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 🤨?

Fair play though whoever gets to look after your baby will be very lucky as they must be very placid and good at amusing themselves for hours on end.

It's minimum 90% of waking hours.

It isn’t uncommon for some people to work at least one weekend day too. Not everyone works jobs where they can have weekends off.

It is uncommon for both partners to need a 6am drop off on weekdays and to both work Saturday mornings though.

OP, have you thought what you’ll do for wraparound care once they start school? Many school breakfast clubs start at 7.45.

Yes, this. ☝️

Our nursery had standard hours of 8am-6pm but you could add extra hours to make it 7am-7pm. I went back to work just 3 days per week fully intending to add the extra hours when needed. However, nursery is exhausting for babies and you want to be able to stick to routines you’ve already established (so that you get enough sleep to do your job properly!). When I did occasionally extend the hours, I felt the care in those hours was less specialised. The children were grouped across ages so that the nursery was managing their cost base (understandably), but in the evenings it felt like they were just sat waiting for parents. I guess, I’m gently trying to tell you that those sort of hours in a nursery aren’t as valuable as more time and activity with loving parents. Many nursery staff are wonderful but ultimately it is their job not family.

No one can convince @scottishgal09 that what she is asking for is impossible

I expext when she’s phoned every nursery in the LA, thing will start to become clearer!

How many have you phoned locally, @scottishgal09 ?

As one of those staff who are qualified and know about child development. Unless there are significant safeguarding concerns - home is always better for the child to be. I cared for and loved the children I looked after before I left the profession (I’m a teacher now) but I am absolutely no replacement for the bond between a parent and child. In my professional opinion as childcare professional and a Reception teacher, the benefits of nursery only outweighs the negatives of never going to a setting at preschool age. I won’t be sending my child to nursery before 3, I will have to go part time but that is the choice I made when I chose to have a child. The sacrifice is mine - not my child’s.

Children in full time childcare have tea provided at 4:30/5ish, so don't need dinner. They also don't need a bath every night (though I'm not sure why meals and baths aren't quality time with a parent anyway). At a 5pm pickup, a parent can have 2hrs of evening quality time with their child, which is the same for any working parent picking up at 5 or 6 or 6:30 or whatever time is the standard to finish work and get to nursery for pick up.

So much drama.

You need your aunt's help until your child is 16.

I am saying that as an aunt.

You need someone who can help you if an emergency happens and you need someone trusted to look after your child overnight.

You need your aunt to help you manage childcare around the school holidays. Yes there are holiday clubs but they don't start at 6am. Some also randomly fold.

It's not a career, if you have to work 4 jobs between 2 of you to pay for nursery so please don't be deluded into thinking it's a career, it's usually a dead end job, which you love and the reality is you can't actually afford a nursery with such long hours 6 days a week if you need to work 4 jobs. Even if you lose one of your jobs, you may not be able to afford a nursery. Don't mean to be harsh but that's a reality. Don't understand your fixation on Drs, can you explain?

For a start if the child is picked up at 5pm, it’s then got to get home, that’s not really quality bonding time. Even if getting home only takes 10 minutes, by the time they get in, get settled it will probably be closer to 5.30pm. Then as the child has to be up at 5am-5.15am probably at the latest to get to nursery the poor child needs to be put to bed by 6-6.30pm to get even close to the enough sleep. 30 minutes to 1 hour a day is not enough time for a child to be with parents 5 days a week. Especially as they’ll be away from them for probably 6 hours on a Saturday too.

Jesus Christ

I have not RTFT but from OPs responses it sounds like she’s getting a right going over! @scottishgal09 My DC was in an incredible nursery from 7.30am to 5.30pm, 5 days per week from 9 months old.
They are now 8 and there is no resentment, no attachment issues, none of the horror stories upthread have come to pass! We have a pleasant, bright, sassy(!), well adjusted child.
I do think you’ll struggle to find the provision you ideally want and have to make compromises/use multiple providers but I’m annoyed on your behalf for the amount of shit you are getting for wanting to work and keep up the career you have clearly grafted for.
Good luck!

Absolutely correct … why have a baby and then never spend any quality time with them … it’s crazy!

Where are you getting 6 hours on a Saturday from?

People are just making things up at this point.

It is better for her in the future to have us both working to provide everything she needs rather then be on benefits like some suggest

Ah yes, because those are the ONLY 2 options available for parents 😂

No one is saying nurseries are bad. We use nursery. But also i don’t know a single person who sends their kid to childcare from 6am/6.15am, including all my friends in the NHS.

The OP said she needs to work Saturday morning too and needs a Nursery that is open Saturdays. If that’s another 6am start, I’m guessing she needs it at least 6am-12.

Your job is not suitable for also raising children. And I say that as someone who is very career minded and absolutely thinks women can continue to work with children, even full time. But you are working more than full time hours! So if your job is your priority (and the father also doesn't have a suitable job to be the main caregiver) then you should have seriously considered whether to bring children into this. Sadly for this child its too late for that now.

All your replies are very defensive and you never mention the wellbeing or the needs of your child. You seem to be unable to accept that a very young child (or of any age frankly) cannot be looked after out of the home by strangers 13 hours a day 6 days a week!

It’s a lot of guessing. She also is very unlikely to find a nursery open on a Saturday anyway.

I was one of your first replies, this thread has certainly gained some momentum!

A few things:

-You still haven't answered if anyone is around on Saturday morning to look after your child?

If they are, and you can drop an hour in the morning and at night at work, and find a good nursery you MIGHT be able to make this work.

-Why can't your husband help in the morning? Do you both need to be at work at 6:30am.... Is this breakfast service in a restaurant, or what?
If you are managers it does seem like you could pick shorter shifts for yourselves

• You say that if you want to get promoted you have to put the hours in or someone else without children will fill your shoes.

Sorry, but that's the path you've chosen. You can still keep working and have a career but your child should come first and promotions second. That's life as a parent.

I speak from knowledge . I'm a scientist, I got pregnant with my daughter whilst doing a first year PhD course. It was bad timing, but I had to suck it up and consider what was best. I took the Mphil (masters) and left it there and that was hard enough to complete. I decided I wanted to be with my daughter and bond with her rather than zooming off to work every day and staying there til late. I still have a career but I didn't push everything to the limit.

You might one day come to similar conclusions.

I wish you good luck x

It isn’t 6 full days a week. It’s full time nursery plus Saturday mornings.

It seems that there is a fundamental disconnect between the OP's overall views/values on life and those of most of the posters. They simply can't be reconciled so it seems that agreeing to disagree, for both sides, would be best.

And I completely get where both sides are coming from. The way the OP sees things does, believe it or not, have some upsides. I bet her daughter will be very successful given her parents' very very strong drive. Personally, I wouldn't be able to do it (and my DS is at the nursery for 7-8h a day). But on some level I do get the OP.

What will you do when your child is at school?!

You'll never find a school with a breakfast club to accommodate such an early start!

I'm very career focused as is DH but we've had to make changes now that we're parents.
We used nursery full time but made sure we had regular late drop offs and early pick ups to reduce the hours where possible.

You can't always carry on as you could pre-kids and I say that to both mums and dads.

The op already works long hours all week Saturday morning is a second job. Her baby is only 9 months old so it’s very relevant.