Nursery

Have you paid a deposit? I think it’ll vary between nursery, should be fine but probably best to ask them what notice period they need to push back.

I am in the exact same position. I have put forward a day swap to the nursery I have a place at, as my work have said one of the days I have requested may be difficult to honour. I'll be going from 5 days to 3 days at work, as we don't have immediate family nearby and my partner works full time in finance. He can work from home one day, but we are both very much aware that childcare/chores/contributions to bills will never be 50/50. I went on mat leave at 36 weeks (I'm a teacher) and have said I plan on coming back in September. However, like you, I'm not sure if I should push it back. It really depends on how life is with a baby, your village (if you have family/friend support) and one's financial situation. My nursery requires 3 months notice to change/cancel the place, so I'm trying not to worry atm. Lots of new mums I know are taking a year off with their first baby, but it is really a personal decision. It might also be worth looking into shared parental leave.

I was able to do this with my first. Paid the deposit and they said as long as I give them 4 weeks notice of date changes it was all good! Originally he was starting in November 2023 but didn’t actually start until June 2024 😂

Thank you very much all! Yes I paid the deposit for 3 days a week. I'll check the notice period with the nursery, they already told me they require one month notice if I want to decrease the number of days but I am not too sure about delaying the starting date.