Did you keep your child in childcare while you were on mat leave?

**Annie Goolahey** · 28-10-2008, 02:47pm

The issue isn't there of a place being kept open. She'll be taking Joseph and the new baby when I go back to work, but come the end of June (school holidays) and the baby will be 3 months old so hopefully settled in a routine, I will want him home with me. (And financially, yadda yadda).
I think I need to talk to her about what she has been expecting etc.
He'll obviously still have school etc during that time.

**katkinn** · 28-10-2008, 03:02pm

I'm confused as I thought he was at school

So surely you'd have all that time without him anyway?

Each to their own and I know lots of working women who keep their children at childcare whilst they're on Mat leave with their 2nd - it does keep their places open and the kids are used to it and not so used to extensive time at home with just mum (let alone throwing a newborn into the mix as well!)

Personally with my first I left her in for 3 weeks and then took her out and had both of them at home with me. BUT she was (with hindsight

) a very good toddler.

Second time round, H is at preschool for 2 days and one morning a week so I have the remainder with all 3 of them. M has done 2 days preschool and from next week will also go 2 days.

I have to say, it was, and is, as important for me for them to have time with each other and get used to being together as siblings. If J is at school full time then I would personally take advantage of the time on your own with the baby but then have time all of you together.

But different things work for different families and different children.

**Annie Goolahey** · 28-10-2008, 03:06pm

Yes, Katkinn he is at school but in childcare after school hours (so from 2.30pm to 5pm four days a week).
So it is a limited time and I would have time with the baby - but in the first few weeks wouldn't like to have to get to school etc to schedule.

After that, ideally, I'd like him home. And I totally get your point about them having time together as siblings. Joseph is already saying he wants lots of "Mummy, Joseph and baby time".

**RealGoneKid** · 28-10-2008, 04:31pm

I've kept E's full time nursery place. I wanted to reduce her hours but our nursery is fantastic, very small and hideously over-subscribed so if I'd reduced her hours I wouldn't have got the full time place back again when I go back to work. She doesn't go full-time and usually only goes in for a short day or has at least one day off a week. She loves nursery and thrives on it and it gives me some time alone with W.

**Penfold** · 28-10-2008, 05:08pm

DD1 was at nursery until the month before I had DD2 - financially we couldn't afford to keep her in any longer (I'd already had 2 months off to myself

) Then when DD2 was 3 weeks old, DD1 started playschool 2 mornings, then 3 mornings a week. SO I did have a couple of mornings a week just me and DD2 but tbh she slept through most of it

**Monkey Chops** · 28-10-2008, 06:06pm

We're keeping Jack in nursery - it's free anyway and he's really thriving since he went so we don't want to take him out. Also it took us 2 years to get his place so we don't want to lose it. We have the house on the market so we can move nearer and I can pick him up but to start with, he'll be with MIL 5 days while DH is working. I don't really want to miss out on that much time with him so we will probably change it to 3 once we know what's happening with the house etc.

**Annie Goolahey** · 28-10-2008, 07:51pm

I've spoken to my CM and as of end of next June (if not earlier, finances etc etc) she won't be having him.

TBH much as I feel bad in a way, I can't wait to be a SAHM for at least a few months.

**lucypede** · 28-10-2008, 07:53pm

Yes, we did for two days a week in the first few weeks then cut down to one morning a week when we changed the CM.

It was a godsend

**Rez** · 28-10-2008, 07:58pm

I did

It's probably less of an issue for you as J is starting school but I would have had to pull Isobel out only to have to put her back in 4 days a week. Not only would that have been confusing and not fair on her, we would have lost our place.

Obviously it's up to you but if you can afford it, I would say keep him in. It will help him keep some sense of normality at what will be a time of upheaval for him as much as you.

**myzzterri** · 29-10-2008, 08:54am

yep - in fact dh is just taking 2 of ours to nursery now (extremely late......)

we figured that to disrupt the routine by taking them out of an environment which they love would cause problems with them accepting the baby, so even though it's an added expense, that's what we do....