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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask those of you with school age kids

76 replies

IceAndLemonPlease · 06/11/2023 17:55

Primary aged, what do you do for before and after school care?
DD’s grandma will take care of her beginning of the week then DH the latter.

OP posts:
Didimum · 06/11/2023 18:31

We WFH two days a week and they are old enough to keep to entertain themselves after school while we work. Then we have a nanny the other three days.

Mumaway · 06/11/2023 18:34

When we had DD1 at school and DD2 at nursery we had a wrap-around nanny. After some fairly serious trouble once DD2 went to school, police and SS involved, we now have an au pair.

Thequeenofwishfulthinking · 06/11/2023 18:34

I work school hours and term time only.
I drop off and pick up and take a shorter lunch break.

MintJulia · 06/11/2023 18:36

I made sure I worked close to school, and dropped ds off at 8.45 before going to work. Then ds went to ASC from 3.15 - 6pm.

The ASC stopped operating on Fridays, so I agreed with my boss, to take my Friday lunch time between 2.45 - 3.45, which meant I could pick 10yo ds up, drop him home, get him settled and go back to work for 2 hours.

It was a bit cobbled together but we got through.

sweetsoul40 · 06/11/2023 18:40

I wfh so do both drop off and pick up. If I do go into the office, I've arranged it with my manager that I can leave at 2.30pm to so sch pick up and work rest of afternoon wfh. They are relatively old enough to keep themselves occupied until I finish work

megletthesecond · 06/11/2023 18:41

I didn't need before school care as I changed my hours to start at 9:30 for school drop off and walking to work. I decided it was better to lose a couple of hours pay a week than breakfast club and drive.
Used after school club and grandparents after school.

Brilliantlydone · 06/11/2023 18:42

Before and after school club. Costs me about £200 a month for five days a week.

Laurdo · 06/11/2023 18:44

I WFH. I start after I drop her off, collect her her at 3pm and continue working until DH comes in about 4pm. She usually sits up next to me at my desk and draws pictures.

EsmeeMerlin · 06/11/2023 18:44

My partner works shift work so they are in either breakfast club or after school club at their school depending on their dad's shift. They very rarely do wraparound care. He will often have a day off in the week so no childcare needed.

Brainfogmcfogface · 06/11/2023 18:47

I’m a forced sahm, I need to be working, financially in the gutter but I can’t find a job that fits school hours and the few
after school clubs there are are full with wait lists and there’s no breakfast provision that drops to our school, and holiday clubs get booked up the second they’re released and even if you do manage to get one they only cover school hours or less. Without family support which I don’t have it’s impossible for me to work where I live and I’m at a point where my income doesn’t cover my very basic outgoings so I really don’t know what how we’re going to cope.

mynameiscalypso · 06/11/2023 18:48

We share drop offs between us, depending on who has what in their diary that morning. Today we both did it for no particular reason. We have an afterschool nanny 3 days a week and I have flexed my hours or do the pick up and afterschool stints on the other days.

Fahhgedaboutit · 06/11/2023 18:49

After school club, us when we can (I’m part time) or grandparents. Luckily after school club/breakfast club at the school is always available.

namechangnancy · 06/11/2023 19:02

Ahhh so originally when we got my dd place for reception- we found out there was no wrap around care. I hadn't expected to get out first place tbh so panic stations.

Luckily we found a brillant child minder for some of the days and use after school club on days she doesn't have space.

Childminders tend to book up fast (we nabbed the last spot in feb (that's before place was confirmed in April).

The problem is wrap around care seems to go to sleep if at the school during the holidays which isn't helpful. Childminder is a hell of a lot more helpful !

TheGoogleMum · 06/11/2023 19:05

Chose a primary school with before and after school wraparound

vernatheraven · 06/11/2023 19:10

I work from home so I make up the time on the school run from my would be lunch.

terraced · 06/11/2023 19:11

We used breakfast club and after school club

Favouritefruits · 06/11/2023 19:14

I’m a SAHM and often have other kids in tow, I take my DN to school and lots if parents rely on me for childcare, it really annoys me but I’m too nice to say no!

Youcancallmeirrelevant · 06/11/2023 19:14

Breakfast club and after school club run by the school, so 7:30-5pm in total

jaern · 06/11/2023 19:16

Ours are at a school where they can be dropped off in the playground at 8am (no charge) and are supervised by staff. After school they do extracurricular clubs based at school, though I finish early on 2 days to take them to music and gymnastics elsewhere. They enjoy the extracurricular clubs because the activities are taught but don't like the after school childcare as it's just crafts and toys but not a led activity so they'd rather just be at home.

avocadotofu · 06/11/2023 19:16

DS is 5 and just started school. I work part time and DH has a pretty flexible job so we only need after school club twice a week.

Brainfogmcfogface · 06/11/2023 19:19

In my area there is no choice it’s done on catchment, you get what you’re given.

arintingly · 06/11/2023 19:19

Breakfast and after school club, including when we WFH.

We both work part time so it's only 3 days a week

NewYorkBride · 06/11/2023 19:21

Thankfully my mum takes her in in the morning but after school is:
Monday- Auntie #1
Tuesday- Auntie #1 picks up and then Auntie #2 picks her up and brings her home
Wednesday- Childminder
Thursday- My sister's MIL drops her at ballet
Friday- My mum (I would be so lost without her!)

Peccary · 06/11/2023 19:24

We're both hybrid (me 2 days WFH, him 3) Mon and Friday one of us drops off and picks up although she currently does activity clubs at school until 4.15 on those days. Tue-thu breakfast club at a local nursery that takes her to school, she goes to the school one those evenings until 5.45

Dogdaywoes · 06/11/2023 19:57

Breakfast and after-school clubs. I've recently changed jobs which means we now only use breakfast club once a month and after school care 3 times a week but before that it was 5 days a week every week.