To this £400 a month for two morning sessions a week at nursery is a lot of money?

[strawberrycheesecake1989]

I haven’t looked at many other nurseries as this one is very close which is really convenient. Anyway, as it turns out it’s the only one in the vicinity with any availability at all.

DS will be 2 when he starts. In order for me to take on more business it would be really helpful for him to go to nursery 2 mornings a week. It also means that I could just have some time to my self every once in a while. If I didn’t have to utilise that morning for work occasionally.

on a separate note, I feel a bit anxious and sad about him being away from me like that and like maybe he’s too young? Shall I wait till he’s 3

ah! I digress 😆

Anyway…is £400 quid a lot per month for 2 mornings or is that just how much nurseries cost

thank you!

These seem like school nursery hours to me. These are usually for 3yo and up, which is free though.

Mine is £400 a month for 1 morning and 1 short day. It's the most expensive nursery near where I live, but my ds loves it.

I found when I was looking that the price difference was so negligible that I may as well go for the one I liked. All nurseries are blimmin expensive.

Seems steep to me too.

Two mornings a week will go quickly. I'd feel sad too. I'm not going back to work either but will take on some projects every few months if needed when she's 2/3.

I pay £260 a month for 2 mornings a week. In SW.
That's actually quite cheap, not why I chose it, most nurseries would work out about £300 a month.
£400 sounds an awful lot though

Yeah not really sure what to do. It’s the only one nearby which has any availability left all. The rest have said to try calling in January. I also need to act pretty quickly before this space is gone too.

i can just about manage working a bit from home a few hours here and there but it often means serious multi tasking and then I have to put the telly on for an hour or so I can keep him in one spot and then I feel guilty for not doing more productive stuff with him.

i think the extra money I’ll be able to make will probably equate to the nursery fees! But then I think it’s good for him and probably good for me to. I don’t have family who can look after him and my DH is at work all day.

thoughts?

When does he turn 3? You'll get funded hours from the term following his Birthday.

How much is a whole day?

It would probably work out cheaper to do one full day a week rather than 2 half days? If that would work for you? I pay around £200 for 1 full day a week.

What is their day rate? Would it actually make more financial sense to put him in 2 days?

West Midlands and daughter pays £300 a month for 2 mornings a week.

1 full day a week is 364 a month. 2 sessions a week is 427 a month.

they have 1 full day available for me to take but I thought 2 mornings a week was better than 1 full day in terms of him becoming familiar and settling ok. To not be there all week and then suddenly be there for the whole day might be a bit much for him. I also think I feel a bit more comfortable with the two mornings. Just seems like crazy money and the woman who runs the place just seems really unfriendly. I know that might sound crazy of me but it’s just given me a weird feeling. She was really cold on the phone and I don’t know, I think when it’s the first time you’re facing the prospect of leaving your child somewhere those things are important.

oh bloody hell i don’t know what to do about any of this now. If I don’t act soon then I won’t have the option to send him to nursery

ah

@NoSquirrels its 723 a month for 2 full days a week so not really. Anyway, they only have one full day spot left so I couldn’t do two full days anyway even if I wanted to

If you’re not comfortable, don’t do it.

At a similar age, when I was freelance, my DC went to an amazing childminder. She liked that I could pick up early before the school run, and was flexible in return if I needed her to keep DC longer. Much cheaper than nursery and she was brilliant.

I would send him and watch the purse stings us get him on waiting list for school Nursery term after he’s 3 as it’s feee some allow 2 full (school hours) days and half or just mornings or. Just afternoons

So 10 hours a week x 4.5 weeks a month = 45 hours a month = £8.88ph.

Sound steep to me but you do live in London where everything seems to cost more.
Generally, Nurseries I know charge on a sliding scale too - so the hourly rate is less if you are full time, which is understandable as there is far more work for looking after 5 children for 2 sessions a week each than there is for looking after one child for 10 sessions.

When will your lo be 3? As the Triple E funding will kick in the term after that.

I have no idea on prices but if you are not sure, have a look at other nurseries in the area with the view if starting when he is 21/2-3 years old.
Your thinking of 2 mornings instead of 1 full day makes sense to me.
What I would say is that it would be good for you to get some work if it keeps your hand in until you are able to work more hours in a few year's time.
I did that but worked in the evenings during the toddler years with my DCs. And they went to nursery 2 mornings a week from 2 1/2 years of age. We couldn't get any more sessions as it was a very popular place and mine went on the waiting lists from 6 months old (crazy, I know!)
The government vouchers used to start from that age - it wasn't exactly a substantial sum but it did help with the fees a bit.
The only reason they went was for socialising and I missed them terribly for those few hours.
Realistically I couldn't have got much work done in that time so I used those mornings for catching up on housework/supermarket shop etc. We also used to walk there and back to fit in dog walking so those mornings were gone in a flash.
I'm sure you'll find the optimum solution but find a place you really like first.

My 4 year old does a half day at pre school and I barely get any work done between drop off and pick up compared to when he does full days at nursery. I’d go for the full day that’s available and wait for a second day to open up.

It’s £70-110 round here per day. So £50 a morning seems a bit steep but not outlandish

People pay a grand to put a child in nursery full time so 2 days a week for £400 sounds wrong

Find a childminder.
This nursery has given you weird feeling, the manager cold and in empathetic. Given that leaders make all the difference. sounds like you'll be paying extortionately for your child to be in a potentially uncaring nursery.

You're getting those vibes early on that the manager doesn't have caring qualities, I wouldn't go back there.

You should be reassured and happy with warmth and care your childcare will be providing.

If you look up your local authority ,county council, and go to their website they may have an early care list of local childminders.

Have you tried looking for a preschool rather than a nursery?
They do shorter hours but are often much cheaper (about £5ph around here). Some take from 2 years old and some from 2 years 9 months. Once he turns 3, it will be free or almost free due to the government funding.

Have you looked at local childminders?

I agree with you that two shorter days is better than one long one at this age.

I live in SW London and that price sounds about right compared to what we pay. It’s approx £100 a day for under 3s, but the day rate goes down the more days you have.

I’d be more concerned about the actual nursery though due to what you said about them being unfriendly. Maybe visit a few more to get a feel for them? So hard though when waiting lists in this area are crazy long, most near us are 18 months so you need to put your name down when pregnant! I hope you find something that works and you’re comfortable with, both mine really loved nursery after the initial few weeks

2 partial days really is better for a young child than one full day. It’s just too hard to settle only going once a week.

My experience is that you pay a huge premium for being part-time and for partial days, so hourly the rate is higher than if you were using the same place full time. I can’t speak to your actual rate as I’m in a different country .

Our 2.5 year old goes two mornings a week and we pay £305 a month, nurseries here vary from £50-£75 a day, more expensive for a half day.

But, like you, I wasn't happy with her going one full day a week, it felt like a very long day. She does enjoy her mornings, is always happy when I pick her up and seems to have learnt a lot, especially making friends etc.

You might find you do get the opportunity to get some work done - we drop her off at 7.30 and pick up at 1pm, so a decent chunk of time.

I think that’s average for London now. Hence why we moved

its €45 per month now. for 7am-12.30pm, 5 days a week. €2.04 per day (£1.77 at todays exchange rate)