Does the month a baby is born effect them in the future?

[lauraclili]

I was born in October and both my brothers in June/July (they actually had the same due date!). They both went to Oxford and one of them has a PhD. I don't. Go figure!

However, I am a secondary level teacher and I would say that there is a difference in children when they come up to secondary school as some are only just 11 whereas others are nearly 12. However, it doesn't last and as the others say, it more depends on the support they have at home than their age.

I wonder about having a baby in August just because they will only just be 4/5 when they go to school (which depends on the Local Education Authority in your area in the UK) and it can cause problems, particularly with premie babies, BUT, at the end of the day, a child is a precious being that their parents love and that's it. Does it really matter if they are the top of the year or not?

Here's to getting a BFP, that's what I say! Doesn't matter when, just hope it leads to a happy and healthy baby...


x

 

[Sooz]

I was a late July baby and I was waaaay above average throughout my education. I matured faster and was reading earlier and at a more advanced level than most of my classmates from a very young age. I also finished school at 15 which I thought was pretty cool.

My brother is an October baby and was below average at school and never showed any exceptional advancement. He was nearly 17 when he finished school.

 

[JessieOwl]

I've a 1st class degree in Education and am a primary teacher.

This is a more complex question than a simple yes/no can answer. The way school year-groups are established means that there can be 50 weeks difference in age between children in the same class. That’s a big difference when you’re only 4 years old.

Yes - it CAN make a difference.
No - it doesn't ALWAYS.

Your social class, own education and attitude to education make the biggest difference to your child’s academic achievement. Your child's access to other children (siblings, children of friends) as well as either engaging, supportive parents at home or high-quality nursery care are also large factors, as well of course as your child's natural ability or special needs.

In my experience, in EYFS and Year 1 (4-6 years) the difference between Sept-borns and Aug-borns is far more noticeable than when they get to Year 4+ (8 years +).

It is also worth mentioning that in the UK there is no legal obligation to send your child to school...ever.

Although permanent home-schooling is not something I’d recommend for the majority of people, if you think your child is too 'young' physically, mentally or emotionally -regardless of which month they were born in - you are perfectly within your rights to keep your child at home.

There is of course, a risk with this that your child could miss out on valuable experiences and have a real shock at starting school late in EYFS or straight into Year 1. However, depending on your local school's approach to early education and your ability to provide rich learning experiences at home, there is no reason why you could not work in partnership with your school to ensure your child has a smooth transition and starts school when you both feel ready.

Remember too that this argument is based solely on academic achievement. What else is important to you? Do you want children with great test scores or healthy, happy, well-socialised children? Winter-borns do well in exams, but are more likely to be sickly during infancy, for example.

This really is a crystal-ball question, but regardless of your decisions now, the decisions you make when they are nursery and school-age are far more important.

Do what’s right for YOU now.
Do what’s right for THEM, then.


Apols for the essay - and this still really hasn’t scratched the surface, but I hope it helps!

 

[Tina_TTC2]

I dont think it matters really - i totally agree that it is more about how the parents work with the kids - and maybe THAT impacts how they perform in the early days of school.

Going out on a limb here and taking a risk- but - we have been working with my little girl - she's 2 1/2 right now, and she is learning to read. She already can pick out small words on her own - pointing to them and saying what they are. only few at this point - but - if I ask her to point to a word, she gets probably 7 out of 10 right the first time.

I am hopeful that by the time she is 3 she will be able to read an actual sentence..

so if the parents work with the kids, I really do believe they can thrive and a few months shouldn't make a difference. Just my opinion..

 

[beccad]

This argument only really applies to the early stages at school, surely? My cousin was born August 16th, and had only just had her fourth birthday when she started school, yet many of the children in her class were about to have their fifth birthdays. They were pretty much a whole year older than she was. That's quite a significant age difference...

I'm more concerned about avoiding Christmas myself. My birthday is December 19th and I HATE it. I'd love for any kids I have to not have to go through this. I'd love for them to have a chance at nice weather on their birthdays! I just get the shortest daylight hours (well, more or less!)