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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Nursery application - when?

32 replies

B65 · 02/09/2024 20:05

I’ve had people telling me I need to start thinking about nursery and securing a place. This hadn’t even crossed my mind. For context, I’m 15 weeks pregnant. Baby due Feb 2025. I won’t be needing nursery until Jan 2026.

Are they being a bit over the top or is this really the case?

OP posts:

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Peonies12 · 02/09/2024 20:06

Depends where you live. We signed up when I was about 25 weeks pregnant. There’s only one nursery in walking distance, and I think places are going to get more sought after with the increase in funded hours. Definitely worth having a look around locally and asking nurseries what their waiting lists are like.

BarbaraHoward · 02/09/2024 20:08

Hugely location dependent. My colleague had to book in when pregnant, I booked halfway through my leave and that was plenty of time. Different commuting zones of the same city.

I'd message a few places near you to get an idea.

SquigglePigs · 02/09/2024 20:10

It depends on your area. We looked at nurseries when DD was 9 months old to start when she was 13 months and all of the dozen nurseries we looked at had space for her. We're in the Midlands.

Hall84 · 02/09/2024 20:11

I think I signed up after the 20 week scan. Once we had a place it took me 21 months to get an extra day.
Depends where you live but good nurseries will generally have a waiting list and there's usually fewer toddler spaces than pre school places.

MissRachelismycoparent · 02/09/2024 20:11

When baby was newborn, some were full but just had a choice of 2. I didn't like the idea of booking a nursery place for a baby that hadn't arrived safely yet

Oldermum84 · 02/09/2024 20:12

With my first I tried to book where we wanted with 5 months notice and and they didn't have space for 7 months. That was a few years ago and it's worse now. I booked for my second DC when pregnant. There were other nurseries with spaces though they were further away, not as nice etc. So it depends if there's a lot around where you live etc.

DappledOliveGroves · 02/09/2024 20:12

I think I put DD's name down once I'd had my 20 week scan. It really depends on the demand in your area, but around here you ideally need to give notice pre-conception!

whereshouldistart · 02/09/2024 20:13

You’ll probably find somewhere if you wait but all the good places will likely be gone.

I was a bit stuck for options with my first as I didn’t get him on any lists until he was about 6 months old. I did find an ok nursery but it was in an awkward location and I didn’t love it. I eventually got him into the preschool room of my preferred nursery, which meant my next child automatically got in. I put my 3rd child down on the list when I was 14 weeks pregnant. They were even more heavily subscribed by then and she only got a place when she was 13 months so I had to delay my return to work.

InTheRainOnATrain · 02/09/2024 20:15

Very area dependent but no harm in doing it early whilst leaving it could be a risk.

pinkfleece · 02/09/2024 20:15

Absolutely, I reserved places soon after my 12 week scan, for child to start when 1y old. That was in 2006 and things have got a lot worse since then. Get going.

Olika · 02/09/2024 20:15

It depends on the area but I would start now. Where we live childminders don't have availability for next 2 years and only nurseries with availability are on outskirts of town.

PurBal · 02/09/2024 20:16

Where I live you've probably left it too late. DS2 was down at 8 weeks. My friend was 11 weeks and had to delay her baby's start date. My SIL is due the same time as you, she lives about an hour away and they left it until 12 weeks, they've secured a place but not for their preferred days so she'll have to change her working pattern.

MillshakePickle · 02/09/2024 20:17

As others have said it's area dependent. I'd call a couple and just get an idea of wait lists. There's never any harm in getting information and an idea.

We registered and paid deposits when I was 28 wks pregnant. That one gell through and closed and we got a refund, thankfully.

Ended up scrambling to find a place when baby was 12 weeks old. Could only get 2 days a week which impacted me returning to work full time. Mondays and Fridays seem to be available at the ones we looked at but mid week and morning sessions were next to impossible to find. We are in a popular commuter town.

We are on a wait list for 2 more days mid week, said we take whatever they can offer. Baby has been in nursery for 5 months now and nothing has change yet.

CheeseWisely · 02/09/2024 20:17

Depends where you live but we put a deposit down in April 2024 for a place from April 2025, our son wasn't born until June 2024.

Around here it seems all the private nurseries open their books for the following year in April, as that's when school nursery places are confirmed so they know who's moving on. Could be unique to our area though, we're outside mainland UK.

Lonelymummy1 · 02/09/2024 20:31

We’ve just secured a place for our baby to start in September 2025 (currently 25 weeks pregnant). When we looked round she said it was very common that people sign up at this stage.

stripydungarees · 02/09/2024 20:32

Yes at 17 weeks pregnant I got the last place for the days I wanted, so start looking now!

curiouscat1987 · 02/09/2024 21:00

Every location is different but my current nursery currently has a waiting list until october 2026. So in theory you have to sign up before youre even pregnant which is crazy, but its a great nursery so what can you do!

piechipsgravy · 02/09/2024 21:02

I looked in May (17 weeks pregnant) for a Sept 2025 space. Everywhere we looked had space but Sept 2025 was the earliest they had and they expected to be getting booked up sooner because of the new funding. But some areas don't have the same issues.

SouthLondonMum22 · 02/09/2024 21:02

Depends on location.

I had to put mine down for nursery as soon as I had the 12 week scan if I wanted them in the best one.

CastleTower · 02/09/2024 21:08

Depends on the area and what's going on.

Decided last minute that we were going to send our daughter to nursery at 1, we had loads of choice and started a couple of weeks later. But that was 2020 and a lot of people were voluntarily keeping kids off.

Moved area, got a place for then 2 year old with no bother about 5 months in advance.

In 2023/4, signed up when the baby was 6 weeks for a start at 12 months. We had lots of choice, but our preferred place only had a place about 3 weeks later than we would have liked, at 13 months old. We could make it work, so we went with that, but we could easily have started on our preferred date.

I've heard some areas, like Oxford, are impossible at the moment though.

CastleTower · 02/09/2024 21:10

Also, we've always found September starts really easy to organise, because kids move up to school and free up spaces. It gets harder through the year in my experience.

Elliesmumma · 02/09/2024 21:12

It’s best to secure a place now really. Right now you’re probably thinking, oh I’m sure I’ll find a place SOMEWHERE, but as someone else said all the best places will be gone. Then you’re going to be going through a massive transition of going back to work, leaving the baby for likely the longest you’ll ever have done and feeling mum guilt for that, usually around 12 months when their separation anxiety is in full swing, queue more mum guilt, as well as worrying that the nursery isn’t the best you could’ve done if you’d sorted it sooner (so more mum guilt).
Honestly, my advice would be visit the nurseries now, pick your favourite, secure a place for a month before you return to work if you can afford it (even if it’s just half the amount they’ll be going) so they have chance to settle before you go back to work and you can return as mum-guilt free as possible. I didn’t do this and spent weeks at work crying in the toilets after emotional drop offs at nursery. I won’t do this again for baby 2!

IamOliveOil · 02/09/2024 21:38

when I was 20 weeks a friend said I need to get on this asap, didn’t quite get the urgency so started to look and glad I did. I’m due November and couldn’t get in anywhere until Dec 2025! Wish I’d known sooner as ideally I wanted to go back in sept 2025.

CluelessInLondon · 02/09/2024 22:06

Definitely ask around now to understand what it's like in your area. I'm in east London, we signed up to our preferred nursery at 23 weeks - we still don't know if we'll get a place in September 2025 but aren't expecting to because they only take 9 children under the age of 2, so we're working on what plan B is going to be so I can go back to work in July. Another example - I have friends who live in Surrey whose daughter is still on a waiting list for a nursery they signed up to before she was born - she's 2 years old now...

WildeWalker · 03/09/2024 02:03

We are due Feb 2025, baby will start nursery Sept 2025. We registered a couple of weeks ago and were told 75% full for Sept. Totally location dependent but I’d just get it done to be on safe side.

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