Moving daughters crèche the same week baby is due

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Our daughter has been in crèche now for 16 months and loves it. She goes in 4 days a week but we have had her on a list for 5 days care since last September. We just received an email to say that a space has become available starting in September, but in a different crèche (same chain, so I imagine the routine will be similar), however that is the week I am due my second baby. They have a full time space in both Creche’s for baby no 2.

Would I be mad to switch her creche at the same time as a second baby arrives?

What’s the reason you’ve been looking to move her to 5 days? Honestly if you’ve been able to manage with her doing 4 days for the last 8 months then I would just keep her in the same place. You’re about to be on maternity so you’ll be able to deal with it from a childcare perspective and moving is quite a big change for them if it isn’t necessary, particularly right around the time of a new sibling.

My reason for changing is really for when I go back from mat leave the second time as I really need to plan ahead. It’s impossible to get a full time crèche place where I am and if I go back to work full time (I recently started a new full time job and have been paying a babysitter for the 5th day of care) it would be a lot easier to have both kids in the same childcare facility for the 5 days.

Can she start there on less days asap? And then move up to 5 in September? That might take the sting out.

we have asked that too and there is no budging with the crèche! They are tight on staff in summer, if we could do that we would in a heartbeat. Now she had no problem settling in with the childminder and hasn’t had any issues when she has had to move to different rooms in the crèche she is in, but there would always have been familiar faces about.

How is she with change? I think only you can know, but if she likes her routine it could be a bad idea. Could you keep her place at the old one oncase she doesn't settle at the new place? She might like the new place more. Very hard to tell