nursery opening hours

[scottishgal09]

I need to go back to work so will soon be putting my 9 month old in nursery, only thing is that the earliest I can find any nursery open is 7 am to 7 pm. The 7 pm closing time is fine but I really find I need a opening time of 6 pm. I also work Saturday mornings so need something that is open 6 days. Start time should be at least 6:00 pm but I struggle to find this. Do these type of nursery’s exist? What are the opening and closing hours for your nursery’s? Why don’t nursery’s take into account that some parents need to work 6 days 🤨?

Most nurseries I know are open 8-6. I think there is one next to the hospital that is open longer hours but even that one isn't open from 6 or on Saturdays.

This is the opposite of what's best for your baby. I'd be changing jobs if a nanny isn't affordable.

It’s not that easy to change jobs. If I leave my job it could be that I will not get it again, I shouldn’t be punished for having a job.

You said you have 2 jobs, due to the cost of nursery. Would one of you not consider giving up one of the jobs and having fewer hours in nursery? Might this be more economically viable?

I say this kindly. I don't know how you can maintain those working hours with a baby. I really struggled getting a sleeping baby up and out of the house for a 7.30 start. Getting any child up at 5 every day does not seem workable. If you worked less hours could you cover childcare yourself ? Sadly something usually has to give when you return to work after mat leave. You will be exhausted working those hours with such a young child.

Babies and toddlers need to sleep for around 12 hours at night. If they are not being picked up till 7pm and getting dragged out of bed at 5:30 they are not going to even get enough sleep to function.

I empathise with how difficult it is (we are currently 1 year in to childcare costs) but I really think you need to rethink this

I really do understand how important it is having a job and keeping that independent part of your life going, but in all honesty this is going to be monstrously unfair on your daughter if you do manage to find somewhere.

I would look at options including universal credit etc if one of you gave up work completely, or looking at changing jobs so one of you worked days and the other worked evenings and weekends, for example.

Punished for having a job? Op you chose to have a child, no one is punishing you.

It’s not realistic. Is your partner really working 7 days a week? Or just Saturday/ Sundays?

You cant possible both work super early until later 6-7 days a week. If one parent has early or later shifts, then generally the other parent has to work opposite, or pay ££ for live in nanny, or has family help.

If your starting at 6.30am, you aren’t working to 6.30pm 6 days are you?

You know you get government tax free allowance on childcare and possibly other help depending on your income and child age.

The baby will be getting ready for nursery at 5am for a 6 am start ?
never known a nursery to open at weekends.
So many hours in nursery will be very expensive ?

I think the lack of available nursery places with these hours tell you more about your current set up than they do about the nursery’s. I’m all for women going out to work but a child being in nursery from 6-6 and then Saturdays too is not good for the child. Deep down you must know that what you are proposing is not at all realistic. And so you need to reduce your working hours and reduce what you can afford in the rest of your lives according. Something has to give, and it shouldn’t been your child’s well-being.

This is why flexible working exists. Nursery's don't work around you, you have to work around nursery hours or find other childcare

Have to fully agree with this.

As a childminder I wouldn't do this either. 13 hour days and working Saturdays (along with caring for all the other mindees too) would exhaust me.

The extra money (£6.50/hour) for having one child at that time is not worth it.

I wouldn’t normally say this, but no nursery will give 6 days of 6am-7pm care.. that’s a hell of a lot for a small child. I think a nanny or childminder or even 2 would be a better arrangement. Equally it wouldn’t be unreasonable to do less hours if life allows so you have more time. DS started nursery at 9 months and I thought 8 hour days x3 days a week were a lot too much for him, he was exhausted. Best of luck x

Babies affect your life. Simple as that. You cannot expect to continue as you were pre- baby. And working 2 jobs to pay for nursery to cover the hours spent working at 2 jobs is just incomprehensible. Something has to give when you have children, otherwise there's little point in having them. However, it doesn't just have to be you who makes changes, your child is the responsibility of both parents. One of you, or both, needs to think about what is best for your child and nursery 12 hours a day, six days a week isn't it.

Bloody hell OP that sounds tough on you all. Six days a week and 12 or 13 hour days in nursery is so much for a little person and foryou. I know how it sounds extreme but could you reduce outgoings at all like your mortgage etc. We both worked 6 days before our son came along to pay for everything but ended up downsizing and buying a cheaper house. My husband worked 5 days and me 4. It was so much better for us all, we didn't have lots of money and we're keeping our heads above water so I'm definitely not saying his from a position of financial privilege.

On this many working hours it really is worth sitting down and looking carefully at your finances. Even if you managed to find a 6-7pm nursery for 6 days a week. That would be so expensive that it would more or less wipe out one wage wouldn't it?

This arrangement would be hard on you all in different ways and you may find that one of you going part time or stopping for a few years is actually not that much less money if you factor in nursery fees.

Plus it would ease the pressure on the whole family...working full time and having a baby is HARD!

Get a nanny. You won’t find a nursery that opens from 6am and on weekends and the thought of a poor 9 month old baby getting up at 5am for a 6am start 6 days a week spending all day at nursery is rather cruel. So likely a nanny is your best option.

My nursery opens 8-6 you won't find a nursery for the hours that you want, no nursery will be open from 6 am

Give up one of the jobs and claim UC.

If the pair of you weren’t in a position to adjust your working hours to accommodate a baby you had no business having one. Did you not research this first?!!

You will both need to make flexible working requests so that you don’t both work at the same the at weekends and will need a shorter day. Or one of you changes job.

Our current nursery is 7.45-5.15, previous was 7.30-6. Mon-Fri only. DD goes 4 days 8-5.

Your poor baby.

Might not have been planned.

You will unlikely find a nursery open before 7 or on weekends. A nanny may provide the childcare you need but it’ll come at a cost. Where I am nursery is £70 a day, even for full time that’s approx £1400 month (minus tax free childcare which takes it down by £500 a quarter) plus needing childcare on a Saturday too. Something has to give here, you must be a high earner to be able to afford that (plus a Saturday) and have money to live on. If you work 6 days a week just to cover childcare, then perhaps reducing your hours (and thus your childcare costs, and the demand on you and the baby) would be of benefit. My kids do 3 days 8.30-4 and are exhausted and crave time with me and their Dad. You don’t get these years back, I personally would look at what can give because if all the money you earn goes on childcare for the baby you never get to see, then whats the point?

I used to start at 6am, but we weren’t allowed to accept the first child under 7:05am. We’d sometimes slightly break the rules by 10 minutes or so if a parent really needed it, but not daily. We didn’t work Saturdays.

I’d be concerned about the length of the day, and how the child will cope. Plenty do, of course; but my toddler is a mess after 2 full days and is only there 8:30 - 4:30. It genuinely hasn’t occurred to me that he’d struggle, he’s very social and outgoing. It’s been a struggle to find ways to make it work with him, and some of my friends have had the same struggle. Some have managed to reduce to half days, and some have had to stick to more days but notice differences in their children, for example one is an absolute chatterbox with us and at home but doesn’t speak at nursery.

It’s a difficult road. Perhaps a nanny would work out better, as they could be more personalised with hours, and there would be that 1:1 connection which might make it easier?