New Sibling AND Preschool in Sept...good idea?

[Meconbear]

Before I send another $50 nonrefundable check to another one of the area's preschool lotteries, do the DCUMs think about this situation:
I'm due with #2 in late Sept. DS will be 23 months old. The transition will probably be rough for him. I was thinking that sending him to preschool might give him something to do that's new and exciting and "his" so that he won't be so upset when his sib comes along (and quite frankly giving myself a few hours twice a week sounds pretty good too). However, would it be MORE traumatic for him to start school and have a baby show up (almost at the same time). Opinions please!

[Anonymous]

i think it totally depends on your situation and your child, if your child has been home with you FT for 23 mos, then i agree, starting school and having a new sib might be a double wammy, if your child has been in some outside care and adjusts well, perhaps a 2 morning/week preschool could work well for you all! i'm a ft SAHM and for my 2yo, the transition to pre-=school was very challenging, essentially i dont think he was ready for the major change of being with mom all the time to being in a chaotic room of 9 2yo's and new teachers...even though it was only 2 am's per week. luckily for us, i chose a co=op that allowed me to stay with my son and work on a slow transition plan for him, so that he could learn to trust the environment and be more comfortable with me leaving...he's fine now but this process took months for us and most preschools wont let the parents stay in the classroom and work slowly on the child's adjustment the way our preschool did...just something to consider..my son is also the more sensitive type and has always been slow to warm up to new people, so just suggesting you factor your child's temperment into the equation as well! good luck!!!

[Anonymous]

You could be me-I am delivering about that time and dd will be about 2 1/2. I have decided against doing this and thought maybe I would reconsider for the second semester of school as some preschools have spaces that open but if they don't, I'm not going to sweat it. Why? I do think having the baby will be a huge adjustment for her..we are sooooooooo close and I think it may feel like I am shipping her off. I also don't think her not going to preschool next year is going to stop her from going to a great college..I just don't buy into that. Finally, seems like we are having kids on the cusp of flu season and I know that when you send your child off to school of course they are going to get sick--I get this and would't worry if it was just the one but..with a little little person, I do worry and want to give my newest a chance to be fairly low on the germs while he/she builds up their immunity. One caveat here is that I am going to have help--I am planning on having a baby nurse for the first few months so it is a lot easier for me to make this decision--if you are alone with no help and have a hubby like mine who works 24/7 (I'm not mad, he is doing his best to support us) then I can't say I wouldn't go this route because having a baby is hard enough and those hours with the kiddie at preschool may save your sanity. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We had the same situation this past fall, and we had also just moved to DC (triple whammy for her). We got into a preschool for one day/week for my two year old daughter. Since the baby was coming in mid-Sept., the director recommended waiting until mid-to-late Oct. to start her just to spread out the changes. Then when a space opened up in Jan., she started going twice a day. This slow transition to school worked out well for us. Maybe if you get a space, discuss this option with the director. It really depends on many factors as PPs have discussed.

It's quite nice to have a bit of time alone with the DD2 while DD1 is at school now.

[Anonymous]

Different experience here....
My daughter was in school for 2 weeks before my son was born. She was 18 months. She was familiar with the school. I was working in the Development office and she was coming to work with me. I did this because DH works ALOT and LONG HOURS. I wanted some time to bond with my new son. I am glad I did. Since she started before the baby came she was settled (still some tears though), and into the routine. By the time I delivered and things were changing, this was a constant. It also made me feel better. For example, while I would breastfeed my daughter would want attention. At 18 months she is still a baby herself and did not understand why I couldn't' give it to her. So most often, I would tell her the story of a book I knew as she held it and turned the pages. So while she was at school (5days, half days) I had that time to breastfeed and stare at my new son. It's hard having two little ones. And at the school I was confidant she was getting plenty of hugs and kisses and one on one attention, that was difficult for me to give her with a newborn.

[Anonymous]

We enrolled our 2 year old one day/week last fall with newborn in the house -- loved it for many reasons, with one major exception. DC1 has brought home several colds, and we all get sick.

[Anonymous]

We started a new preschool with DS1 when he was 2.5 months, about 2 weeks after the birth of DS2. It was horrible! He thought that I just wanted to get rid of him and he had terrible separation anxiety. So we took him out of preschool, lost about $1000.00 of our deposit and kept him home for six weeks. It was not so bad since DS2 was sleeping most of the time. I would take DS1 to Jammin Java or the Tysons Mall playground everyday. It was a good bonding experience for all of us. DS1 also started feeling more comfortable around his baby brother and realized that baby brother is not some strange alien being. After six weeks, I enrolled him in another preschool. For two weeks before he started school, we would take him to the school and let him feel comfortable. Now, five months later, he LOVES his school. My suggestion is to either enroll your child before the birth of the new baby or a few months after. HTH.