out again

I put dd1 into a 2 y.os. drop-off group for one morning when she turned two. The next term she continued with that and I also sent her to another drop off for 2 y.o.s for a morning a week. So when she started nursery this term (so term 3) she was very happy settling in etc. When she started the first groups I stayed for the first few mornings until she was totally happy. She loved both groups and I have no regrets.