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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

How does anyone afford childcare!!

113 replies

Char1997 · 02/02/2024 11:32

Hello,

I know there’s lots of discussion about this always but I am currently on maternity leave with my second and working out childcare costs to return to work at the end of the year/beginning of next year and for me to go back to my job full time it’s going to cost me £1800 a month!!
How on earth does anyone afford that but then on the other hand how does anyone afford to not return to work with two children?! Just seems insane to me that anyone can afford to live, buy essentials when needed, go to work full time PLUS pay that obscene amount of money?!

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caringcarer · 02/02/2024 13:37

anotherdayanotherpathlesstravelled · 02/02/2024 13:05

I had twins 😳

I took a bank loan over 10 years to enable the cost to be spread

I suppose with twins that's the only way to afford it.

Overthebow · 02/02/2024 13:36

KateyCuckoo · 02/02/2024 13:35

I'm.shocked that you're shocked. Never has there been so much help towards childcare.

There’s a lot more help now, but childcare costs are also really high compared to wages.

KateyCuckoo · 02/02/2024 13:35

I'm.shocked that you're shocked. Never has there been so much help towards childcare.

Tothepoint99 · 02/02/2024 13:34

Char1997 · 02/02/2024 13:09

£68K combined, both bringing home just over £2K a month so more than a lot of other people! Obviously not raking it in and living in luxury but we are fine!

It's great that you're clearly grateful and happy with what you earn compared to others, but I would say that as a proportion of your salary, it is disproportionate compared to others that are your situation.

£1800 a month is A LOT.

caringcarer · 02/02/2024 13:32

jannier · 02/02/2024 11:51

Your lucky as you are going to benefit from the new funding plus you may be eligible for tax free funding.

Does anyone know if Labour are going to stick to the Tory childcare subsidised hours plan?

Overthebow · 02/02/2024 13:27

Char1997 · 02/02/2024 13:09

£68K combined, both bringing home just over £2K a month so more than a lot of other people! Obviously not raking it in and living in luxury but we are fine!

£68k though isn’t great for an expensive area, which I’m assuming you live in as your nursery costs are quite high. Pretty much average for two full time jobs for the uk as a whole, but lower than average for expensive areas. Is there a way to increase your earnings?

trampoline123 · 02/02/2024 13:24

We were paying £2.5k a month for our 2 to be in childcare.

We sacrificed a lot for ourselves to break even - it was one of the hardest times but our the other side now.

Hopefully you qualify for tax free childcare which helps.

caringcarer · 02/02/2024 13:22

Char1997 · 02/02/2024 11:38

So we’ve got a 4 year age gap anyway so would only have to cover after school club for our eldest but that’s still nearly £300 a month! I would happily stay home until my youngest gets 30 hours funded but then how do people survive off of one salary!

Also you lose out so much on career progression if you take a couple of years out. It's so hard to afford childcare. When my DC were small my Mum had them. Now I've got dgc and feel really guilty I don't do for my DD what my Mum did for me, but my DD and DGC live over 150 miles away from me. I've compromised by paying my DD for 4 days of childcare a month. That helps her out a bit. Also now eldest at school and youngest still in nursery I go down for a couple of single weeks during the summer holidays to care for eldest and I drop youngest off at nursery and collect. I've also been down for a fortnight when the first DGS got chicken pox, then 6 days later other one went down with it. It meant my DD could continue to work and she managed to get a promotion, she doesn't think she'd have got it if she'd taken time off when DC were unwell as it would make her look unreliable. Do you have anyone that could help you out a day a week? Also would a child minder be cheaper than nursery?

Hermittrismegistus · 02/02/2024 13:15

The only way we managed when DD was younger was because my mother and father were able to take on the childcare.

It's one of the reasons DD is an only child. If I had another my parents wouldn't be able to help.

Tryingtokeepcalmandcarryon · 02/02/2024 13:13

A lot of people also condense hours so do x4 long days each which would mean only x3 days in childcare (also just to agree with a previous poster, we have a big mortgage but no way we would be able to pay that childcare bill and everything else on your income! SAHM here!)

Tryingtokeepcalmandcarryon · 02/02/2024 13:12

Just a reminder to also apply for tax free childcare which will help and you’ll also get some child benefit

Jf20 · 02/02/2024 13:12

Char1997 · 02/02/2024 13:09

£68K combined, both bringing home just over £2K a month so more than a lot of other people! Obviously not raking it in and living in luxury but we are fine!

How are you fine if nearly 50 percent of your take home is child care, that means you just over 2 grand a month left to pay your mortgage, all bills and feed yourselves?

Spiderzed · 02/02/2024 13:11

I mean it shouldn't be a shock that childcare is ludicrously expensive, people talk about it all the time. Most people afford it by considering options prior to TTC; looking into whether they'd recieve UC towards childcare based on their household income, whether they're eligible for TFC which shaves 20% off, if its more viable to cut hours at work, and if there are other settings ie a childminder that you'd be happy to use.

Original poster
Char1997 · 02/02/2024 13:09

£68K combined, both bringing home just over £2K a month so more than a lot of other people! Obviously not raking it in and living in luxury but we are fine!

OP posts:
HappyDaze23 · 02/02/2024 13:09

It’s bonkers isn’t it. My son’s full time nursery place costs us just under £19k a year. It is our largest outgoing, more than our mortgage. Fees have gone up loads here too - 27% in the last two years.

Original poster
Char1997 · 02/02/2024 13:07

oh my gosh! doesn’t that just seem insane that you had to get it to debt to be able to return to work and pay for childcare!! Debt to be able to afford to live!

OP posts:
DocOck · 02/02/2024 13:07

£68 a day here. We managed it by sending DS to inlaws two days a week, I only worked four days a week, DH only worked four days a week. We did this until we got the 30 hours.

Goinoutalone · 02/02/2024 13:07

What are your salaries @Char1997

Original poster
Char1997 · 02/02/2024 13:06

oh my goodness!!! see debt for us isn’t a solution for us :(

OP posts:
SpicyMargaritaPlease · 02/02/2024 13:06

I cut down to part time. Kids in nursery 2 days a week and grandparents had them 1 day a week. My job isn't what you'd consider a career so it didn't pay to go back full time.

Original poster
Char1997 · 02/02/2024 13:05

that’s what baffles me though! myself and my partner are on decent salaries and even with that it’s just a cost that is crazy!

OP posts:
anotherdayanotherpathlesstravelled · 02/02/2024 13:05

I had twins 😳

I took a bank loan over 10 years to enable the cost to be spread

puncheur · 02/02/2024 13:03

The answer to these "how does anyone afford..." threads is the always the same. Because they have more money than you.

TheBirdintheCave · 02/02/2024 13:02

My son goes to a childminder rather than a nursery as it was significantly cheaper. Thankfully he's hit his 30 free hours now but before that it was £800 a month.

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 02/02/2024 13:02

I got into debt. DD was in year 5 when I paid off her nursery fees.