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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:
Icanttakemuchmore · 27/03/2018 20:27

£38 for a full day here in Kent, 8 to 6pm.

TheCriminalMind · 27/03/2018 20:27

£250 for four ‘short’ days here (Midlands)

midnightmisssuki · 27/03/2018 20:35

Ours is about £60/day I think. London.

Atthebottomofthegarden · 27/03/2018 20:55

£73 a day. Surrey. Goes down slightly when they turn 2 (except it won’t, because the prices go up annually...)

RedForFilth · 27/03/2018 21:02

45 a day in the north not including meals/nappies/wipes etc. Going up due to minimum wage going up. It's a lot to pay when I'm a single mum but it enables my toddler to interact with other children and enables me to work. He loves it there and he's looked after incredibly well so I don't resent paying it at all, would help for it to be cheaper though!

RedForFilth · 27/03/2018 21:03

When I say a day thats 8-6 btw.

Indie139 · 27/03/2018 21:35

I work in a nursery and it depends on age. Ranges from £53.00 (babies) To £49.50(preschool) per day. This is a London nursery and i think the price is quite good..includes meals. My previous nursery was between £85-95 per day depending on age.

breastfeedingdrivingmecrazy · 27/03/2018 21:36

£53 per day including food but not nappies or wipes. On the London/Surrey border. The building is a dive but the nursery is great.

Wincher · 27/03/2018 21:39

Our nursery (outer London, Sure Start, Ofsted outstanding) is about £54 per day. I think it's amazing value as I have friends who pay more like £75 per day in other parts of London. We're not eligible for the 30 free hours due to earning too much, but we do get the free 15 hours. And yes, I feel a bit bad that we take up a place at a sure start nursery when we earn that much, but the trouble is that it is full of similarly middle class kids whose parents are clued up enough to know to get on the waiting list at 6 weeks pregnant. There is a reasonable social mix, though, and it is one of very few nurseries in the area that is able to take kids with quite severe special needs and disabilities which I think is great. (Those kids of course get priority to jump the waiting list.)

moreginrequired · 27/03/2018 22:19

not sure if anyone has mentioned this OP but if you pay via tax free childcare you will get at 20% off the total cost (much better the vouchers if you have a biggish cost) -frustrating service but excellent savings!
Hope you find something suitable

Cockadoodledooo · 27/03/2018 22:26

Ours was around 45 a day but that was about 4 years ago.

One thing I'd say though is that if you're worried about the commute and not getting back in time, have you thought about a nursery near work? That worked really well for us - didn't have to worry about being late for pick up, had some good one on one time as we travelled together and ds loved the bus journey!

laddylonglocks · 27/03/2018 22:42

£33.50 a day including food and nappies.

YourWinter · 28/03/2018 00:42

DGS is 15 months, at nursery 4 days a week, I think it's £65/day (8-6), includes all meals, milk, nappies, wipes etc. I don't know what the fee structure is for holidays. Cambridge commuter belt.

ilovesouthlondon · 28/03/2018 07:52

£910 per month for 3 days a week. Only includes meals.

KnackeredMumofTwins · 28/03/2018 08:38

We paid £88 a day for twins for 3 days a week in central Edinburgh, worked out at £1100 a month. My third baby is £47.50 a day just outside Edinburgh so £580 a month plus after school club for the twins at £280 a month. Will go down in January when my youngest starts nursery. I get childcare vouchers through my salary which gives me £220 every 4 weeks. My husband and I worked out we'll still be paying childcare fees for at least another 9 years 😭😨

Whoopwhoopwooo · 28/03/2018 22:01

Wow- sorry I’m not going to be any help here but I didn’t even know how expensive nursery’s are. I’m glad my children are grown up. 😱

thesaurusgirl · 29/03/2018 11:46

Regarding nannies, there comes a point when your child needs peers, not one-to-one attention. Nursery or an exceptionally good childminder is the only answer to that, because playdates and Rhyme Time aren't going to be enough.

We had an exceptional Kiwi nanny with us from day 1 (am a company director and maternity leave wasn't an option, although I was able to work flexibly from home) and I was planning to keep her on until DD started school, but when DD was 2.5 our nanny literally took us to one side and told us her work was done and DD needed nursery. She was right, of course, although I begrudge the money given it costs nearly as much as the nanny for a whole lot less adult supervision.

KarenCBC · 01/04/2018 08:41

I’m shocked at how little most of you are paying. I’ve paid £75 a day in two different nurseries in Surrey (for a child under 3) and know that’s what friends pay too. Would have been more likely to go back to work if I could have got circa £50 a day. Childcare is such a massive issue here.

jannier · 01/04/2018 18:02

Sashkin - The rate of £3.50 is not an unusual hourly rate for childminding, a childminder will have up to 3 under 5 (occasionally more if there are situations requiring continuity of care), but only ever one under one unless there is a multiple birth.

Typically childmining rates are between £3.50 and £6 occasionally more depending on area. The childminders are inspected by the same inspectors and nurseries and usually have as good a qualification if not higher than a room leader/manager.

NewBallsPlease00 · 01/04/2018 19:07

£53 a day
Free hours can be applied as applicable
Ft bill £1150 odd

That's average here,
London commuter belt is more like £70+ day equivilent...

NewBallsPlease00 · 01/04/2018 19:11

I haven't read whole thread but salary sacrifice vouchers or savings credit scheme save about 20%

wonkylegs · 01/04/2018 19:16

Over 2 in NE £49 a day but nappies & wipes not included and we occasionally get asked for extra for trips / special crafts etc

Lookforthestars · 01/04/2018 19:18

Fucking HELL. That's more than my nursery bill for the MONTH and ds goes five days! Is that really what prices are like in the UK now?! Sod coming back!!

Lookforthestars · 01/04/2018 19:19

Sorry I realise that's totally unhelpful.

Tanith · 01/04/2018 19:41

"We're in a Nordic country and I knew things were more difficult in the UK but some of the prices on this thread are incredible. How on earth does anyone in the UK afford to have children, let alone more than one?"

Probably in your country childcare is subsidised by the state.

In this country, people preferred to vote for Austerity. That means they're made to pay what it really costs to look after their children.