taking child out of school to meet baby

[Gingerspice]

Baby will arrive this week. If its not happening naturally its being evicted on thursday. It's last week of term so in some ways there's lots of fun stuff going on. DD is in reception class also. She is a very anxious character and doesn't
take well to sudden change and teacher commented on her anxious personality type. I want to make the transition to her getting a new brother as smooth as possible. Depending on timing etc that may mean taking some time out of school for her to then meet him. I want her to be the first person to meet and I don't want others (aside from our direct family) being told until she's met him.

Are others considering taking child out of school in order to meet the sibling?

 

[RaspberryK]

I wouldn't it's not going to be necessary I shouldn't think I'd just organise for her to come to visit after school it's only a few hours.
Xx

 

[lau86]

Obviously I don't know her like you do but I imagine taking her out of school will disrupt her more than just leaving it till the end of the day. She could come straight after school and no one need say anything till she's met him.

 

[sashadoll]

I agree with above. I think suddenly taking her out of school would be more problematic and traumatic for her

 

[mkyerby16]

I actually am more on the side of taking her out. But only you know your daughter and what she would do best with. Would missing school be a big deal for her? If so then maybe she should just come visit after school. But personally I think having a sibling born is a big deal and totally worth missing a little bit of school for. This will be my first, so I don't have any personal experience. However, I was 6 when my sister was born (mom had a scheduled C-section) so it was planned that I missed school that day and went to the hospital with my grandparents and waited anxiously to become a big sister. I vividly remember that day and couldn't imagine sitting in school waiting for the day to be over with to meet my sister. No matter what do what YOU think is best for your child and don't worry about what others think!

 

[babe2ooo]

I would say depends. If I have baby at like 12 in the afternoon. Visiting hours start at 3 and my son will still be at school. I would ask my mum to pick him up early to bring him in. Other then that I wouldn't. But u know your daughter best

 

[Gingerspice]

Thanks. Yeah it will completely depend on timings really as like you say visiting hours may not fit with school either way.
I think maybe I need to see how she feels. I just don't want her feeling left out / pushed aside and I want to be able to tell her she was first to meet him before any additonal announcement is made to anyone else. Thanks all

 

[babe2ooo]

Yea I'm the same I want my son to be the first to meet her. U don't want them feeling left out.

 

[sethsmummy]

nobody is allowed to meet my baby until his big brothers have been in to meet him and his daddy. My sister will be with me for my section and shes been told theres no announcements etc until dh and ds1/ds2 have been to the hospital. I am not sure whether dh will be taking ds1 to nursery that day but if he does he finishes at 12 and then will get the bus from the nursery to the hospital. I'm not even announcing the birth to parents until they have met him. At my hospital partners and siblings visiting is allowed at any time from 9am - 10pm xx

 

[KrissyKris22]

Yea I'm the same way I don't anyone to meet the baby before my first ds. I think if you feel its best to take her out of school early then go for it. If my ds isn't on school vacation by the time I have this lil guy and if its during school hours I may have him dismissed early as well so he can come to meet his lil brother.

 

[krulci]

its being evicted on thursday

Having lots of anxiety myself, I see your concern in disrupting your daughter's schedule. I think if you were to sit her down and discuss the options, giving her a detailed plan of what would happen in each situation and then let her choose which she'd prefer, she would be happiest and most settled. That being said, if she chose to wait until school was out before coming over, I would relish the time to have it just be you, OH, and the new babe. I can only assume these moments with just the three of you will be few and far between with a DD in the picture already! And like Sethsmummy said, I wouldn't tell anyone, even grandparents, until DD has made her acquaintance.

Best of luck to you!! I'll be anxiously awaiting updates!

 

[cckarting]

We have already decided we will be taking our boys out of school for the day. We have a scheduled c section and it's the boys last day of school for the week and their teachers are aware they won't be there that day. My mom will be bringing all three of them up there in the afternoon. We don't know what were having and they will be the first to know and hold the baby. We did the same when we had our third and it really helped with the bonding and accepting of their little brother!

 

[Gingerspice]

Thanks all. I've had bloody show this morning although i'm aware with dd I had that wed at 6am and she arrived sat 4 am. At least though the sweep I have later might actually be useful and can see what happening down there.

 

[cckarting]

Gl!

 

[skunkpixie]

At my daughter's school they are very strict about absence and there is no way they would sanction any time off that wasn't sickness related. You are not allowed to schedule dentist or non - emergency doctors appointments during school hours either. Even 'compassionate' absence for deaths/funerals is only granted in few circumstances where it is an immediate family member. I'd double check that it is ok with the school first to take your daughter out of school (unless she isn't yet 5, in which case she is not legally obliged to attend anyway). Xxxx

 

[Gingerspice]

No she's not 5 yet, but even if she was if she can't get there then she can't get there.

She did get a day off in the end. They can say what they like about whether they approve or authorise the absence, the worse is a fine and an unauthorised absence which in the grand scheme of things means little.

As it was the school phoned Tuesday afternoon saying she had a temperature and crying of earache. Not ideal given I was in labour and OH is commenting how we should get her to a drs! she came home in a right state but thankfully paracetamol and ibuprofen seemed to perk her up.

I knew it wasn't long before we'd have to head in so rang my brother who is in other city and doesn't drive saying we were on our way to drop dd off, could he have her overnight. He was able to take time off the next day which was amazing thankfully so she could stay with him until they discharged us. So she got dropped off at bedtime to him. He then had no way to get her baCk out to the village school (no parking at the school) and she hadn't slept, plus given the school had sent her home on the Tuesday ill they sent her PE kit etc home thinking she wouldn't be back before term end anyway.

So I phoned the school on wed morning from post natal ward stating she was still complaining of earache (she was, just not to me!) and given a rough night was not going to be in school. We then collected her on way home once discharged from hospital in the afternoon. the hospital was on lock down to all visitors due to noro virus on other wards so she couldn't come and meet baby there anyway. Only fathers of babies were allowed in.

This morning OH walked her to school and explained to the teacher the whole thing and she was not fussed either way. I have no idea whether her absence has been logged as authorised or not, but it is what it is.