Feel frustrated that childcare is virtually free in many countries, puts me off having a child here

[Knowingmeknowingyou1]

A large reason as to why I'm unsure about having a child is the cost. Knowing that a full time nursery place is approx £1500 per month, I've found out today that in Greece childcare is heavily subsidized and costs around 70 euros per month.
My parents have offered to financially support us were we to have a child which is incredibly generous, however I still have no idea how we'd afford it.
It just seems ridiculous that we pay so much and struggle so much financially in the UK.

Well I guess the flip side is that someone has to pay for it, and having children is a choice. I'm thinking the people who are childless either by choice of not, already pay one helluva lot of tax for other people's children.

We don't value childcare in the UK. We look.down on people who stay home and raise their kids..apparently its ok to look after someone else's kids just not your own 🙄

For the amount many people have to pay, the investment in children in this country is pitiful. Don't get me started on school funding.....

How on earth are you not sure if you can afford it when your parents have essentially said they would fund it?

which is a very rare and odd position to be in actually, as a fully grown adult. Why would you need them to do that?

I agree that childcare costs are astronomical. You make it work on two incomes, mostly, and cut back. I work a 40 hour week in 3.5 days so we don’t need a full time place. And we’ll probably not have another.

Best move to greece if you can
residence-greece.com/cost-living-greece-vs-uk/

Only way to make childcare cheaper is for the government to heavily subsidise it,or standards to be lower. The government keep talking about how they are going to lower standards. So you will soon have cheaper childcare.

And if we had a system where it would actually make financial sense for one parent to stay home for the first couple of years, that’s the choice i’d make. Unfortunately it’s not a choice I have, and I would love to stay at home with my baby more than anything. It rankles that we have to pay through the nose for a nursery to care for him when I want to do it myself, but that’s not the society we live in.

Actually the birth rates in Spain and Italy are very low, largely because its very difficult to find support and childcare when you become a parent.

Move to Greece then.

If your parents have told you they will pay, what's the issue.
Or use a childminder, they are often cheaper.

Not pay entirely, offer some financial support.
Thanks for replies

This is probably one of the reasons why Greece is virtually bankrupt ......again

We have very expensive childcare in the U.K.

I linked to this the other day. Net childcare cost comparison by country. It’s page 15 of this www.oecd.org/els/soc/benefits-and-wages/Net%20childcare%20costs%20in%20EU%20countries_2019.pdf

Which countries?

Child care is Switzerland is so expensive it makes the UK seem cheap.

As someone else stated many European countries are struggling with low birth rates due to poor child possiblities.

It’s not free, it’s just paid for by other people. I don’t think that either way is necessarily right or wrong. We do get a subsidy in the U.K. too.