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 🤨?

None of that changes that the OP believes nursery workers will love her child because they wouldn't work in a nursery if they didn't love children. None of that changes that she doesn't want a childminder because she believes they don't have toys or do activities with the children.

Her decision is not an informed one.

@Didimum what quality time does dad have if he works 7 days a week?

That’s a snapshot of MN. It has no bearing on whether OP’s child will be adequately and safely cared for. And why does this snapshot exist? Because dependable and quality childcare costs double an average monthly mortgage. Some women are forced out of work due to necessity and not preference.

Do you and your husband work the same shifts? Most people doing shift work during the early years try to stagger it.

One of you drop off and the other pick up.

@scottishgal09
When you were a baby what was your childcare arrangements?

@Didimum
How many hours a week were your children in nursery care?

That’s an issue between these two parents – not MN on the basis of OP’s query.

30hrs a week from 1yr to 2, and then 40hrs from 2-4. How is this relevant to OP’s question?

The longest hours I've seen available in my area are 8-6; there's one nursery offering this, with an 18 month (!) wait list.

From personal experience, I'd say to bear in mind that even the best childcare arrangements can fall through. I have a great nursery, but just in the past 6 months, I've seen:

• 2 days we couldn't attend due to staff (and agency) sickness which meant they had to reduce capacity
• 4 days my child was ill or in the exclusion period for an illness and couldn't attend
• 2 days nursery was closed due to a broken pipe
• 3 days closure due to local water outage

It sounds like your job lacks flexibility. Would it work out if childcare was unexpectedly unavailable? Or would it be really stressful?

You sound exceptionally motivated, dedicated to your job and hard working. Could you consider starting your own business and being able to set your own hours (e.g. working when your partner is home or child is asleep?).

And you still do not know the settings available to OP, so it’s not relevant.

@scottishgal09
Why do you need to drop off your baby at 6am if you work as a restaurant manager. I would expect you to work evenings, not very early in the morning. Do you both start that early?
Sadly, I don't think you re going to find a nursery opening at 6am. Nurseries only really work for parents working 9-5 M-F.
Then you're going to have to think outside the box for an alternative.
Could you look into getting an au pair (if you have a spare bedroom). She could then drop your baby to a local nursery at 8am. She might be able to look after the baby on a Saturday for a few hours.
Otherwise, I think you will have to find a more flexible job/s or reduce your hours and claim some benefits.

Because you are one of the few people who doesn't see an issue with having a child in nursery circa 60 hours a week.

Curious if your children were in anything like that and the answer is no you 1-2 year old was in nursery half that time.

You seem set on using nursery as much as possible - your choice. What I will say is that my son was off sick from nursery AT LEAST 30% of the time in his first 18 months. It’s a complete germ fest and nursery will ring you at least once every 6 weeks to come and collect child as they are ill. What will you do then?? In my case I ended up leaving my job because there was so much unpredictably with the amount of sickness and my employer was very very inflexible and I literally could no longer do my job due to the uncertainty of it all. Now he is older it’s much much better but god the first year was literally just a mega germ swap with 10 other children!!! x

@RoobarbAndMustard I'm guessing she works in a hotel and does breakfast.
Ask I say my guess, I had been thinking the same thing.

Don't let people make you feel guilty about sending your child to a nursery. Both my children went from baby stage and are now well educated and balanced individuals.
However, you will find it difficult to find a nursery with the hours you require.
I checked on the hours of the hospital nursery my children attended and they are 0700-1800 hrs.
Like other posters have recommended, you might need to look into a nanny or if you have a spare room, maybe an au-pair.

Agree with the suggestion of an au pair. It basically gives you way more flexibility and a consistent care giver for your baby. You could use an au pair and a nursery. Depending on where you are you may end up paying 2k a month for as many nursery hours as you are after maybe even more perhaps!!! So an au pair might be more affordable aswell..

Same at mine.

Mine take them out and about too.

My childcare situation has no bearing on OP’s situation. At all.

Same. It was excellent care. Much better than what their grandparents provided.

Au pairs are not meant to have sole baby care. They are not meant to be cheap nannies

Bonkers. They both have two jobs to pay for childcare that they need because they both have two jobs to pay for the childcare they need because they both have two jobs...

Hit a nerve did I? Are you another with your kid in full time child care.

I agree. I wouldn’t opt for grandparents either.

You need to plan for your baby coming down with every virus going around & being poorly quite regularly, I'm not exaggerating.

I feel in your circumstances a nanny would be preferable.

I honestly can't understand why you can't split your shifts with your partner/husband - one of you does early, one does later, so your baby isn't in childcare as much as you propose. Nursery staff are wonderful for the most part but nothing to compare to love they get from parents/family.

I'm trying to understand your perspective but I admit I struggle to see how your job is more important than your baby.

Eh? Her beliefs about nursery workers and childminders are naive at best and ignorant at worst. She is making a choice based on those beliefs.

I'm really sorry but you are completely deluded. All this talk of sacrificing for your child, nursery workers "loving" your child, nursery being the best place for them to be - it's all self-delusional bullshit, which you are spouting to try to convince yourself that your actions are not selfish.

Read up on the importance of the 0-5 years and their impact on the healthy emotional development of the child. This baby needs its parents as its primary caregivers, not to be shunted out to a busy nursery for 66 hours a week! It's absolutely crazy OP. How can you possibly imagine that your child is better off being given functional care in a nursery setting, alongside lots of other children, than having plenty of 1:1 attention from you and her dad? You need to educate yourself.

Also prepare yourself for the amount of illness your child will inevitably incur in a nursery setting - one of you will have to take time off when your child is sent home repeatedly with a slightly raised temperature or is too poorly to attend the setting. Children who attend nursery are often ill. What do you propose to do then?

There is no job more important than being available to your children. Nobody is saying that that parents shouldn't work at all but will you really look back when your child is 18 and leaving home and regret the hours you didn't spend working? Or will you regret the childhood you missed. You never get this time back, OP, and neither does your child.