Any positive nursery stories???

[my2cherubs]

I've got a job interview tomorrow for a position which would be great for us. I've got to return to work, i have no option we've got a very high mortgage and debt. This job has great hours which would mean i could take dd1 (aged 4) to school and dh would pick her up (he's a night worker). Problem is dd2 is only 2 and she would have to go to nursery for 6 hours a day five days a week. Just the thought of leaving her makes me want to sob. She's such a joy and I love our time together. We were kicking leaves in the park today and had such a lovely time I really can't imagine her spending her days with strangers. I've read so many bad things about nurseries (we have discussed options and have decided nursery would be best, safety in numbers I suppose) I can't imagine leaving her and trotting off to work I'm going to be beside myself. I'm partly hoping I don't get the job but that's stupid as we really,really need the money. Can anyone give me some positives about sending her and also how long to settle in would she need? I'm looking at two local nurseries that would cater for her and dd1 in the school holidays. What's the best thing to look for and should i just turn up unannounced or ring to make an apt to view??? please help

I would ask friends which nursery they use. I called on two local nurseries unannounced when I was looking. One didn't let me cross the threshold, the other welcomed me in and took about 30 mins showing me round the different rooms and telling me what their policies were. My gut feeling there was good, too. (although a friend of mine said when she went to look round, she found the smell of disinfectant off putting - I just thought of it as being a well cleaned place!)
It was hard leaving ds (9 months at the time) and I was in full time work. We had a couple of morning sessions and a couple of afternoons and then a couple of full days to get him used to it and to check that he would eat and sleep in a strange environment. The first few weeks were hard, he cried when I left and often was crying when I went to collect him. The staff once took photos of him during the day so that I could see that he was happily playing!
I have now got a part time job (ds now 2). We were putting things away the other day and I was counting things in and was most surprised when my ds joined in up to 10! (I hadn't even thought about teaching him numbers!) He is now in with the pre-schoolers and seems very happy there. I think he probably does more creative things at nursery than he would do at home, and having some adult time (and some money) isn't all bad.

Good luck with the interview and choosing your nursery!

Just out of interest can I ask why you decided against a childminder? (personal research.. just become one!)

Just wanted to say Ds's nursery is fab, he loves doing all the activities and playing with his friends and sometimes doesn't want to come home. His language, and behaviour have improved immeasurably since he started and also his confidence.

BTW he started at 2.

ds goes 5 afternoons a week. I work FT though (DH is a WAHD in mornings).
He started at about 6 months old.
He loves it. I think benefits include language and social skills.

My DS is nearly 20 months and started nursery two months ago. He is only going two mornings a week, just to get him used to spending time away from me as we have twins coming in Jan/Feb and he is used to having me all to himself. Am hoping to make it three mornings a week by Jan.

He loves it, he seems a happier chap since going, is more friendly and outgoing with other children (he has always been friendly, but more with adults), and seems to be coming on in leaps and bounds. I would never have sent him at this age if the twins weren't coming as I am a SAHM, but would have done if I was working.

We were very lucky as only moved here two days before he started nursery, and knew no-one in the area, and happened to get lucky as his nursery is lovely and he is very keen on the two girls that are his main carers. If you find the right nursery and are happy with it I am sure DD2 will be ok.

Good luck with the interview .

Also agree with Tig that it seems to have helped DS with his speech, although obviously that might just be the age he is at.

He is also getting more independent at feeding himself etc, as they do less for him there than I do at home (not that they neglect him I hasten to add!).

He is always pleased to see me and comes running over shouting "Mummmyyyyyyy" when I collect him, so he doesn't seem to think I have abandoned him. In theory he is there from 8am til 1pm although it is actually less as I don't usually get him there til 9am.

DS is 18m and has been going to nursery full-time since he was 7m old. The nursery he is in at the moment is the second one he's been to (we moved house when he was 14m) and both of them have been fantastic. He's a very socialable, confident child. His language skills are fantastic, he loves the other kids and the staff and is really happy there. He does a lot more creative things than he would do were I at home. Sometimes it is hard. Some days he cries when we drop him off, but he's alwasy stopped by the time we get to the front door. Sometimes he's crying when I arrive to collect him, but that's usually when I'm late and he's one of the last kids left. TBH even if I wasn't working I'd still want him to go some of the time. I think it's been really good for him.

As for turning up unannounced, it's difficuly because they do have their set routines, for e.g. if you turn up during lunchtime they are likely to be too busy to show you around. If you turn up at a good time of day (say around 14:00) though they should be able to show you around without an appointment.

Look for happy confident children and carers who are relaxed and loving with them.

Then look at all the paperwork to make sure everything else (policies, etc) is in order.

Ask about staff turnover (the lower the better)

You wanted positive stories so - DS was in full time nursery from 4mths old. He had a few phases when he wasn't happy, but they were short and usually associated with moving groups (and therefore carers). Apart from these brief episodes, he was happy to go and happy to come home again. He is now almost 5 and in Year 1 (got moved into reception last September after a week in the nursery class at new school after we moved) - so I think it is safe to say that nursery did not impede his development

BTW - work now if you possibly can - IMO they need you more when they start school!

Both my dcs go to nursery 2 days a week while I work.
Ds stated at 5 months. He has never once cried when we drop him off. He is now 3 and asks to go on the days he stays at home with me!
dd started at 7 months. She also has never cired when we drop her off. They both seem to love it there and it gives them a range of toys to play with and lots of potential to make friends. Ds is very attached to his key worker but the staff do change rooms quite often which is good because otherwise I would worry he'd be heart broken when he leaves for school next year.

my twins have been at nursery FT since they were 5 months old - I too had no choice, but if I am brutally honest I couldn't wait for someone else to take over I was exhausted and needed a break.

I am not sure how i would have been if the boys hadn't started til they were two, as they are very much more aware of things now (they are 3 in december), but you should be able to explain to your DD that its gonna be fun and she will have nice ladies looking after her and that mummy will come get her later on.

mine only started to try their luck recently with the 'i don't want to go mummy', but they are fine once I have left. I am very lucky with this nursery, its quite small compared to their first one, only 50 kids, and it's a family home (the family live upstairs), its in a woodland setting and they are outside nearly every day. Edward can now ride a proper bike (with stabilisers) and even does tricks like no handed and standing up on the pedals - things I have no doubt he would never have done if he'd been home with me.

I have no regrets and am eternally grateful for everything their teachers have done for them.

Sorry, me again. Just read your OP properly... I only looked at this one nursery as we were on a two day visit to the area and never managed to get any more appts. They do only do appts to show people round, no impromptu visits (or so they say). Luckily I liked it immediately, and it is within 5 mins walk from our house so it seemed perfect.

I mainly based it on gut feeling to be honest. I warmed to all the staff I met immediately, the children there looked happy (looked at one in London before we moved and the kids looked miserable, moping around and didn't look entertained).

Other things that I am happy about are they feed them a proper hot meal for lunch, there is a large outside area for play as well as inside, they learn through play, they have good security, it is clean and all the toys look in good condition. Mainly they seem genuinely happy to see DS when I drop him off (he does cry whenever I leave but as others have said it is momentary and he has stopped before i have even left).

Sorry, rambling on.

Finally, about settling in. Obviously your DD may have more settling in than my DS as she would be going for longer, but we had two settling in sessions. First one I took him at 10:30, stayed about 15 mins chatting to staff while he played, then left him for 30 mins and collected him. Second time I took him at 9:30, left after a few mins and collected him at 11. He then started the following week and I left him at 8:30ish and collected him at 12:30ish.

This one is open 51 weeks a year (closed one week at Christmas), and also very flexible if you want to leave your child for an extra half day / day etc (ie when I go for hospital appts and it is easier to go child-free). The only time he has looked a bit red faced and puffy eyed when I collected him is when I left him from 9am to 5:30pm once and he was apparently a bit upset for the last half hour, probably wondering if I was ever coming back .

DS has been at nursery FT since he was 4.5 months old, and is now 16 months - he adores it, and is incredibly happy and sociable.
You have a gut feeling for places (we have done it twice as we've just relocated) as to whether the children are loved and stimulated - its hard to quantify until you've been somewhere bad, but you just know.
It's best to make an appointment as otherwise they may not have the staff to show you round properly at that time

my baby went in FT nursery 6month, is v happy, loves it. the structured activity and other wee ones all fabby.

do some settling in sessions
talk to other mums
ask to observe some of the activities

think of all the positives socialising
structured activity
confidence
you make bit money

i chose nurser as the majority of staff are NNEB trained, and choose to work in nursery setting. nursery offer a career path, eg room manager, manager.

i preferred that to the other options eg nanny or child minder. personal preference

chin up - as u will (inevitably) encounter folks who do not favour nursery and just can not wait to tell you why and share anecdotal storiesbut the vast majority of nurseries are reputable and good

finally look at ofsted site to help u chose
Look at how to chose a nursery"

"Look at Ofsted nursery reports"

good luck

i put my son with a childminder.i was really freeting becuase he had only been at home with me so i thought that the transition of going into a big nursery would be too much change for him.he goes to a lovely lady and she only looks after 2 other children at her home,so he has a home enviroment.it took him a couple of weeks to settle in and he loves going to hers now.

My DD went to day nursery from 21 weeks. She went two days a week initially, and 2.5 days in the year before school (her choice). She went to the first one from then until she was 2y3m, and then - due to my work place changing - she went to a different one from 2y5m to 4y5m (when due to start school).

I chose both on gut instinct. I did call ahead to arrange a visit to make sure I missed difficult times for the nursery - dinner time, nap time, etc. as I didn't want to be taking up time and attention at those important times. For exach nursery. I spoke with the manager, I walked round the nursery rooms, watched the children playing and chatted to the nursery staff.

Both times I only looked at two nurseries, and I just knew which nursery was the one that was right.

We had no settling issues either time. DD was too little to know any different really the first time, but there was no crying or upset (just from me ) from DD, and she quickly got into their routine and loved her time there.

The second time we did one settling in session and that was all DD needed. She didn't want to leave during that first one hour visit, she loved it so much.

We never had a single day where DD was upset or unsettled. DD loved her two nurseries, and they were the best decisions we made for her (along with hcoosing her school) - very happy with our choices both times.

I would strongly recommend nurseries for littles ones - from my experience anyway.

Forgot to say, we walk past DS's nursery most days as it is on the way to the shops etc, and he always wants to go in on the days he is not attending. Makes me feel happy that he is clearly enjoying it.

Thanks, thanks, thanks for all the messages. You've made me feel so much better I really do think she could do with the social interaction and stimulation a nursery will bring I'm just so scared of letting go I suppose.

I've chosen nursery over a childminder as I like the idea of her having lots of children to play with and would be more nervous about her being in the care of just one person. I know there are loads of excellent childminders around though.

I'm feeling a bit better about my interview now and will actually be quite looking forward to returning to the adult world (if they want me) once I've found a nursery I'm happy with.

good luck with interview tomoerrow.get a good sleep

good luck looking for nursery place

DS started earlier than yours, but he settled like a dream, although we've had a week or so's disruption each time he's moved rooms (they do it very gradually, but for some reason the first week that they are 100% in the new room they all seem to get a bit tearful). The only trouble is getting him to leave at the end of the day!

He loves the carers there and they seems really genuinely attached to him -- lots of kisses and cuddles. And there's a strong attachment between him and the other children he's moved up with. We were on holiday for a few days this summer and his first day back he was surrounded by small children all trying to hug various bits of him while he took his coat off.

He gets a lot of stimulation -- there's a big garden with proper play equipment and rabbits and chickens (we live in a flat with a small roof terrace), and they are all growing their own sunflowers, and they sing a whole host of songs (he loves singing) and do dancing and drama, and there are far more books than we have at home. And he learns table manners and consideration for others and tidying up after himself.

Best of luck with the interview!

M2Cherubs
Don't worry - but easier said than done.

My DS went to a nursery when he was 8m old. I dreaded it and was very apprehensive to start with. But he LOVED it. The stimulation and care he received was excellent.

In fact, I have just had a 2nd DC and DS no longer goes to the nursery and it was sad (he was just 2 when he left end of July). I did receive a fantastic book of art he had done over the months and his "progress report" with photos and everything. Great stuff for my memory box for him.

And he really knows how to interact with other children.

Good luck at the job i/v.

my DS's nursery is fab
they have had an outstanding OFSTED report
they have a low staff turnover
the range of activites is great and he is happy
he has a great vocabulary, good motor skills and concentration (at 16 months) and I think nursery have had a lot to do with this

go on your gut instincts - turn up unannounced and make a time for a more formal visit and you will get a good feel for the place

good luck with your interview as well

My DS (16months) loves nursery - he runs in in the morning and hugs the staff. Then in the evening when I pick him up, he comes running to me with a big grin shouting 'Mama!' and saying 'Bye Bye' to each of his friends in turn ('Bye Bye Eyal', 'Bye Bye Romy', etc etc ad infinitum, it's like the Waltons!). It's been wonderful for him. We went completely on instinct choosing the place, we just had a good feeling about it, and he's been there since he was 5 months, very happy all along. It has a very low staff turnover (some people there more than 10 years!), big outdoor play area, and just a really lovely attitude to the kids. It's hard being a working mother, tbh, but dropping DS at nursery at least always feels like a good moment in the day because he's so happy.

My younger two kids went to a fantastic nursery. Tbh, because I was paying two lots of nursery fees, I didn't make much money at all from working, but it was really a case of working to pay for such a fabulous nursery IYSWIM. They had a really good range of structured activities, plenty of less structured time for playing, a wonderful garden with 'nature' area and small pets, a good home cooked lunch with organic ingredients... the list goes on! Best of all, they learned to interact really well with other children. I'm sure their language skills developed more quickly because of nursery.
Bear in mind that there will always be a small minority who will want to prove you wrong with your decision ( maybe they're jealous cos they see what a good deal your child is getting??) but you'll quickly learn to ignore them!

well, went for the interview yesterday and got a phonecall today to offer me the job I'm very excited to be going back to work and have started the nursery hunt. My dd1 is four and has just started school so I'm looking for a nursery that will also accommodate her in the holidays. I've got an appointment tomorrow to see two that are nearby so i'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll walk into one of those and just 'know' it's right for my lo's. Thanks everyone for the positive stories!