is mornings or afternoons better at nursery?

[croquet]

If DC is doing half days, which do you think is better?

[Mrswellyboot]

I would go for mornings. It will get you up and organised and the children are fresh so they probably organise more activities. This is what I will choose.

It leaves the rest of the afternoon and evening free if you want to do anything.

[Ragwort]

I preferred mornings - my DS would come home and sleep for 2-3 hours every afternoon and still go to bed at 7pm. On a few occasions he actually slept right from 2pm to 7am the next morning .

[LongTailedTit]

I think mornings too, up and straight to nursery is easier for small heads to handle than a morning and lunch of other things then nursery.

[RoganJosh]

Depends when they nap for us. We always preferred mornings.

[secretsofsanta]

Mornings.

[MissMilbanke]

I preferred mornings.

Meant you could do something in the afternoon if you wanted to and you wouldn't be constantly clock watching.

[Mrswellyboot]

Ragwort

[croquet]

Thanks everyone - very good points and also that the nursery staff will be fresh, the place will be clean etc.

[croquet]

p.s. for the person whose DC slept from 2pm til 7am! Wowzers

[FastWindow]

My nursery offered only mornings or afternoons so we stayed at preschool for another year (Ds started preschool at 2.3) because they offered a total mix. So he does two mornings, one afternoon, one full day, and one day off. I'm hoping this will teach him that you do have to get up in the morning, and prepare him for when school is all full days come September.

If I only had your choice I would also go mornings, though.

[Artandco]

Mornings. Then if they are tired after lunch they can nap or have quiet afternoon, if not you can go out

If you do afternoons you end up wasting a morning as don't want to make them too tired as they can't rest or nap later

[Beamur]

We did mornings too. Two days a week.
DP usually collected her, took her home, she played a bit then usually conked out most of the afternoon! He'd do some work, then DD was usually awake by the time I got home from work, so I got to see a rested happy baby until bedtime.

[croquet]

lovely! Ours only offer 5x mornings or 5x afternoons. I wish they offered a mix. I'll have to look into the pre-schools too (or is that just America?)

[MyNameIsKenAdams]

I would prefer mornings, however I tend to work afternoon/evening shifts so will choose afternoons for dd for next year, so that we can have.mornings together.

She is also currently in the process of.dropping her naps so prpbably wont need an afternoon nap. Better to keep the places for those who may need the afternoon to nap.

[YesAnastasia]

My DS1 got an afternoon place at nursery. The mornings were a write off because I felt there was no time to get into anything, lunch was a rushed affair and I tended to keep him in pjs until lunch was finished to keep his uniform clean. The DS would be so tired, his behaviour was terrible and the bedtime routine was up the wall.

I'd say mornings are better

[Beamur]

DD went to a private nursery until she was 3 and then the to nursery (or pre-school) attached to the school she now attends. By the time she was at the school nursery she was doing 3 full days. Our school nursery is pretty flexible now, but did used to insist on either 5 morning or afternoons a week (which is why the more flexible school nursery 2 miles away was full and theirs was not!).
Locally to me, most places minimum attendance is 2 sessions (i.e 2 am or pm, or one full day a week)

[Purplehonesty]

We did afternoons. Ds hates rushing in the morning so we had lots of lazy mornings and pj time eating breakfast and watching tv until we got out and did something like a toddler group at 10.
Then nursery, home, tea bath bed.
It worked for us and I kind of felt like we would have years of being up and rushing for school so why not have a relaxing couple of years first!
Plus I had just had dd and so I didn't want to be waking her to get to nursery for 9. Oh the days when she slept til 10 every day....

[drspouse]

Everyone wants mornings - you may find that this means they aren't available!

I have two colleagues who have not managed to get the days they want at our workplace nursery, partly because everyone wants mornings - annoyingly for me they both have partners or grandparents who can fill in the care and my manager keeps asking why I can't then work extra days/hours when I don't have childcare.

[TheNightIsDark]

Mornings. Less tired, staff are more active and involved and starts the habit of getting up and ready in the mornings for them which is useful come school!

[croquet]

Grr I never understand why they run workplace nurseries under capacity! It should be that everyone can get their desired place.

[lljkk]

I hugely preferred afternoons, less running around getting ready first thing which I'm not good at.

[TheNightIsDark]

Because that way they don't have to shut if a staff member calls in sick!

[croquet]

Ah ok. But what I meant is why don't they make it big enough so any employee can get the hours they want? It seems crazy to me that there's waiting lists for workplace nurseries.

They don't make it easy for the working mum do they?

[lljkk]

It means larger premises used for half the time, too expensive.

[drspouse]

croquet it gets better, I didn't get the days I needed when I went back to work because they lost my application (they claim they didn't).

They don't publicise the 2 week annual application period at all, and their opening hours mean that crucial timetabled work events are outside their opening hours (my manager is also moaning his socks off because I can't do anything between 5.30 and 6, sorry, but I cannot just leave DS in nursery then much as I'd like to leave him on his own for half an hour in a dark building.)

It's also closed for a week and a half beyond the full workplace closure (half a week at Christmas and a week at Easter) and you have to take your child out for 2 weeks in July or August for staff holidays. I just get enough holiday to cover these, but only just. I'm going to have to take unpaid parental leave to get a family holiday this year because we can't take it during these times because of DH's work.