Hours at Nursery

[DaddyPanic]

Silly Dad = Silly Question.

Is there an upper limit on what is considered "ideal" for hours at nursery.

I am concerned that dropping my baby off at 08:00 and picking her up at 17:30 represents a very long time at nursery. I don't doubt she will be safe but its a long day and will leave her tired when I get to her.

I will have to negotiate more flexibility from work but wondered if there was a recommended length of stay that people agreed on.

How old is she? Is she doing 8 am to 5.30 pm five days a week?

Sorry, should've mentioned she will be 11 months when she starts in October.

She's going to be there Mon-Fri and her Mum will pick her up on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but it still seems like a long time to me.

I'd like to negotiate finishing an hour early on three days so I can pick her up and settle her at home.

Yes, that's a long week for an eleven month old. If you can possibly pick her up earlier, or get her looked after at home by a GP for a day or two, that would be less stressful for her.

some people will say it is too long and yes it is a long day but it isn't necessarily bad

i think it depends on the nursery and how they manage looking after yound children

My own DS has been in nursery since he was 6 months old for similar hours

when he was under 2 he had plenty of nap times and quiet time so he didn't get over whelmed

as he has got older he now refuses to nap at nursery as it is all too exciting

I don't think there is a consensus, no. You will get opinions from "you are a bad parent to be using a nursery at all" through to "08:00-17:30? That's a short day".

Personally, mine do longer than that and seem unscathed, but I would prefer it to be less. DS tends to be reluctant to leave on the occasions I do manage to make it in earlier to pick them up, though.

My son is in nursery longer than that and I would prefer it to be less but I am comforted by the fact he has a 2 hour nap every afternoon - I would check the nursery's sleep room / facilities works OK for the way your little one sleeps during the day. One of my friends has a DD who has always slept well at nights and never really done daytime naps so she does not go to nursery as much as my DS (also because my friend has more flexibility about her working hours than DH and I do).

Thanks for the responses.

Seems it's not damaging but not preferable.

I guess I am worried that by time I pick her up she will sleep in the car on the way home and then be ready for bed. I want to spend some quality time with her as her Mum won't be home until she is in bed for three days a week

She will probably surprise you by adapting pretty well, when I went back to work DS increased his nap and woke up a bit later in the morning so is now happy and alert until 8 p.m. each night when we start the bath and bed routine and although he is tucked up by 8.30 we often hear him still playing happily with his teddies until about 9 so hopefully you will have scope for some quality time together in the evening. Not about hours but a nursery tip - although they give the kids dinner most of them are ready for an evening snack of some sort afterwards, too, otherwise they might be a bit out of sorts through hunger rather than tiredness.

It is a long time, but many children do the same. I think she'll be tired after a day at nursery if you pick her up at 4.00, 4.30 or 5.30 TBH. If you concern is quality time, could you negotiate a half day on a Friday rather than leaving an hour earlier on 3 days, so you either have the morning or the afternoon to spend with your DD?

It is a long day, but DS has been in nursery for that long, and for 4 days a week since he was 11 months and has been more than fine (he's now 3.3) . He is tired at the end of the day - but in a good, had a full, fun packed day, kind of way. He only started sleeping through the night when he started at nursery!!

As others have said, make sure that you're happy with the sleeping arrangements (DS always napped when he was little) and that they've get quiet time when they need it - when I pick up DS about 6pm, the babies are usually having a quiet time in their room, whilst the toddlers and preschoolers are belting about outside!

There's always a compromise to be made when you're working parents - and sometimes that means that you'll have less time together during the week - but if your childcare is right for you and your family, then it will all fall into place. Good luck

My DD went to nursery at 10 months and does 8am to 4.45pm, only because I'm lucky enough to have a nursery practically next door to my office.

They get used to the routine of the day, so I don't think it really matters what time you pick her up, if it's the same time every day. Mine gets confused if I pick her up early because then she hasn't had her tea.

My DD always had a 2 hour+ sleep at nursery so was wide awake and bouncing when she came home, until recently (she's 2.4). Now she doesn't sleep in the day she goes to sleep in the car and stays asleep until 7pm, which isn't ideal.

DS1&2 both did/do nursery for about those hours and they are fine.

When very little we made sure that had a good long (2-3hr) sleep after lunch, so they were still alert and playful in the evening. But when they got a little older (~2years) we had to keep the sleep down to about an hour, otherwise they'd not want to go to bed until 9 or 10pm!

Thanks for the feedback everyone