When to start looking for a nursery?

[spacegirl123]

I'm currently pregnant with my first but not sure when to start looking for things like nurseries etc. I'll be taking a year's mat leave. Should I wait until baby's born or do people start looking earlier as I know when I'd be going back to work etc.

I manage a nursery and our baby room is full practically for the next year
We have lots of people visit and book places while pregnant
I expect places will be in short supply as lots of nurseries have closed and there will probably be a baby boom

Good point @insancerre - when I called for my 12 week scan they told me "there are so many pregnancies right now". Ok better get on it. Thanks!

I looked when my baby was a few weeks old and booked a place for the following year.

I basically had to start looking before I got pregnant

It won’t do any harm to give a few places you like a call now to see their capacity for when you’re going back to work and get your name down. You can then visit etc when baby is here.

I would start looking now. I know it's not like this everywhere in the country, but in my city places are scarce. When I was looking, one nursery said I'd left it too late my put my name on their waiting list at 20 weeks pregnant!

Yea @Ostryga absolutely - I'm going to do a wee bit of hunting around this week 🙂

Should add - I took almost a year of mat leave and some lists were full 18 months out!

Our nursery had a year or so waiting list - I signed up when I was pregnant.

What month is baby due/will need a place by? It's always been easier to get places September/October rather than May/June time (or whenever your school year starts if not England).

Oh ok I'm glad I asked now. I'm only 16 weeks so I thought it was too early and I'm in Scotland but to be honest I have no idea about school terms here (I'm not originally from Scotland). Just mentioned to my husband and it hadn't even crossed his mind lol. I'll need a place from October / November 2022.

School year starts in August in Scotland.

I would get on a waiting list ASAP. I took my eldest son for his settling in sessions at 30 weeks pregnant and the manager mentioned I should pop my name down on the waiting list if I wanted a place in the baby room.

I emailed the (very good) nursery on the street next to mine the day after my 12 weeks scan. I apologised and said I knew it was ridiculous but I wanted to get sorted early (he was starting Jan 2019) They were fully booked til the October 2018 so at 12 weeks gestation, I was almost too late!!

We got the space when baby was a week old (to start over a year later)

It really isn't like this everywhere.
Phone local Nurseries and ask them.

It won’t do any harm to give a few places you like a call now to see their capacity for when you’re going back to work and get your name down. You can then visit etc when baby is here.

Depends on where you live but where I am you need to put your name down while pregnant for the best nurseries.

Completely depends on area. I looked when my baby was 4m and all the nurseries I visited thought it was ridiculously early to do so. Call them up and ask or ask on a local Facebook group.

now, when you are pregnant

some preschools have years long waiting lists

We looked three months before she started at 9 months. No problems with waiting lists thankfully. There seemed to be plenty of availability in my area so I guess it depends where you live. That was earlier this year.

Our toddler room (2yrs plus) is now full until August 2022. Baby rooms generally have less spaces so will fill quickly, if you want to have full choice then earlier the better x

We looked round a couple at about six weeks (age not gestation!) and booked her place to start at 12 months by eight weeks old. Meant we got the days we wanted.

I think it depends what you need and how many options you have - only one local nursery to us did the extended hours we needed as we have long commutes so I had name down pre birth (as then prob would have been more than I'd have thought about it for a few months) as baby room numbers can be quite limited with the ratios

I think it definitely depends on where you live. I looked around for ds when he was 7 months with the intention of him starting at 11 months. Due to Covid he actually started at 13 months and they were fine to hold his place.

Thanks ladies, I'm in Edinburgh and I've spoken to a few people recently who have told me to get on it! 18w now so still early but won't do any harm to get that ticked off the list. I'm off today so plan to call round a few places. Xx