SAHM - Do you send your LO to childcare, when do you start, how often and why?

I personally won’t send my boy till he’s 3, think that’s when funding comes in for all children, but I will have another little boy at home (due in December). The main reason is for him to socialise in the nursery hopefully that he’ll go to school to. If I could afford for him to do even just one day a week now I would but we really can’t x

We started him at 9 months. I just think they start to require so much stimulation and it’s just way more than I think anyone can give without feeling completely burnt out 😮‍💨 Also to get his social and developmental skills up and it’s definitely helped in these areas

@Becky I'm sending my girl to nursery at 18 months for the reason of socialising as well.

@Amelia how often does he go?

at 3 yo I hate nursery I have years of experience in nursery's from bith till 5 yo n the atmosphere is terrible n a pay for ur kids to be constantly ill or get hurt by other kids

She started nursery when she turned 1, she only goes 2 mornings a week. It’s been great for her confidence and social skills. We wanted her to mix with other kids her age as she’s not got any siblings. It also gives me time to clean the house or take the dog for an extra long walk. I am also just starting to pick up little bits of work (I’m freelance) so I can WFH on those mornings. I do plan on going back to work, so wanted her to be familiar with the nursery before spending more time there.

@Laurisa i know some studies say it's bad for children to go to nurseries, it's a big trauma for them to leave their carer for so long. So I'm struggling to find a balance between that and give her a chance to learn to socialise with others.

We’ve just started sending our 1 year old to nursery twice a week. You get gov funding if you’re a working parent after your LO turns 9 months of age (15 hours for free). Definitely worth looking into if your want to explore childcare options. Also, check out tax free childcare.. for every £8 you spend on childcare, the gov pay in £2 Hope this helps

@Zoë thanks. But I thought the 15 hours are only for both working parents?

@Ting https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working