Post by urbancowgirl on Jan 26, 2015 14:07:04 GMT -5
Can I get some advice? I'm enrolling DS in a MDO program for the fall. He turns 2 in July. I need to decide whether he will attend 3 half days (8:30 to 11:30) or 2 full days (8:30 to 2:30) per week. Initially I wanted to do full days because I feel like I'll be able to get more done since he'll be gone 6 hours versus 3. But now I'm questioning whether half days would be better because his naps would stay consistent (i.e., he'll nap at home every day instead of napping at MDO twice a week). He's a great napper and I don't want to mess with a good thing! Are there any other factors to consider? The cost is about the same for either schedule. WWYD?
I think you'll get more out of the half days, because you just come home for lunch and then it's nap. His day is taken care of for 8:30 - end of nap that way.
DD goes to 1 year old preschool right now just 1 day a week, but next year we are increasing to 2 days. She goes from 9:30-2:30 and naps there from about 1-2:30. At home, she naps a lot longer than that, but I also wanted her to get used to falling asleep other places, so it works well for me. Next year, she will go the 2 days from 9:30-2:30 as well. I figure all the other days of the week she gets in her longer nap, so it's not a big deal to mess it up those days. It's also nice to have that big chunk of time to myself those days. I go out to lunch with friends a lot, where I wouldn't be able to do that if she was home napping.
Post by ilikedonuts on Jan 26, 2015 14:15:40 GMT -5
Half day
If he naps at home, you can still get stuff done at home. I personally would hate to pay for my kid to eat lunch and nap somewhere when they can do that easily at home.
I'd do half days. Has he been away from you before? If not, then I'd definitely do half days. My kid is having a rough time adjusting to his half day schedule, no way could I jump right into a full day schedule. And why pay them to serve lunch and watch your kid nap?
I'd do half days. Has he been away from you before? If not, then I'd definitely do half days. My kid is having a rough time adjusting to his half day schedule, no way could I jump right into a full day schedule. And why pay them to serve lunch and watch your kid nap?
He hasn't been away from me yet, other than at the gym for an hour or so. That's definitely something to consider.
The one I used only did full days so DD went one full day a week. I agree three hours will go by really quickly. I could get a lot done in six hours and still have some time to do nothing.
Right now my DD goes to a preschool three hours a day and I feel a little rushed with appointments. I always have to make them really early in the three hour block. Our city is really spread out so some things I want to do kid free on the opposite side of the city I don't feel like I have enough time to get there, leisurely do what I want and get back.
So my vote is for two full days but I think I'm in the minority!
Post by redpenmama on Jan 26, 2015 15:20:27 GMT -5
The nap would dictate it for me. Are you sure he'll nap well in that environment? Do you want the nap for yourself in the afternoons, or would you rather a longer stretch to get things done? There's absolutely no way my DD would have ever napped in that environment -- she was a horrendous sleeper -- so I sought out a morning preschool rather than a 9-2 MDO when she was 2.
We've always done mornings (9-12), and I like it. It's enough routine for her, and while 3 hours isn't a ton of time, I map out my mornings pretty well so that I get a few things accomplished each day, even with a 1-year-old in tow.
I would say half days. Well that's what we are doing with DD who will be 2 in August. Though I won't have a 6 hour block of time, I will have a coupl hours to do errands outside of the home, and then when she comes home and naps, I will have sometime to get stuff done at home. Best laid plans though.....
Just like it's actually easier for full-time (M-F) daycare kids to adjust than it is for kids who only go a couple days a week, being there longer can also help them adjust.
The 6 hours really does fly by, especially if the MDO is more than 5min from your house and you have to account for commute time. It also means that you can actually go out for lunch which is one of my favorite things to do.
Also, if you do mornings, you run the risk of falling asleep in the car and ruining naptime.
I agree with PP about paying for lunch and nap elsewhere. Now if we were talking about my dd who is sometimes difficult at meals and rarely takes a nap anymore then I would be more inclined to send for full days
Post by teatimefor2 on Jan 26, 2015 19:50:47 GMT -5
We do half days twice a week and we just added lunch. He's there from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm so we do nap and either a play date/park/activity/tv time following.
I like my mornings and he's an awesome napper. I don't mess with his naps as I want them to last as long as possible.
The nap would dictate it for me. Are you sure he'll nap well in that environment? Do you want the nap for yourself in the afternoons, or would you rather a longer stretch to get things done? There's absolutely no way my DD would have ever napped in that environment -- she was a horrendous sleeper -- so I sought out a morning preschool rather than a 9-2 MDO when she was 2.
We've always done mornings (9-12), and I like it. It's enough routine for her, and while 3 hours isn't a ton of time, I map out my mornings pretty well so that I get a few things accomplished each day, even with a 1-year-old in tow.
That's exactly the problem: I have no idea whether he'll nap there. Like I said, he's (typically) a great sleeper, but we're almost always home for nap time. My fear is that he won't nap at MDO and then he won't want to nap at home, either. But who knows, he might have completely different nap habits in 6 months.
I'm torn and I'm overthinking it. Those of you whose kids do a full day MDO, how are your LO's naps on non-MDO days? meijjena
Naps at school are guaranteed, naps at home happen 70% of the time. Naps at home might be longer but are later on the day so bedtime is better on school days. (Fwiw, she goes 9-4 m/w/f, we part for extended care so I can work pt)
My DD gave up naps when she turned two (but she would usually nap at MDO)
If I had been given the choice I think I would have chosen half days thinking there was no way my brand new two year old with no previous daycare experience would be ready for a full day. But since they only offered full day I had to go for it and it worked out great. (It was once a week)
Oh and I was so worried she wouldn't nap at MDO since she'd recently stopped Napping at home but she napped everytime. When all the other kids are laying down and there is nothing to do they will usually nap.