August or September baby - does it really matter?

[Newmummytobe79]

I'm due on the 31st August so couldn't be more on the cusp of the school year if I tried! I've had people say to me 'ooh - you want to hope for September so it's got a head start at school' or 'hope you come early so you don't have baby at home a year longer than you have to!'.

I was one of the older children at school and loved the fact I turned 13 first,could learn to drive first ... and got served legally in a pub first! So would opt for a day late if I could decide!

In all honesty I don't really care what date baby arrives just as long as he/she is safe and well ... and I do think you can argue which school year your child enters if it's end of August/begining of September.

Just wondered if you ladies had any opinions?

x

I want my september 16th baby to stay in september as there has been some evidence they do better at school than august babies. As I am going to be a SAHM there is also no issues with childcare costs in my case.

i'm also due on the 31st august and have had the same sorts of comments from people regarding being the youngest/oldest in the year - however i was born on the 27th of august and was always the youngest in the year and loved it, particularly since we've all just turned 30 and i was almost a year behind and could bask in my 29-ness!!

I'm sure there is evidence that younger pupils in the year don't do as well as the older pupils but i really didn't experience any problems, and it was always lovely to have a guaranteed day off school on your birthday and usually a bit of sunshine to boot!

Well I was born on the 31st August and my EDD was 1st September, as you say the annoying thing was everyone else learning to drive and turning 18 earlier than me!
But apart from that it made no difference!x

I was the same last year and DD was born on 2nd Sept. I'm glad to be honest. Of my other children, one is an older child and one a younger (in the school year) and eldest was def more ready for school.

Best of all I get to keep her at home another year. She will be 5 and a few days on her first day at school rather than 4 and a few days and also she'll get 5 terms at nursery rather than 3.

But ATEOTD they'll come when they're ready!

As a teacher of children in the Early Years it is very much down to the individual child. There is no doubt that a whole year of development at that age makes a big difference but some children are ready earlier. I was an August 24th Baby and my mum said I was 'definitley ready' even though I was nearly a year behind some of my peers. My DD is a September baby and I'm sure would be ready to go to pre-school this year with some of her friends who are starting (as they are only 3 weeks older than her, August birthdays) secretly I am selfishly pleased I get to keep her at home for another whole year longer though before it's compulsary for her to go full time. They catch up with each other eventually.x

I've got two August babies, one thrived at school regardless, one hasn't, and has struggled behaviourally and socially. Given the choice I'd go with the average statistics and choose September.

August makes childcare cheaper though.

think my summer baby may not have been as ready socially as her september brother, but academically she is 'doing' better.
As they say learning is a marathon not a race.

One other thing, I think that August boys struggle more than August girls, partly because being good at sports is normally more important social currency for boys than girls.

Statistically, I believe it does make a difference- summer babies on average do less well than autumn borns. As a teacher I always planned to have my DCs in the autumn. However, DD was born at the start of August and I'm due mid-June with DD2, so that didn't work out! And now that I know what DD is like, I'm really not worried, I think she will be more than ready for school when she's four. I also think that parental input and support in terms of listening to children read etc has a lot more impact than their date of birth.

My ds1 is an August baby and has definitely struggled. He started Junior school in September and has found that very hard, much harder than when he started in reception.
He is currently being assessed by the SENCO with dyspraxia in mind though so that could be a big part of it obviously, but I still think being a year below would have benefited him hugely.

It does depend on the individual like anything though obviously. But if I could choose I would go for Sept, statistically Sept children do perform better. My dd is November and while she was clearly ready for school several months before she started it hasn't caused her any problems at all, unlike starting early has for my ds1.

I think there are probably positives to being either the oldest or youngest. I personally would prefer a september baby. DD is a July baby and started in reception this year, she hasn't found it that easy tbh. She's a bright little girl and seems to be fine in terms of leaning and achieving similar to that of her peers. But emotionally and even physically it has been hard work, she has been very tired - even when she was still part time. But having said that friends with children younger than she is haven't struggled at all. So I guess a lot just depends on the child. Four years of age does seem very small to be in full time education though and selfishly I would have loved to have been able to send an extra year with her at home.

We can't really plan these things so I'd say just make the most of either birthday!

Im due 13 September

a really really hope baby stays put til September 1st! (Planned a September baby, but almost waited til October, but didnt)

I figure as a 1st baby it should be a bit late, but i would prefer it not to be born in Aug.
Of course so long as he / she is healthy thats all the really matters!

My birthday is also 13 September and i definitley think being one of the oldest in the year helped me.....
also being a SAHM, I want child at home with me for as long as possible (ideally 5 years!) think in this country our children go to school too young as it is, and would much prefer them here with me as long as possible.

Cant imagine i actually will home ed them at all but id like to!

I have an August 29th baby, so had some of the same comments and concerns.

He's not at school age yet so can't comment from that point, but I was the oldest in my year and my sister the youngest, so I was 5 within a few days starting school and my sister was only just 4. She did better than myself and my brother (a Nov baby) in GCSE's and A-Levels, and the only time there was ever a problem was when her school friends turned 17 and my sister was just 16 and she had battles with my parents about going out clubbing!

She also used to gripe about her birthday being in the school holidays, but now she loves having summer birthdays!

I have DS1 who is a 23rd August baby, DS2 who is 29th Sept baby and DS3 is due on August 11th. Obviously i only do the complicated ages...

DS1 has been in reception for 6 months and is more than capable - reading well by himself, very confident, 4th tallest in the class etc. But I think this is much more to do with his personality than anything. He is finding problems with sharing with other children and taking turns - but has got a lot better throughout the year.

I am fearful of DS2 'extra' year at home as am not sure how that is going to go! It's so odd to think that when DS2 is DS1's age he still won't be at school. I can imagine we're going to do a lot more learning at home.

I'm pleased DS3 will be another August baby. So much easier for parties and looking after a newborn :)

I have a mate with the same due date as you - it'll be her second.

She says for her first, she was very ethereal and whimsical about it all. HOwever, with baby no. 2, the whimsy has been replaced with practicality and she just wants it to be born before the 1st September so that she won't have to wait until January for the 15 hours free nursery entitlement to begin

Before ttc we went back and forth on this. Then we hit problems ttc, which took years, and now we're just grateful that DD1 (July baby) is happy and healthy and as long as DC2 (due in early August - I'm pregnant at the moment) is the same, then we really don't care.

Besides, they will have inherited their mothers' superior brains (I was born in May, it never held me back) so will be fine.

This is an issue I've been thinking about a lot recently, as many of my friends' children are starting school now and I can see the big difference a July/August birthday has compared with a September/October birthday. Our DC will probably be a September baby.

I've come across an academic research paper which looks at the differences in exam results for children with August birthdays throughout their school careers. Apparently the difference is still seen whatever the child's socioeconomic background.

www.ttrb.ac.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?ContentId=14217

Also, this interesting post discusses families in Texas deliberately holding their August-born sons back from kindergarten/school for a year to give them advantages socially and in sport as teenagers.

www.babble.com/toddler/toddler-behavior-learning/redshirting-kindergarteners-age-kindergarten-readiness/index.aspx

Any views?

I'm a Summer birthday, DP is a Summer birthday and bump will be Summer birthday too, couldn't wish for anything else. Can plan BBQ's/picnics etc. for birthday, birthday in school holidays. Only bad thing is in infant class I remember singing happy birthday to people on their birthday and the child getting to sit on the special chair etc. (summer birthday's never have this) and not being able to 'legally' celebrate my A'Level results! - That said, toook a year out before uni and still graduated at 21, another benefit of being a Summer birthday! We weren't specifically trying for a Summer child (well we weren't specifically trying full stop) but we have both said that we're please we have a Summer one on the way.

Only pitfall for a parent I suppose, is that as a Summer birthday, you do tend to do everything naughty underage!

I've been rubbish at planning mine, it wasn't anything I ever worried about. I've got one in October, two November then a May, June (hopefully, new baby is due mid June) & July - the one who has had most problems socially/emotionally is my October boy, May girl & July boy have done fine.

Fed up with "ooh, you're a teacher and you're having a summer baby" type comments. Yes I know, I have read the papers. But dh July born, I'm sept and we're both fine. More worried about my last baby going to school so soon tbh. These comments more often come from peoe who have no trouble conceiving and have time to worry about this stuff. I for one am feeling ecstatic to be blessed with three normal pregnancies (dd and ds, dc3 due end June) after seemingly insurmountable fertility issues.

Lookandlearn I'm also in the same boat as you, problems ttc so just very happy to have any DCs at all!

And, yes, organising summer birthday parties is much easier based on friends' experiences!

Does anyone know if these studies also hold up in countries where the school year runs differently, January to December? I would imagine so?