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Would you lose your spot if you took you child out for a year?

My sister pulled her 2 year old out of daycare for the year, but did enrol her in preschool twice a week. She's also very good at structuring home time with crafts and classes so I think her 2 year old didn't get too bored.

I however would lean towards leaving the older one in daycare. But this is because I'm not good at multitasking and would need all my attention for the new baby.

Im keeping her in daycare but dropping her down to 3x a week. She loves going and I think it will be good for her to stay in a routine - plus I want to spend some alone time with this baby. 3x a week will be perfect because I will still get to spend a little bit of extra time with C. We've been home together all summer and are having a blast (I pulled her out bc I'm a teacher) but I know I won't be able to keep up all the fun activities we've done once baby comes (and winter!)

I feel no mommy guilt because every other mom at my daycare has done the same thing when #2 came along!

As you know, A is not in daycare. But if she had been - speaking in my situation now with a 2.5 year old and newborn - I would have kept her in part time. It would be nice for her to have a space where she doesn't keep getting told to be quiet because she has woken the baby up every time I got him down. And as much as I am trying to dedicate lots of time to just her and do crafts etc, it is really hard and my newborn is a super chill -touch wood - baby.

I stay home, but almost everyone I know who has their older one in day care keeps them in part time once number 2 arrives!

@californiadreams: Pretty sure she will just be with me. Can't really swing the $, and there is nothing stroller accessible on the subway line that allows the minimum of two or three half days and pay monthly. Our ideal one wanted the whole year up front!!! She has lots of play dates and stimulation and is bright as a button, I don't think she will miss out.

I pulled my 2 year old as soon as I went on maternity leave. Our daycare was super expensive and she really likes being at home, so it was a no brainer. A lot of people I know keep their kids in full-time daycare for a few months, and then part time for the rest of the leave.

The cons to taking her out was that I was too sick to take care of her at the end of the pregnancy, so that was a nightmare. then I had a bad birth/tough recovery so it was a hard adjustment.

Pros were that I am just so glad to have thhe extra time with my oldest - we have so much fun every day. I also like that being with them full time means I am forced to learn how to do everything with 2 because I dont have another option.

Cons- it was really hard to get adjusted at first. Really hard. My toddler is very needy and the baby was feeding a lot. We had to get out of the house a lot which was hard to do with pretty severe injuries from birth.

You know our story but I'll put it out there anyway.

DD1 was with a caregiver that was having a very difficult pregnancy towards the end of my pregnancy. The last few weeks they were together I felt terribly guilty knowing how sick my friend was and how hard it must be to watch my daughter.

Fortunately #2 was due around the holidays so my schedule and DHs schedules were pretty flexible so we kept her home when we could. Sending her to a sick nanny wasn't a great plan and it didn't feel right starting her at a daycare right when she's already going through a big transition.

We were fortunate to have a very easy sleepy baby. I actually got to spend more time with DD1 than I had been before my leave. I think this really benefitted her and she saw the baby as the vehicle to more mom time. The girls are wonderfully bonded and we've had an amazing transition.

There were days when I've felt like she's been bored or not stimulated enough but I think overall we've done really well.
Now that #3 is coming we are enrolling her in part time preschool in the fall. I think having two babies in the house will make it more difficult to entertain her appropriately and it'll be good for her to have friends and activities of her own that don't involve the babies.

@californiadreams: well L will be three soon and we're putting her in preschool. So I definitely see that point of view. Luckily part time preschool is fairly easy to find. Downtown part time daycare was impossible. And spending $24,000 on daycare when I'm home anyway seemed insane.

I've really loved being home with these past seven months but I do miss the baby playgroups because no one wants your two year old stepping on their newborn. I'm looking forward to having some time to do that with C before the next baby comes.