Any other expectant Dads?
Discussion
Smitters said:
Just my 2p, but I've always felt in favour of a nursery environment. The collaboration and social aspects for kids is massively important and the better ones have a proper pre-school set-up, so although it's always a learning environment, it becomes more formal, making the transition to Reception class that much less stressful. We even referred to ours as "school" right from the off, so it wasn't about going to A School (big, scary, unknown) as much as going to a new school.
Yes they get ill, but that's life and besides, it's often good to get some stuff like chickenpox out of the way. It is a ballache when they send the kid home though. Ours has a strict policy on vomiting - if they're sick, they go home and stay home for the next two days. Good if it's a Friday afternoon, annoying and expensive if it's 10am on a Wednesday morning and you end up paying £150 for 90 minutes of care, not three days...
Agree, we've always felt similar. Once they're past like 2.5 years or so then for us it needs to switch to preparing them for what school will be like, and all about gradual transitions. They've also really helped support us in the things we've been trying to get ours to learn, and vice versa. Works really well. That said the eldest has just gone into the pre-school room this week and had a total meltdown this morning, but that's all because it's quite new, and she is a bit shy which breaks my heart really as that's what i was like as a kid (and still battle against as an adult). Still that underlines the point of it really, there will be wobbles but nothing major major. Yes they get ill, but that's life and besides, it's often good to get some stuff like chickenpox out of the way. It is a ballache when they send the kid home though. Ours has a strict policy on vomiting - if they're sick, they go home and stay home for the next two days. Good if it's a Friday afternoon, annoying and expensive if it's 10am on a Wednesday morning and you end up paying £150 for 90 minutes of care, not three days...
Without really ever having looked into it, I've always assumed childminders were more like an enhanced babysitting service. I know they are not really allowed to be these days, and they have a curriculum and so on... but no one is really checking i don't think. I have seen what looked like a childminder in a coffee shop just on their phone and letting kids run around... i know this isn't the norm but the whole thing just feels a lot less regulated, to me. I am sure there are fantastic ones and people will have personal experience to the contrary of my assumptions, which is fine.
Anyone considering either route, go and visit a good few examples... there are good ones and bad ones of both.
Blown2CV said:
Sambucket said:
Is child minding a serious alternative to nursery if you are super flexible with working hours? They take about 4 kids right? Is it a bit less risky and draconian?
just different personal preferences i think. Some people like it because they feel their kid gets more personal contact and attention. Some people like nursery because they feel it will do their child good to not have it be all about them all the time... Nurseries are more like businesses and consequently you might feel this is a greater assurance of quality, or some others might feel this is more the case with child minders i guess. Likewise some nurseries are quite sterile business with the owner not heavily involved. Others are run by an owner with a passion for child development, play, etc and are both managers, great "teachers" and heavily involved day to day. There will be more socialisation than a childminder.
Upside of nurseries is they also normally have "bank staff" who can fill in gaps for absences, holidays, etc so you are rarely stuck without a place for your child.
A foundation/reception teacher told me that they can generally spot very quickly which children have been to nursery, which were childminders and who was at home. Behaviours, collaborative play, social confidence, etc
vaud said:
rastapasta said:
awaiting no.3. this will be our last. MPV on order. anyone else remarked about the size of the child seats as opposed to the seats in the car?? there is barely any middle seat left in either of our current cars.
Many cars won't fit three cars seats across the back.Randomly my powerfully built self could fit snuggly but decently between two seats in a Verso, and we have 3 isofix points in the middle of the middle row in the S-Max, and it takes an adult happily between a Joie Spin 360 and a Silver Cross baby seat thing. (Granny does not need the isofix I admit)
vaud said:
rastapasta said:
awaiting no.3. this will be our last. MPV on order. anyone else remarked about the size of the child seats as opposed to the seats in the car?? there is barely any middle seat left in either of our current cars.
Many cars won't fit three cars seats across the back.https://www.multimac.com/home
SpeckledJim said:
I think nursery is useful in helping kids come to the horrible but important realisation that everyone else in the world isn't just an extra in the biopic of their life.
Bloody expensive, mind.
This was our thinking when we chose to send our daughter, we are planning on her being an only child, so felt it important to start socialising with other kids as soon as possible.Bloody expensive, mind.
Our nursery fees are going up 7% in April, she only goes two days a week, but it's still a decent hike in costs, almost makes more sense financially for mum to leave her part time job and quit nursery, but it's good for both of them to have time apart, and for her to feel like a contributing adult rather than a walking milk machine.
Gary29 said:
SpeckledJim said:
I think nursery is useful in helping kids come to the horrible but important realisation that everyone else in the world isn't just an extra in the biopic of their life.
Bloody expensive, mind.
This was our thinking when we chose to send our daughter, we are planning on her being an only child, so felt it important to start socialising with other kids as soon as possible.Bloody expensive, mind.
Our nursery fees are going up 7% in April, she only goes two days a week, but it's still a decent hike in costs, almost makes more sense financially for mum to leave her part time job and quit nursery, but it's good for both of them to have time apart, and for her to feel like a contributing adult rather than a walking milk machine.
Blown2CV said:
Agree, we've always felt similar. Once they're past like 2.5 years or so then for us it needs to switch to preparing them for what school will be like, and all about gradual transitions. They've also really helped support us in the things we've been trying to get ours to learn, and vice versa. Works really well. That said the eldest has just gone into the pre-school room this week and had a total meltdown this morning, but that's all because it's quite new, and she is a bit shy which breaks my heart really as that's what i was like as a kid (and still battle against as an adult). Still that underlines the point of it really, there will be wobbles but nothing major major.
Without really ever having looked into it, I've always assumed childminders were more like an enhanced babysitting service. I know they are not really allowed to be these days, and they have a curriculum and so on... but no one is really checking i don't think. I have seen what looked like a childminder in a coffee shop just on their phone and letting kids run around... i know this isn't the norm but the whole thing just feels a lot less regulated, to me. I am sure there are fantastic ones and people will have personal experience to the contrary of my assumptions, which is fine.
Anyone considering either route, go and visit a good few examples... there are good ones and bad ones of both.
There are things to check with childminders, we use one because she is more flexible than the nursery options we could have chosen, which suits our needs. But when she makes it to 3 we'll transition to nursery school instead, but at 2 years old, the important thing for us is that she is with someone trustworthy. There's a local scheme around here that many of the childminders have signed up to which gives you some assurance in cases of emergency, and she was more than happy to show us all her certificates and stuff from Ofsted. This, because we've seen what some childminders do and its not what we want. Without really ever having looked into it, I've always assumed childminders were more like an enhanced babysitting service. I know they are not really allowed to be these days, and they have a curriculum and so on... but no one is really checking i don't think. I have seen what looked like a childminder in a coffee shop just on their phone and letting kids run around... i know this isn't the norm but the whole thing just feels a lot less regulated, to me. I am sure there are fantastic ones and people will have personal experience to the contrary of my assumptions, which is fine.
Anyone considering either route, go and visit a good few examples... there are good ones and bad ones of both.
Shakermaker said:
Blown2CV said:
Agree, we've always felt similar. Once they're past like 2.5 years or so then for us it needs to switch to preparing them for what school will be like, and all about gradual transitions. They've also really helped support us in the things we've been trying to get ours to learn, and vice versa. Works really well. That said the eldest has just gone into the pre-school room this week and had a total meltdown this morning, but that's all because it's quite new, and she is a bit shy which breaks my heart really as that's what i was like as a kid (and still battle against as an adult). Still that underlines the point of it really, there will be wobbles but nothing major major.
Without really ever having looked into it, I've always assumed childminders were more like an enhanced babysitting service. I know they are not really allowed to be these days, and they have a curriculum and so on... but no one is really checking i don't think. I have seen what looked like a childminder in a coffee shop just on their phone and letting kids run around... i know this isn't the norm but the whole thing just feels a lot less regulated, to me. I am sure there are fantastic ones and people will have personal experience to the contrary of my assumptions, which is fine.
Anyone considering either route, go and visit a good few examples... there are good ones and bad ones of both.
There are things to check with childminders, we use one because she is more flexible than the nursery options we could have chosen, which suits our needs. But when she makes it to 3 we'll transition to nursery school instead, but at 2 years old, the important thing for us is that she is with someone trustworthy. There's a local scheme around here that many of the childminders have signed up to which gives you some assurance in cases of emergency, and she was more than happy to show us all her certificates and stuff from Ofsted. This, because we've seen what some childminders do and its not what we want. Without really ever having looked into it, I've always assumed childminders were more like an enhanced babysitting service. I know they are not really allowed to be these days, and they have a curriculum and so on... but no one is really checking i don't think. I have seen what looked like a childminder in a coffee shop just on their phone and letting kids run around... i know this isn't the norm but the whole thing just feels a lot less regulated, to me. I am sure there are fantastic ones and people will have personal experience to the contrary of my assumptions, which is fine.
Anyone considering either route, go and visit a good few examples... there are good ones and bad ones of both.
Nursery was / is great for our little s
ts. You can definitely tell the kids who have been to them as opposed to those who haven't, especially from a social / independence angle.
Plus with girls it allows them to develop their evil mind games from a much earlier age, preparing them for the school jungle.
ts. You can definitely tell the kids who have been to them as opposed to those who haven't, especially from a social / independence angle.Plus with girls it allows them to develop their evil mind games from a much earlier age, preparing them for the school jungle.
Gary29 said:
This was our thinking when we chose to send our daughter, we are planning on her being an only child, so felt it important to start socialising with other kids as soon as possible.
Our nursery fees are going up 7% in April, she only goes two days a week, but it's still a decent hike in costs, almost makes more sense financially for mum to leave her part time job and quit nursery, but it's good for both of them to have time apart, and for her to feel like a contributing adult rather than a walking milk machine.
7%? That’s extortionate! We haven’t increased our fees for 5 years. Our nursery fees are going up 7% in April, she only goes two days a week, but it's still a decent hike in costs, almost makes more sense financially for mum to leave her part time job and quit nursery, but it's good for both of them to have time apart, and for her to feel like a contributing adult rather than a walking milk machine.
vaud said:
BoRED S2upid said:
7%? That’s extortionate! We haven’t increased our fees for 5 years.
Genuine and off-thread question - how do you manage to do that? Given inflation must drive up some costs? 
you don’t have to be greedy but it is a licence to print money for some places. BoRED S2upid said:
Gary29 said:
This was our thinking when we chose to send our daughter, we are planning on her being an only child, so felt it important to start socialising with other kids as soon as possible.
Our nursery fees are going up 7% in April, she only goes two days a week, but it's still a decent hike in costs, almost makes more sense financially for mum to leave her part time job and quit nursery, but it's good for both of them to have time apart, and for her to feel like a contributing adult rather than a walking milk machine.
7%? That’s extortionate! We haven’t increased our fees for 5 years. Our nursery fees are going up 7% in April, she only goes two days a week, but it's still a decent hike in costs, almost makes more sense financially for mum to leave her part time job and quit nursery, but it's good for both of them to have time apart, and for her to feel like a contributing adult rather than a walking milk machine.
CharlieH89 said:
My daughter is 1 on Friday.
The time has flew!
Enjoy new dads
Happy birthday wee one The time has flew!
Enjoy new dads
Ours is 6 months old a week on Sunday. Similarly, it's flown in*.
- I'll caveat that with her only being 3 months old corrected, because she was 3 months early and spent 10 weeks in ICU/SCBU. Those 10 weeks were a daze.
HarryFlatters said:
CharlieH89 said:
My daughter is 1 on Friday.
The time has flew!
Enjoy new dads
Happy birthday wee one The time has flew!
Enjoy new dads
Ours is 6 months old a week on Sunday. Similarly, it's flown in*.
- I'll caveat that with her only being 3 months old corrected, because she was 3 months early and spent 10 weeks in ICU/SCBU. Those 10 weeks were a daze.
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