Just looking for thoughts or advice on what I can do here. DH and I have a 15 month old and we are looking for childcare but there's nothing anywhere near good available in our local area. During the start of Covid we were too busy getting through the pregnancy and newborn weeks in lockdown to think about getting her name down for a nursery, and we missed the boat on waiting lists, and now all the good nurseries and childminders are full until Sept 2022! I'm hoping to work part-time and have a really understanding boss and have managed to push my start date back so it's flexible, but will need to get something soon. I've looked at literally every childminder locally and there's nothing. I saw a couple with spaces but they were so bad it made me cry and rated poor. I can't put my baby there.
As well as needing to work I also really need a bit of headspace as I've looked after her everyday and feel I've lost myself.
I looked into nannies but they are so expensive it's prohibitive. £16 an hour (London).
The work I do is flexible (report writing type thing) a couple of days a week ideally, so I could try a co-working space with an attached crèche - has anyone ever done this? This wouldn't be a permanent solution but could allow me to get going perhaps?
There's no family who can help and husbands job is really long hours.