Help! No childcare...

[Nochildcare]

First time posting!

I really need some suggestions with what people do for childcare over the school holidays.

Half my childcare plans for the school holidays has fell through. There's no after school service and I work 8-6 three days a week.

I'm at a loss I don't know what to do for childcare. My dm will take my dc half the school holidays. My holidays only cover 3 weeks and I've already used them for school holidays.

I can't go term time in work or work from home. Holiday clubs are £££ a week! And pay childcare for younger dc so I can't afford it.

Anyone have suggestions?

Tia x

I’m really sorry, @Nochildcare—I wish someone would invent safe and reliable childcare for parents everywhere.
It’s a travesty that this remains unsolved and that mothers bear the burden of not only arranging it, but of panicking about it as well.

I get 3 weeks because where I work closes over xmas and use a weeks holiday for that believe me I wish I got more holidays!

Can you tell me more about the issues in puberty? I've never heard of this and nothing on line.

Can you pay for flights for other grandparent to come over and look after them in the school holidays. You get childcare, grandparent gets to spend more time
with kids, win win.

Can you pay a responsible and experienced teenage babysitter to come to your home?
Ask child to go to a friend's home and you look after the little friend for the same hours.

What was rude was the way you spoke to that poster. I'm not in Scotland but I still had to pay through the nose for childcare.

If you can't afford it, then deferral is surely a luxury you can't manage?

Could you mind children in your home on the 2 days a week you don't work? Or provide babysitting in evenings/weekends, to earn the extra money you will need?

It’s different in Scotland though- anyone in England would be 18 starting freshers week.

most of my friends at Edinburgh had taken up the option of deferring uni entry until they were 18, or stayed on at school in education. The only ones I knew at 17 were medics who had to do 6 years instead of 5 if they started at 18.

so a decision at reception age to avoid being under 18 for freshers week seems a bit unnecessary and extreme!

You are right to consider referral if your instincts and experiance tells you to.
Have you thought of having one day per week where your DH takes the child to work? This could be fun and doable. Maybe your DH will work slightly slower but it could be great for them both.

Sorry issues was probably the wrong word, their peers most likley be further into the stages of puberty before they are on the first stage. (My old boss done some sort of training and this came up on it)

They were also rude and just because theyre child was fine doesnt mean someone elses will be.

Would you send child to school if they weren't ready or your gut was telling you maybe not this year?

As a parent your job is to try your best to do right by your child/ren and honestly I would rather pay childcare for another year than potentially make life so much more harder for my son because of a decision that I made to save some money for a year

Hi OP,

I'm Scottish too, but living in England. You're quite right to defer and I know it is easier in Scotland.

In England we practically get lit on fire if we even mention the idea, which is why people are jumping all over you.

You can just ignore them. The Scottish system is right and you should be proud that you can do the right thing for your DS.

Jeez, 5.5 tends to be the norm here in Scotland for January/February birthdays and I certainly would not choose to send my kid earlier just to save money. Hopefully people just have a lack of understanding of the Scottish schooling system
OP- does your youngest go to nursery through the summer anyway to keep their place open? Is it just your older child you need to find care for a couple of weeks?
Best thing to do would be to work out what it would cost for full day holiday clubs vs what it would cost to take unpaid leave for you and see what the best option is. Also push for your DH to work over the weekends foe those weeks then surely he could do childcare on the days you work instead if you really don't want to lose money.
Last option would be to ask around at school to see if anyone wants to do care swapping during the holidays. There might be some parents rhat will be thrilled to do this too

Why not cancel that two week holiday, and use it for the times you have no childcare ?

So a choice of no job, or go on holiday to see distant family ?
Cancel the holiday

its difficult, and surely 85% of childcare paid for is a good option, if you qualify for it

I didn't have a choice where I am.

If you can't manage or afford childcare in the summer, then maybe your decision isn't straightforward, is all I am saying?

85% is loads! That's what everyone else does!
You just have to take the hit between you and your partner for the 6 weeks of summer

That is different. Theoretically the child must start by the term in which he turns five - so if his birthday is in June, he starts after the Easter holidays (April). But many primary schools (and all those near where I live in London) only want to offer September starts, so the child turning five in June 2025 was expected to start full-time school in September 2024, aged 4 and 2-3 months.

This suits some 4 year olds fine, and they thrive on it, but others aren't ready for primary school at that age.

Could DH’s family travel to you instead (in future, not this time if you’ve already paid for flights) and help with childcare? I know a few people who spend a couple of weeks in other countries to look after grandchildren.

Can your mum do any more if she’s willing/available?

Could you provide mutual childcare to any mum friends who work on the days you are off?

I don’t know otherwise. I rely heavily on grandparent support and DH and I tend to work opposite shifts to each other, so there is often someone at home. My safety net would be reducing my hours, which would involve downsizing the house or extending my mortgage term to reduce monthly payments.

Can you pay for a club one day, ask a friend another day and can dh do a day. Local leisure centres often do cheap holiday clubs with theme days or a childminder?

The law in Scotland now is that all children must start school before their 6th birthday so September- February are now all funded for deferral if requested by parents. It came into effect last year.
We deferred my November son and his friend is a day younger than him but in the year above him.

Because research has proven that there is absolutely no benefit to starting school at 4? Ian increasing percentage of Jan and Feb born children in Scotland are deferred to start school at 5. Starting earlier means they could be going to university (as I did) aged 16.

Why are people so anti deferral? Can’t believe how many obnoxious comments you’ve received on that! I have an October child who I’m deferring (so they’ll be almost 6 when they start). No concerns about their abilities at all. Also in Scotland 🙋‍♀️

Lots of research out there to say deferring is positive for your child’s development and wellbeing. Ignore all the busybodies!

Only cheap childcare advice I have is try to pool it. I take my friends child on a Monday, she takes mine on a Thursday. Works for us and has become quite a nice social routine for the wee ones too (both only children).

Scottish school year starts in August. This summer for children born between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021. So kids will be aged (roughly) between 5.5 yrs and 4.5 yrs. Deferring is quite common for children born January/February.

"Four and a half is a normal age to start school, Nochildcare."

The cut off in Scotland is the end of February (not August like it is in England). So the very youngest children in the class will be February born. It is fairly common for January and February kids to be deferred.

I’m in Scotland and totally agree with deferring a February born child . Mine are November and December birthdays and I wish I had done it .
Not for starting school but for finishing - my eldest done 6 years and was still only 17 .5 when forced to leave . I’d have liked him to have another year to mature ..

"My DD turned 4 2 weeks before starting reception, and there are 3 children younger than her in her year of 15 children! 3 of the 4 are the highest achieving in the class (now yr2).
I don’t understand why you would defer unless there were significant reason to do so."

Children in Scotland are at least 4 and a half when they start school. If op didn't defer her child would be the youngest in the class. Not everyone lives in England