SAHM- does you baby go to nursery?

[weewill]

I am wondering if any mums out there put their LO's into nursery even when being a SAHM?

I have a ten year old who is very independent and a just one year old.

I also do basically everything; cleaning, cooking, school runs, baths, bed times etc etc

I am TIRED. Baby is breastfeeding so hard to be away. But I am just mentally exhausted.

Would it be okay to send her into nursery one a week? Even 8am-1pm? If only just to sleep!

It's been over a year since I have slept more than 3 hours in one go. She wakes hourly sometimes. I just don't know what to do.

I'm a stay at home mum and I've put both of my kids in nursery for a day in the week. I definitely needed to for my own wellbeing and they benefited from the social interaction and being away from me.
It actually helped with DS as they picked up he had a sensory disorder almost straight away while I was just thinking I was a terrible parent.

I did exactly this when my dc was 2 years old. Except I did two mornings a week, because the nursery recommended that it would be hard to settle them. My older dc was 9 and I was being pulled in so many directions with that dc having a late bedtime and the toddler breastfeeding and not sleeping well at night. I was just shattered.

i figured I could afford it and it meant I could clean the house properly, support my elderly mum etc.

i didn’t feel even a tiny bit guilty. It was my money I was spending, and I don’t spend much on myself. I haven’t regretted it at all.

the only thing I did find was that when I went back to work full time, my dc was actually instantly happier going to nursery 5 days a week. I guess the routine just helped.

Thank you for your positive replies!

Yes, I think maybe two mornings would work well.

I have an intense attachment with her, I think because I'm breastfeeding?

So it might be good for the both of us. I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown with how exhausted I am.

I put DD2 from 2 yrs (earliest playgroup on school site accepted them) in 2 mornings a week a day but she didn’t settle well so changed it 9 to 3. Term time only because that’s what the offer at the site I wanted. We have a cleaner and I only do about 70% of school runs.

I did from age 2, we did 3 mornings a week until she settled and down to 1 once she was happy and excited to go. Brought her on loads but I'm not sure I could have done it any earlier. Will probably do the same with my youngest

We are soon going to be sending our 2YO to nursery 2 afternoons a week. I am pregnant with our second so it'll be nice to have a break before baby comes and then I think it'll be good for our DD to have some time away at nursery once baby is born. If you can afford it, why not?

If I was in you're shoes I would send her in just for her development purposes x

Your

Everyone I know, who can afford it, has some form of childcare. Sometimes nursery or childminder or a babysitter who comes to the house, or even a nanny.

Go for it. It sounds like it would be good for everyone.

@Homeiswherewestay it was a typo- chill out.

@Homeiswherewestay I apologise 😂 I didn't see your above comment. Jesus I need some sleep

I work PT outside of the home, but DC's nursery days are shorter than my work days so I never get any time to do housework when she's not around. It's a nightmare tbh, especially as her sleep is terrible. I'm looking to put her in for an extra day when I'm at home just to get the house sorted, so I don't think you're unreasonable at all. You might want to put her in for a bit more (2-3 mornings a week?) to help her settle though.

I put DD in for 2 afternoons a week when she was just over 1. It was just after the third lockdown and I realised she hadn't been in the same room as another child for 6 months, which didn't feel right. A few people raised eyebrows but I just ignored them. It was definitely right for her, she loves it there and I see it as an investment in her and extra time for me ☺️

Mine all did a couple of mornings from age 2.

I sent my dd to nursery at 13 months for 2 mornings a week to start with and then switched to 1 full day.

It was great for both of us, I got a break and she got to socialise with other kids which she hadn’t been able to do before because of lockdowns.

I did move her to a term time playground when she was 2 and a bit as it was much cheaper and so she now goes 3 mornings.

If you can afford it I would send her.

From 2, 5 days a week for 4 hours, term time only. We are by ourselves abroad and tbh it’s a life saver DD’s nursery is excellent and she enjoys it so everyone is happy.

Do what you want if you can afford it. My daughter is nearly 2.5 and doesn't sleep through but she's not starting preschool until she turns 3 because we cant afford it without the funding.

You may struggle to find a nursery who will take her for just 4 hours a week though. They have to allocate a keyworker and that will take out one of the key children "slots" which isn't worth their while for half a day. Plus settling in will be more difficult.

I hope you get some sleep soon OP! I had a bad sleeper. So bad. With night wakings all night and the daily housewife / childcare stuff all day, you’re doing two fulltime jobs on no sleep. Do whatever you need to get some rest.

I couldn’t find a nursery that suited DD. Tried quite hard to find a nanny for 2 mornings a week but no luck, they kept getting better offers.

At age 2 she went to a childminder for 2 mornings a week, that worked well for a while (until the nice kids went to preschool and annoying kids started) so then we did preschool.

Join facebook nanny groups for your area, look on childcare sites for a mothers help, or maybe get a cleaner twice a week for a couple of hrs?

Will baby sleep in buggy / carseat? Can a babysitter take her out for an hr or two while you rest?

Hugs. It’s very hard and we weren’t meant to do this alone.