Childminders?

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Hello

I am looking for a bit of advice and hopefully you can help me! Im currently on maternity leave and am starting to look for childcare for my son. Hopefully mine and my partners parents will be able to help but I would like him to go to a nursery/childminder to socialise with other children too. My partner has a rolling day off each week so one week his day off is Monday, the next Tuesday and so on, so he would be free one day a week to look after him. I know that if my son went to a nursery that I would have to pay for the day at nursery, even if my partner was off work to look after him instead. I was just wondering if we would have to pay for set days at a childminder or whether they would be more flexible than a nursery?

Sorry for the long message

You'll probably have to pay for set days with a childminder, but there is the possibility of finding someone who works more flexibly. You'd need to contact your local childminders to find out their terms. Your best bet is someone who doesn't work to capacity, ime these tend to be the older childminders (Grannys rather than mum iyswim).

It will really depend on the childminder as some need to fill all their spaces to earn enough income while others are happy to just have a few part timers. If you send your child to a childminder for 4 full days with one rolling day off there will probably be a fair chance of finding someone who won't charge for that day, as 4 full days a week still represents a good income. On the other hand, if you split care, for example if your child goes to your parents one day, your partner's parents one day, and to the childminder two days a week then it may be less appealing income wise and childminders may be less likely to offer the flexibility. You won't know until you ask around though!

I would do and have previously done this. I work to capacity but have shared care with some grandparents and have parents who work from home etc so they have flexibility to alter days. Parents and children often like to attend different days and the children like the different groups on different days. Sometimes its nice to have a not quite as busy day too! As long as rota is known in advance so everyone knows where they are it can work well.

Thanks for all your replies. I'm hoping to get the same day off from work each week and my parents have already offered to help. Just hoping my partners parents do the same but I don't mind having to go and ask them (they help to look after their other grandchildren but don't seem to have as much to do with my son ). It would be 2 weeks out of 6 where my partners rolling day would fall on a day when my son might be at a childminder.

I do this for a family. It started off with their first dc and now their second.

In all honesty, it is tricky and takes a lot of swapping and switching some weeks. I don't think I'd agree to do it again.

Also, keep in mind that you will have 5 different carers for your little one.

I would do this - I would just charge for 4 days per week as (space permitting) it wouldn't matter which days they were.

I think the op wants to pay for only 1 day per week but for that day to change each week.

(Apologies if I have read it incorrectly)

TBH, it sounds like a nightmare, you are talking about having your parents looking after him on one day, PIL another day, you dh on a third day, yourself on a fourth day and a CM on the fifth day?

I've not been a CM for a good while, but I wouldn't touch this, not because of the flexible day, but because of the lack of continuity of care.

Having a four day week with a rolling day off would be doable though.