October 08 - New Year, New Thread.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

10th Sept (Due 1st Oct) - loulou33 - Boy - Joe Louis David - 6lbs 12oz
16th Sept (Due 8th Oct) - Ksal - Girl - Emma Rae - 6lbs
21st Sept (Due 5th Oct) - myjobismum - Girl - Naomi Caitlin - 5lbs 10oz
2nd Oct (Due 12th Oct) - star6 - Boy - Quinlan - 5lbs 15oz
4th Oct (Due 30th Sept) - Aubergenie - Boy - Stanley - 7lbs 12oz
8th Oct (Due 6th Oct) - ronshar - Boy - William Dexter - 7lbs 11oz
9th Oct (Due 17th) - 50ft - Girl - Martha - 7lbs 10oz - Elective c-sec
10th Oct (Due 1st Oct) - CantSleepWontSleep - Boy - Duncan Elliot - 8lbs 4oz
12th Oct (Due 4th Oct) - pistachio - Boy - Thomas Fraser - 10lbs 2oz
16th Oct (Due 11th Oct) - heather1980 - Boy - Alexander James - 9lbs 5oz
17th Oct (Due 10th Oct) - pepperrabbit - Girl - Jessica Rose - 7lbs 15.5oz
24th Oct (Due 29th Oct) - Ekka - Boy - Matthew - 7lbs 15oz
26th Oct (Due 20th Oct) - jenwa - Girl - Phoebe Jasmine - 9lbs 2.5oz
28th Oct (Due 23rd Oct) - RachieW - Boy - Jack - 7lbs 4oz
31st Oct (Due 20th Oct) - KnickersOnMaHead - Boy - Samuel Paul - 9lbs 11oz
5th Nov (Due 29th Oct) - Honeymoonmummy - Girl - Poppy Grace - 6lbs 15oz
5th Nov (Due 30th Oct) - MamaG - Boy - Harry James - 10lbs 9oz

Thing is, I need to find childcare for him for next year. And preschool seems better than a cm at this point... so I have to find one and many already have waiting lists for next october. so have to make a decision very soon

My friend who looks after him now told me that a day from 9-3 at preschool would be too much for him at 2 But that a cm isn't great... 1:1 care is best. But I can't afford a nanny! And if she's not able to do it... but says she may be able to do some afternoons but isn't sure... but it's a big thing for me and I have to sort it out.
She says "things sort themselves out"... well, true... but it's not going to magically happen. An affordable place for him isn't just going to pop in front of my face. I need to get it sorted and get a plan in place and reserve a space for him... I need childcare for my child!

Star with the greatest of respect your friend is talking crap.
Q is a very happy sociable(sp) child who will thrive in the company of other children.
All toddlers need to be with other children so they can learn to share and learn basic social skills.
You know this yourself. Dont let her make you doubt your own knowledge and training.
What is she trained in again?
Right so start from the beginning. You need a child care setting that is open by 8am. That will let you pick up at 3.30pm. And that you preferably dont have to pay for in the school holidays.
Unfortunately the answer is probably a CM. Most nurseries open between 7-8am and shut between 6-7pm. They do half days but that is usually until 1pm.
As you have found the school term settings open 9ish and close around 3ish.
Have you considered a CM combined with a preschool. Your nursery voucher can be split between two childcare providers.
Dont forget you wont get your voucher if you use your friend for care because she isnt registered.

Myjob is B at preschool today? You may want to get him early

She thinks a cm isn't good enough because of other kids to look after and best thing for him is 1:1 care. I want to do the best for him... I am pro-cm but I don't want my best friend thinking I'm not doing what's best for my baby!

You would rather worry about what she thinks than doing what is best for Q?? Really Star you surprise me a little.
So what she really wants to say to you but obviously is a bit gutless, is that YOU should be at home not going out to work!
Havent you got qualifications in child development?
Did you learn that a child develops better in a single child environment or among his peers? I would be interested to find out because I was under the impression that as long as a child wasn't in full time nursery care from a baby then the outcomes where exactly the same as a child who stays at home until 3 then went to playschool!
Even then the main difference was behavioural not educational. Which obviously could be a problem if it is your child punching their way round the playground

dd was 3 last october. alex wont start till the january after next, he wont get a funded place till the term after his 3rd birthday, so i'll have him home for 2 more years yet, but at least dd will be at full time school by then.

Pre-schools don't normally have facilities for children to nap during the day do they - certainly the ones that I've looked at haven't. That might make 9-3 a bit much at just turned 2. Dd had dropped her nap by then, but even she wouldn't have coped with a full day straight away, so started with a couple of half days.

I think that 1-1 is not only unnecessary but actually not as beneficial for the child as having other children around. School will come as a big shock if he is not used to the company of and sharing with other children.

star. don't forget that it isn't just about Q, it's about you as a family, you have to be happy that he's being well cared for and his needs are being met, it doesn't matter where that is so long as he is getting it iyswim.
as long as he thrives and advances socially and developmentally then he'll be fine.
we are lucky that i can afford to be home all day, but i still have to work in the evenings which means i miss bedtimes some days which is pants but it works for us. she says with huge bags under her eyes and the inability to have an adult conversation!

kennedys pre school has a time out area where the kids can sit and chill out but not anywhere for them to nap, but it only takes kids from 2 and a half.
i thought all prechools only took them from 2.5? at least the ones near me are that way. maybe it's different in different areas of the country.

Didn't I hear that those vouchers were getting scrapped? Is that true? If not, where would I get them from? Sorry, I know nothing of this...

you're right, Ronshar. That sounded really silly of me. I do care about what's best for Q over what she thinks, though... I just feel that what she thinks is what's best for Q.
Preschools I've looked at do have facilities for napping if a child needs it.
Again, the ones I'm looking at take them from 2.0. Some do only do 2.6 but a fair few are 2.0.
I think he'll like it there, it's just a bit of a hassle trying to figure out how to get him there in the morning.

maybe you need to invent a time machine in class

tonight's homework

Not snowing here, either and there's a supposed "severe weather warning for london and southeast" I hope it pours down in buckets soon so that school is cancelled

I think our snow is later Star.

Myjob - I have had another look on the Met website and your area is no longer red (sounds a bit dodgy but you know what I mean). Might mean you're in luck!

M has a new game. It is called scare the parents half to death. She climbs up on the sofa and walks to the very edge, and I mean very edge with her toes hooked over. Then as the worried parent dives over to save her she jumps and throws herself backwards on to the sofa. I've had about three mini heart attacks today. M, however thinks it's the funniest thing ever! Grrrr.

50ft - Q does a similar "game" on our sofa and bed! I am not keen on it!
(did I use "keen" properly?)

Yup, that is the correct use of keen! It is very scary and M knows exactly what she's doing as she pushes my hand away when I try to hold her! Cheeky monkey.