Would seven weeks off nursery before primary be too long?

[HettyMeg]

Expecting 2nd child due in Feb. 4 year old is in nursery 4 days a week and will be starting school next August.

Currently our thinking is to reduce her nursery days from 4 to just funded hours (2.5 days a week) from April, as I'd be on maternity leave.

We're then in two minds about what to do over the summer. While a place is available for her until end of July, funding ends at the end of June (we're in Scotland) so we'd be paying private rate for that month, which seems like madness given I'd be on mat leave. But will removing her from her routine at the end of June and having a full 7 weeks off be too long a break before starting primary?

I wouldn't say so, there's plenty of children don't go to nursery but just start primary school in reception or pre school🤷‍♀️ (my three didn’t ), just explain to her at regular intervals how she's a big girl now and left nursery to be ready for big school after the holidays....... and enjoy your time with them whilst they are little, it soon goes!

At our school they finish preschool at the end of term and there's the full 6 weeks holiday plus another 2 weeks before the nursery year at school actually starts. Then to reception it's 6.5 weeks. They just know that it will be a tough half term getting them all into the routine so they take it slowly.
It's good to keep a little routine still though, we keep waking up and breakfast time just the same throughout, and the same for bed time give or take. Then at least it's not like a jet lag situation.

It's the norm for dcs who attend a school-based nursery before starting reception and have the long summer break. My youngest has just finished a school nursery for the academic year and she will have 8 weeks off! We will have a family holiday during that time, and she'll attend some summer camps just for fun so she'll have have some social time. I think as long as you get out and about and arrange some group activities it won't be an issue.

I cant think of a single negative reason why this would be an issue. I think it would be better in fact - your eldest will get to be at home and witness their siblings earliest days and spend lots of time over the summer with you. It sounds brilliant to me!

From a routine perspective, it will be absolutely fine. Obviously some children don’t go to nursery at all. The start of reception will be a bumpy road regardless. It won’t matter if she’s off for the summer or in nursery. I’d think about what would be easiest for you. At 5-6 months, you’ll be starting weaning with your baby, probably some teething thrown in too. It’s a bit of a stressful time. I think I would want to hold onto to days when I could just focus on baby. Could you reduce your days but still keep her in some? Maybe for the days you can book in to a baby class? Or plan a few weeks off and keep things normal the other days. I really appreciated having those days just with baby when I wasn’t juggling everything.