Does your little one become eligible for funded childcare in the New Year?

If you’ve yet to send them to nursery or preschool, you may be considering utilising the funding offered and sending them for the first time! However, it’s perfectly normal to feel apprehensive, especially if you’ve no prior experience when it comes to all things childcare… There’s so many things to consider (read our guide on questions to ask here), and it can be a tad overwhelming. Not sure if you’re eligible? You can find out here.

Luckily, the parents in our community are here to help, with some great insight on how to make sending your child to any setting, be it a child minder, nursery or preschool, less scary. There’s also some fab points about the benefits of sending your child, too!

Katy Davies: Choose the setting that suits your child. You may not agree with everything they do but it’s your child that is going so if they are happy that is usually a good indication that it is a nice setting. Make sure you communicate with the staff, they are there to help and can be a massive support.

Aimee O’Connell: Don’t just settle with the first childcare setting, even if you know 1 person is happy make sure you meet staff and see how they interact with your child and the other children in the setting, what’s right for one person isn’t right for someone else.

Erin Baillie: Find a nursery that suits you… I put my son into one, I loved it when we visited… but every time I left him – he wasn’t there for more than an hour – they phoned me every time he was upset. It didn’t work for us… we moved him and within a week he knew everyone’s names and has little friend. I think the first nursery was too busy for him as there was 20 kids or more at a time… his new class has 8 so much better for him feeling safe when leaving me as he doesn’t much.

Laura AmeliaIvy: As a Reception teacher I find that children settle into school much faster when they have been in an educational settling beforehand. Children that have been used to being with their parents 24/7 find it very hard to transition into full time education

Leanne Steele: It helps them so much with their development, best thing to do, only thing I would say is don’t hang around when you drop them off and they cry

Lauren Stenhouse: I would say do it. I was worried when I put my son into nursery at 9 months old but it has brought him on in a lot of ways.

Morgan Kidd: My sons been going to nursery since he was 9 months old and it has made him come on so much I think it also helped with potty training cause he seen others going so he just started himself

Chelsea Sprought: I put my son in from when he was 2.5, he used to be really shy and only talk or cling on to mummy and daddy. He’s now 3 next month and he’s come on so much! He’s independent, joins in activities and everything. He absolutely loves it.

Natasha Cairns: Both of mine went to a childminder from 3 months old because I didn’t have the option of taking full maternity, they’re now 2 and 8 months and have just enrolled in a private nursery and they both adore it!

We hope that this real insight has helped you to feel less anxious about the prospect of sending your little one into childcare – it’s so worth it, for them and for you. There are ways to help even the most attached little one, and the perfect setting for you is out there.

Love from Katie & Team BBY. Xx