Go for it ! It will both do you a world of good ! My son has been going several hours a week since he is two and during vacation he kept asking whether it was opened and if he could go there !
I think a couple hours a day are OK. If a child has to go into day care on a 100 % basis it is too much at his age...and at any age I guess.

Sounds like it's your hubby that needs to go to play school or do some growing up.

Most of the decent nurseries we looked into would only take the kids for a minimum of half a day each time, and recommended no less than two full days a week. Any less and the child can't get into a routine and fully benefit from the programmes that they run.

Also, if you think 100% daycare isn't okay at any age, how do you get around the education system from kindergarten onwards? That is basically 100%, more or less.

I think it is wrong to make sweeping statements that it is "too much" for all kids. Some kids benefit from a structured day with lots of social contact with other kids, others don't want to leave their mother's side. Neither is wrong and neither is right, it all depends on the individual child.

I totally agree. My 15 months old goes every day to Krippe from 9 to 16 and she LOVES it... she screams and kicks a fuss when we leave, I almost have to drag her home where there is "only" mummy and dog to entertain her!

She has learned so many things which I would have never thought to teach her at such your age (example: she eats almost by herself with a spoon and when she is done, she puts down the spoon on her plate and hands me the plate to signal she has had enough). the first time she did it I almost fell off my chair

They learn so much from seeing other children's behaviour, from comparign themselves and stretching themselves.

Sure, everyday Krippe at such young age is not for all, and I sometimes feel I should have a day with her, but really, I cannot keep up and provide the same for her as the Krippe can. So we are happy with our choice and would to the same if we ever get to it a second time

Only thing that would stop me is if I saw my child was not happy, thriving etc.

And most Krippe I visited only do "Blockzeiten" of 9-16. In my area there is only 1-2 who allow mid of the day pick up and indeed, all had the minimum 2 day per week rule.
K

To be honest I've learned a lot from the people at my son's nursery. I had no idea how to tackle the issues around getting him out of nappies or dealing with his tantrums or, like you said, using cutlery. They give me tips which are forehead-smackingly simple but I would never have thought about in a million years.

As well as every child being different, every parent is, too. Some mums seem to fall into the role of mother and can do every aspect of the job with a natural ease. For me I run blindly down every wrong route before finally fumbling my way to a patch-up solution - it's good to have professionals who have qualifications in Little Awkward People pointing me in the right direction sometimes.

That was exactly our attitude, too!

Answer to the OP: A resounding YES!

It's like puppy kindergarten - little ones (humans or dogs) learn to socialise, that the world does not revolve around them and certain behaviours are not acceptable.

Good luck!

My daughter went to nursery for 5 days a week from the age of two. I agree that this may seem too much too early for some parents but both myself and my wife had to work both to pay the bills and to find a role in life beyond the cot and the playroom. I had spent a year at home as a Haussmann and whilst I loved the close relationship I had with my daughter (and she is the most important person in my life both then and now) I just could not go on living what was a very isolated life as a parent at home. My wife had spent our daughters first year at home with her and had felt just the same. There were few groups I could belong to as a male primary carer and whilst I did find some female friends it was clear that I was not as close to them as they were with each other. I would shop each day just to get a conversation with the shop assistants who would flock around me as a single man with a baby.
There were some days when my daughter did not want me to leave her there and that was difficult. But these were few and far between and I was reassured by the nursery that a few minutes after I left my daughter was happily playing with the other children. I and my wife had researched the local nurseries and we felt we had found the one that was right for us and our child. She continued there for the next 3 years and then progressed with several of the nursery children to a local primary school. For the rest of her Primary school years she went to school and afterschool club and holiday club in the school holidays.
She is now old enough to go to school and come home by herself and I work flexible hours (as I always have) to ensure that I can be at home when she is ill or adjust my hours to fit around her life.
As an only child she has excellent social skills, is confident with adults and children, and is top of her class at school and popular with all the children and adults that she knows. She has a close and loving relationship with her parents but also has a separate and independent life of her own and thrives with that as a part of her life.
Provided that the child care is of a high standard I can only recommend giving a child the benefits and advantages that going to regular daily care provides. It has been of huge value to my daughter and I am sure it would also be of such value to most other children.

If money is not an issue for your then I would also agree that it is a wonderful opportunity for both you and your daughter. At 2.5 she is emotionally capable of separating from you and entering her own social life. Because you are not working, she is free from the pressure of spending long hours apart from you and can enjoy the short time engaging in activities with her friends. She will develop a better sense of self and become increasingly more independent. On the flip side, you will also have much needed and deserved time for yourself, which is nothing you should feel guilty about. Your husband perhaps is lacking the experience that you have in caring for your daughter and is looking at the situation from an ideal family perspective. A super mom is an old ideology that no longer is sustainable in the modern world. Be secure and confident in your decision and know that it will ultimately benefit your whole family. Some things have to be see to be believed Just make sure you find a suitable place to bring her and always trust your gut feeling. Good Luck!

Send her..... it will be the best for her Our daughter was in care from the age of 12weeks and she now a strong confident young lady

It is always hard for dads to let there little girls go, i suggest you have him spend a morning at the Centre with your daughter so that he can see how happy she is intracting with the other children....he will soon change his mind

As someone has dug up this Thread which is a year old (and the OP has never been back, so we haven't the faintest idea what happened!!) I might as well provide another picture.
Our kids never went to a nursery. They didn't start Kindergarten until they were five. I looked after them more or less full time. I enjoyed it. They enjoyed it. They are now both both strong confident young people. I am a strong confident granny.
Whilst I am not saying that other-than-parents-pre-school care, nursery, Krippe, maman de jour or whatever are wrong, the alternative is not necessarily the road to a catastrophe either.

Nothing wrong with putting your kid in daycare when they are 2.5. It does depends on the kid obviously, some are more suited than others. I did this with my daughter when she was two. She used to go in the mornings, everyday. She was ok. Separation anxiety is bound to happen at the beginning, and I think its more traumatic for the parent than the child.

One thing to bear in mind is that your child will be sick a lot. When they first start they are exposed to all sorts of nasties from other kids and their immune systems will get a good work out. This is a good preparation for school as they build up their tolerance levels to germs. My daughter was sick every other week but shes fine now she is at ecole maternelle.