Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU regarding Nursery Fees

232 replies

SilentEm564 · 26/03/2018 11:39

DH and I recently went to view a nursery.
We were told it would be £250 per week for DS to attend 3 days a week.
We thought it sounded like a lot of money! I was more hoping for £200 for 4 days.
We picked it because it was the nearest one to our house, so nothing spectacular about it.
We live just outside of London.
Would some other posters mind sharing how much nursery costs for them please? I'm now left wondering if my original cost expectations were unreasonable? It's hard to judge because a lot of nurseries don't put fees on their websites.

OP posts:
namechangedtoday15 · 26/03/2018 15:14

golden Yes, especially when Baby Number 1 turns out to be 1 and 2!!!

namechangedtoday15 · 26/03/2018 15:19

@silentEm564 I would consider changing your hours (slightly earlier start time / shorter lunch / less contractual hours) if you think getting back in time for collection will be a problem.

Most nurseries have some sort of penalty system - like I say we stopped nursery 5 years ago but then it was £11 for every 15 mins (or part) you were late. If you were delayed by 50 mins for instance, that was an extra £44.

M5tothesouthwest · 26/03/2018 15:39

£45/day (Devon) from 8am - 6pm. Includes breakfast, hot lunch, high tea and snacks.

ladymelbourne1926 · 26/03/2018 15:43

I don't use a nursery but one of my brothers pays £120 a day for his two children 8am until 5pm. This includes food, drink and nappies etc.
Childminders around here are about £60 a day for the same hours.

Yidette86 · 26/03/2018 15:57

And this is why it's likely I will have to give up my job and become a SAHM until my daughter is at school, I will literally be working to cover childcare costs and my partner will have to pay for my travel to work.. I'm actually on a good wage as well.

Tobebythesea · 26/03/2018 16:00

£950 for under 3 for 3 days. Within the M25. It’s crazy!

Tobebythesea · 26/03/2018 16:01

That’s for 1 child with food, nappies etc

Lauren83 · 26/03/2018 16:22

Mines £50 a day near Manchester, it's probably at the upper end of prices for the area as there's some at £38-£40 a day

Lauren83 · 26/03/2018 16:24

Sorry to add, graded outstanding, nappies not included but food is, baby is 6 months and he can be there from 7.30-6pm

happychange · 26/03/2018 16:28

Live in central London border zone 1/2 and paying £75 per day for Childminder

Mollieben · 26/03/2018 18:00

Blimey - we charge £44 a day fully inclusive of food and nappies but we are in the south West

Pluckedpencil · 26/03/2018 18:28

I am utterly shocked now by the prices. I was used to it when living in the UK but now in Italy I am realising the reason it is so expensive is because all childcare before school age is private, so the whole thing is just driven by supply and demand. There really ought to be some state run childcare to drive down prices, because £56 a day or whatever is frankly ridiculous. £5 per hour when you probably have 3 children minimum, means most childminders must be earning more than most teachers these days no? Where is the logic in that? Surely it would be in government interest to subsidise childcare by opening state nurseries rather than having so many parents not working for four years as they can't make the sums work?!

polkadotpixie · 26/03/2018 20:03

I am truly astounded at the costs of nursery 😮

I genuinely wouldn't be able to afford to have a child if it weren't for my wonderful Mum looking after him full time for £200/month. I only earn £1376/month after tax and my husband earns significantly less (he's self employed so no NMW).

We would have had to remain childless and if my Mum is no longer able to provide childcare in the future, I think we would lose our house

MiniAlphaBravo · 26/03/2018 20:36

polkadot you’re lucky that your mum does that but remember at 3 you can get 30 hours free so that does help. Also can’t your dh get a better job if he’s not even clearing nmw...

The thing that annoys me is that the people actually doing the care are earning hardly any money. But the thing is it is expensive to look after kids properly.

Don’t get me started on how often dd gets ill and isn’t even there (but obv we still have to pay)...

BoredOnMatLeave · 27/03/2018 08:50

MiniAlphaBravo agreed on the sickness. I know we have to pay as it's fair but my DD gets car sick and they won't take her at nursery if she's thrown up (fair enough), so that's cost us nearly £150 in March alone, plus my unpaid leave at work

polkadotpixie · 27/03/2018 09:57

@MiniAlphaBravo He could but we get by and I'm not going to stamp all over his dreams. He works hard but we've had terrible luck with dying vans and broken machinery that has decimated any profits. I'm hoping our luck will change!

I didn't know about 30 free hours at 3 though, is that for everyone or just people on benefits as we're not entitled to any?

jannier · 27/03/2018 13:02

Pluckedpencil £5 an hour on 3 children is not the earnings its the cost and also depends on if you have those 3 children exactly the same hours full time 7 to 7 or if some are one day some half das some shifts etc. So for the times you are only having one child its £5 per hour not £15 deduct from that food, outings, craft, cleaning items, toys amazing amounts of loo roll and the plumbers to unblock the toilets before annual expenses like insurance registration training and data control. The minimum wage set in Britain is higher than what many child-minders earn and the areas of London I live in where the rate is £5 a 2 bed house is more than £1300 a month to rent. My son now has to look for a house (2 bed) more than an hours commute at £350k as a first starter as he cant get a mortgage for the £450k 2 bed starter homes near us. So prices have to reflect the costs in the area and working a 60 hour week to make ends meet is not unusual. Before cleaning toys, paperwork and training all of course unpaid (and the training is charged for).

hookiewookiedoodah · 27/03/2018 14:00

I'm a Childminder in the West Mids and I charge £35 per day from 7.30am to 6.00pm.
Maybe a Childminder could be a cheaper option.

SadWinky · 27/03/2018 14:01

@polkadotpixie yes you will be entitled to 30 free hours at 3 as long as you both earn under £100k and above £120 a week Each. See www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and-education-for-2-to-4-year-olds for more info

hotcrossbun83 · 27/03/2018 14:14

It was £80 a day in West London, now £70 a day in Kent commuter belt. Both included food and nappies. Best thing about Kent nursery is they don’t charge for bank holidays and close for a week over Xmas and don’t charge. In London you had to pay for bh’s even though they were closed, and they opened between Xmas an ny even though no one was really around

AllStar14 · 27/03/2018 14:15

I pay just over £800 a month for twins, that's for two full days a week. And I have to provide their nappies!

Scrumptiousbears · 27/03/2018 14:19

Ours is £76 per day.

Emj86 · 27/03/2018 15:56

We pay £41 per day in West Yorkshire (7.30am til 6pm) this includes breakfast and two home cooked meals, we have to supply nappies but they supply formula for the babies.

PixieDust100 · 27/03/2018 16:02

I know someone paying £80 for a full day 8am-6pm including meals. Not London but south west

RasperryInAMelon · 27/03/2018 16:10

My daughter is 9months old and attends 3 days pw at a Nursery in Zone 6 in SE London.

£60 a day 7.30am-6pm includes all meals, Nappies and wipes

Swipe left for the next trending thread