How tiring is reception?!

[hopeless123]

DS1 starts reception in September and I am already feeling really guilty that I won't be able to pick him up 3 days per week. He will attend the after school club until 4.30pm and 1 day his godmother will pick him up and the other 2 my DM.

Is he going to be shattered and falling asleep by 4.30?!

He currently attends pre-school 3 full days a week but he is very tired afterwards and kind of re-energises on the days he doesn't go IYSWIM.

I am seriously wondering if I would re-negotiate my working hours so I can be there to pick him up at 3.15 3 days a week and then he'd just do 4.30 on Thu & Fri - shame it has to be the end of the week but I can't change that.

Anyhow.... how have others who work got on?

For me personally, I'd renegotiate my working hours. I re-did all my working, so that between me and my other half we could do drop off and pick up. It was tough though as it meant heading in to work for 7am when I worked in the office.

However a 4:30 pickup sounds fine to me. I'd be happy with that for Recpetion.

My son found Reception really tiring - at least once a week he'd fall asleep while eating his dinner. I once went out to the kitchen to get him a drink and when I came back in he was face down in his mash, snoring.

But even though he'd spend lots of time running around during the day, he always needed some unwinding time after. We would stay in the school playground until 4pm anyway, so he could just work off that excess.

I think it depends on the child tbh. I made no after school plans when DS started Reception - assuming he would be tired- but in actual fact he was bouncing round the house every day after school and I ended up having to find things to do to tire him out! DD also took the days in her stride. I don't think ASC on a couple of days will make a huge amount of difference tbh - I presume his godmother and your mum will let him (e.g) just veg out after school if that's what he wants.

DD is May born and I expected her to be really tired, particularly as we have to walk a mile, catch a bus, walk another mile to get home after school but nope, she took it in her stride. She absolutely needs a snack as soon as we get home and a big dinner fairly soon afterwards and she sleeps more soundly and for longer than she did, but she's not noticeably fatigued by school. In fact it perks her right up.

Yeah ds was very tired...but this meant that he slept really well from 7pm till 7am which was the first time he had slept through the night!

He is July born so had only just turned 4 when he started school.

I too didnt put him in any kind of after school activity for his first 2 years at school as i just thought it too much.

He is ravenous too!

He'll be starving if after school club don't give them a snack.

He may or may not be tired, my DDs never were.

You may want to finish work early because swimming lessons etc for R/Y1 DCs are always the earliest often at 4 pm

I was wondering the same thing. DD starts in September and is November born. She goes to preschool 5 mornings a week and spends the afternoons outside most days. Physically I think she will be fine, but mentally I think it will floor her.

But then I wonder because there are some summer born children at her preschool going up at the same time who still go short distances in a buggy and sleep every afternoon because they are completely exhausted.

Do they just tailor it to the individual class?

Depends in the child. DS1 was absolutely fine - he was dropped off at breakfast club at 8am, and I picked up each day.

DS2 was shattered to start with, but gas been fine since Easter.

If you can be flexible for the first term, that's probably the best thing.

My dd1 (Winter baby) was so tired the last week of the first half term she came home from school, ate dinner, fell asleep by 4:30 and had to be woken at 8:30 the next morning. Every day. However after that she seemed to have adjusted.

Dd2 (Winter baby) didn't seem to notice tiredness wise, despite having to walk to take her sister 30 minutes away to school and fetch her home at the end of the day.

Ds (Summer baby) is very tired and his behaviour is notably worse in the afternoon. He's missed a fair few days through illness which is partually brought on by being tired.

Ds1 was certainly very tired, exhausted really, for the first term and a half (he is a Nov birthday). Not physically tired but utterly mentally drained - had run out of good behaviour and certainly didn't have enough energy to read to me (did that in the mornings).

He was ravenous. As above, we didn't do out of school activities til Y1 - although he managed the odd playdate.

Having said that, afterschool club til 4.30pm doesn't sound too bad. Although after that you may find he needs dinner and bed in short order.

Thanks for all the replies.

DS is June born so will be quite young still as well which may have an effect. Also he already goes to bed at 6.45 and wakes at 7am which is quite a long time I think!!!! There is no walking involved to/from school though as we are v rural and its about 5 miles from the house!

Will investigate the snack provision at ASC - perhaps I could pack some fruit if they don't provide anything?

redskyatnight yes they will feed him / let him chill.

I think I will try and change Monday hours at least so that just leaves Thursday and Friday... what a pain they are right at the end of the week when he will be most tired but I don't think I can change that.

He will probably be fine. DD and DS weren't tired out by reception. It is pretty much the same as nursery tbh as it is so play based. 90 mins more on 3 days should be ok. Probably hold back on any other afterschool activities for a year or so though.

My end of June baby is in reception can usually be found bouncing off the walls gone 9pm...so my response would be not tiring enough!