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Original poster

Start work soon and still no childcare! What do I do?

165 replies

sayyiusayee · 25/03/2023 06:14

I'm suppose to start on the 12th April.

I've been trying for over a week to find childcare.

I wanted a nursery (haha, I didn't realise I wasn't getting one!), and they all said nothing at all until September, one even said September 2025 Blush

I've asked loads of childminders and they all say they don't have the availability

It's a good job for me. I feel so sad I might have to turn it down...

Honestly, what do people do? How do other people find childminders so much easier to get hold of than nurseries? They're all booked here

OP posts:
Danascully2 · 25/03/2023 07:57

This is a really tricky one of juggling work and childcare days, and not being able to book childcare without having a definite job but then not being able to find childcare for the right hours. It's rubbish and whenever I see someone with small children advised to 'just go back to work' I always think it's not that easy... Mine are at school now but I was sometimes quite low numbers of hours and it was tricky when they were younger just to turn up for a few hours a week. Not helped by two childminders in a row closing, both for very valid reasons but it was really stressful. There is no magic answer I don't think so please don't feel bad that you are struggling.

elodiesmith · 25/03/2023 07:58

You said 'how could I find daycare earlier if I only just got the job?'

Well ok why did you accept the job knowing you've got start in a matter of weeks and you'd need to find childcare by then? Madness.

WandaWonder · 25/03/2023 07:59

We contacted places ages before we needed them, a week is not enough time really

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Childcare & nursery Families
ramanw · 25/03/2023 07:59

Ah that's shit.

I was going to say to get in touch with work and say you are really trying to find childcare and might need an extra week or so to sort it.

It sounds as if it's not worth it though 😩. If it was full time then it might be worth paying for nursery/childminder (if you could eventually find one). But for 9.5 hours, I don't think it's worth it. You would be working for nothing (or possible paying more than you earn).

Totally understand the need to get back to work though. Perhaps look in to a different job and hopefully you can find some childcare soon x

xSilverandcoldx · 25/03/2023 08:03

Finding childcare is awful in my area, I'm in a smallish town too and the waiting lists are ridiculous. I manage because I'm one of the lucky ones with retired family who can help.

Only other possibility I can think of is maybe finding a young person who is interested in doing childcare at college and having them as a babysitter rather than a qualified childminder. I know one person who did this after putting an ad on our local FB.

Honestly though this is why many of my friends are out of work and they are brilliant women with so much to offer. If you really can't find anything you might have to just let this job go until you get the nursery place in September.

MajorCarolDanvers · 25/03/2023 08:03

I think it will be impossible to find childcare for 4 afternoons in a semi rural area. Most will do only do full days.

You will likely need to rethink your plans. Pay for more childcare than you need or change your working hours.

weststreet · 25/03/2023 08:04

Is your job local to you?

If you have a commute perhaps look at child care closer to your work?

Soontobemumof2x · 25/03/2023 08:04

I had my daughter on the private nursery list when she a day old. Luckily they had space and I paid £100 to reserve her spot until I was ready to send her at 10 months old.

hopefully you get something soon OP. Times are tough as it is already. Sending luck your way!

xx

justlonelystars · 25/03/2023 08:04

I booked my DS place when I was 16 weeks pregnant! Nursery’s are massively oversubscribed at the moment and I imagine the same is true for childminders.

WonderingWanda · 25/03/2023 08:05

Op book the registered childcare for September so that it is sorted. Speak to your new employer to see if they can do anything about delaying your start date or front loading your holiday to delay it. Then try to find someone unregistered for the interim and just accept that you won't be able to claim the childcare money back until September. All the time keep looking and ringing the same childcare options you've tried in case they get a space.

Another option is to ask on Facebook sites of your town and nearby towns for childminder recommendations some might come up who you haven't been made aware of yet.

I completely get your frustration and childcare costs are crippling but you are being a but defeatist saying you'll just not be able to work until the baby is at school, what sort of life is that going to give you? 5 years stuck on benefits and out of the job market? I'm not being critical of being on benefits but they don't really offer much scope for living your life fully. Maybe you need to be thinking of how you can earn more money longer term. What did you do before the baby came along? Could you think about retraining? Enrolling on course with a fixed start date so you can sort childcare?

Mummyoflittledragon · 25/03/2023 08:09

Congratulations on the job. I agree with the others saying to try to muddle through until September with an unregistered cm. We are entering warmer / lighter months so bills will be reducing. Hopefully this is an option for you.

MBM18 · 25/03/2023 08:15

Have you posted on your local Facebook group for suggestions?
Not the same but I was looking for local swimming lessons and could hardly find anything on Google, posted on FB and had it sorted within a few hours.

Ikilledthebabysharkdododuhdodudoo · 25/03/2023 08:17

People PLEASE stop telling OP that you booked your childcare when your sproglet was still a sperm in the dad’s ball sack. It’s so unhelpful and such a pointless thing to say to someone freaking out. Clearly she now sees the challenge. Enough with the smugness, she doesn’t need 40 pages of people saying same thing. You’re all very clever, well done. Now use that cleverness to H-E-L-P!

OP - you may have to think outside the box here. What about swapping childcare with another local mum? You do 4 mornings with theirs a week and they has yours when you work?

Dyslexicwonder · 25/03/2023 08:23

Namechange224422 · 25/03/2023 06:58

If you like and want the job then definitely don’t cancel it!

Can you call back the nursery which had space from September and book in from September for the sessions you need.

Then can you ask your partner to take holiday for the first two weeks on your working days so that you’re not stressing at the beginning.

That then leaves you 4 months that you and your partner need to fill.

The nursery you book with may well be able to help with ad hoc sessions if you ring each week - people often drop out /cancel/take holiday etc but they won’t want to commit now. Or you might be able to ask them to call you each time they have a space if you explain.

Do you have any friends or family who you can ask for help? Anyone who is on maternity that your baby knows who might like a bit of pocket money?

Remember you will have holiday which you can use too, as will your partner, so that will cover quite a lot of those weeks too.

Depending on what the job is, if you can occasionally do it from home, you might get away with occasional days with baby at home whilst you work but obviously this isn’t ideal!

In your position I would also have an honest conversation with work once you’ve settled in so that they know that you’re struggling with childcare but that it’ll be sorted by September. Knowing that it’s sorted from September will go a long way towards work being helpful if there are days you can’t fill.

This is excellent advice. I would think there might well be ad hoc availability over the summer.....

Tellyaddict123 · 25/03/2023 08:25

Ahh this is hard one, if you didn’t know what job or working schedule you would have it’s hard to plan that childcare in advance.

I would find a childcare provider your happy with and maybe put your name down now for a year or 2 away esp if there isn’t any cost. Just say full time and edit it closer to the time with what you actually need.

For now it’s super hard, keep ringing round and see if anyone can do anything short term. Your local council should have a list of approved providers…actually ofsted reports show who is registered, nursery’s and childminders. Pop your postcode in there and check you haven’t missed anyone.

https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/

Find an Ofsted inspection report

https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/

Dyslexicwonder · 25/03/2023 08:25

Oh and a Uni student over the summer, I did this at University, they would probably do it for minimum wage so £10 an hour ish. Whereabouts are you ?

Dyslexicwonder · 25/03/2023 08:26

But yes definitely get DH to take leave to cover the first 2 weeks...

GoodChat · 25/03/2023 08:27

WandaWonder · 25/03/2023 07:59

We contacted places ages before we needed them, a week is not enough time really

We moved house and contacted three nurseries. Two of them could accommodate one and not the other. The third said they'd make sure they had space if we were going to be there full time with 2.

GoodChat · 25/03/2023 08:28

elodiesmith · 25/03/2023 07:58

You said 'how could I find daycare earlier if I only just got the job?'

Well ok why did you accept the job knowing you've got start in a matter of weeks and you'd need to find childcare by then? Madness.

Because it's chicken and egg, isn't it. If you haven't previously used childcare it's easy to not know the issues you might face.

Original poster
sayyiusayee · 25/03/2023 08:29

WoWsers16 · 25/03/2023 07:34

I totally understand your worries and frustration, my boy went to preschool 2 days and then childminder 2 days- unfortunately last week my childminder had to close so I had to find 2 days care for my son asap- I must of rang around 25 places and no space- it doesn't help it's coming up to Easter so free hours for children are booked.
I spent 3 days literally sobbing - his preschool had no space, childminders, nurseries etc... luckily I found one that could do one of the days but has a 4 week settling period so not a full day till after Easter - unfortunately I've no one for 1 day a week- it's a pain :( x

Sorry to hear this. Wishing you so much more luck :(

OP posts:
FijiSea · 25/03/2023 08:31

What about getting a job at night when your DH gets home ?
In a supermarket or shop or restaurant?
Work 6-11 pm a few nights a week.
Then you don’t need any childcare.

Original poster
sayyiusayee · 25/03/2023 08:32

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

I thought it wouldn't be a problem. Naive I know. My son was last at a private nursery 6 years ago and it was really easy, I just phoned up and got a place

That was in a large town that had not many nurseries. So yes I was naive

OP posts:
firsttimemum1230 · 25/03/2023 08:32

I had my childminder booked while I was still pregnant for when my child was a year old. With the crisis that childcare is it’s needed.

Hayliebells · 25/03/2023 08:33

As it's working in a school, will you be working with children, is that what you want to do? If it is, could you get an job in an actual nursery? My DD's nursery offered discounted places for children of staff. You could do that unil your child starts school, then get a job in a school, if that's where you'd prefer to work.

Original poster
sayyiusayee · 25/03/2023 08:33

@Phineyj it needs to be term time only

I can't do anything that's not term time only sadly

OP posts:
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