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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Childminder near home or near work - what would you choose?

22 replies

EmmalouJ · 18/05/2015 11:37

I'm going back to work in January and my boss suggested getting a childminder near work so if I am running late I can pick up my son easily. However this had not ever crossed my mind as my husband would have to drive 30 mins in the wrong direction to collect if I can't. My work is half a hours drive away from home but due to London traffic this can take up to an hour so possibility of being late to collect is a real issue.

What would you do? .......

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gamerwidow · 18/05/2015 11:41

Near home, you might want to keep the childminder when your dc starts school. This won't be possible if she's not local to your house.

meglet · 18/05/2015 11:43

near home. You can use it on days off, or if you're sick. and other people can help drop off / collect if you're stuck.

Sausages123 · 18/05/2015 11:44

Near home only as mine would fall asleep in the car on way home from work and then be impossible to get to bed plus childminder is now going to o after school care and take my second child

SoonToBeSix · 18/05/2015 11:45

Sounds like your boss wants an excuse for you to stay at work later. I would get one near home for the reason meglet said also no commute for your ds.

Thurlow · 18/05/2015 11:45

Near home. You might be ill, you might have another DC and want to keep your childcare, you might have local friends who can help out...

cadidog · 18/05/2015 11:56

Near home. When mine started at nursery he was so tired he could barely tolerate a 10 minute drive home. Driving across London with an exhausted crying baby in the back? No thanks.

Sidge · 18/05/2015 12:01

Near home.

Less commuting time for your child.

Easier for you if for eg you are off sick, on leave, and child can still go to CM.

Easier for your Dh to pick up.

slightlyconfused85 · 18/05/2015 12:13

I went for near work which worked for us, however, we only have one car dh cycles to work and I have to drive so I had to drop and pick up dd. Now number 2 is imminent we are switching to child are near home

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 18/05/2015 16:14

Near home for all the reasons stated above. You need to leave work on time to give yourself that hour's grace if traffic is bad. Or suck up the extortionate late fees. Or use public transport though that's often not any more reliable.
I do know people who used city centre nurseries for small babies but for the most part they were provided free/highly subsidised by their employer. Unless the nursery is in a particularly leafy part of London you will start to fret about outdoor space and pollution etc.

Original poster

EmmalouJ · 18/05/2015 16:28

Thanks guys. I think I'll have to be rigid about leaving at a set time. I hadn't thought about if I'm unwell etc. it's so scary leaving them with a stranger!!! Just got to try and find one I like now. Should be easy right .......... ??

OP posts:

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 18/05/2015 17:00

Sit down with your husband/partner assuming you have one. Between the two of you, you need to cover drop offs and pick ups, sickness cover for the child and still hold down a job, work the occasional late evening or work social occasion. It's a shock to the system for everyone concerned. The outcome of that pow wow will be a huge help in deciding where and how to best source your childcare from.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that childcare which is any distance or a car ride from home usually results in a late nap. Not exactly conducive to a stereotypical English 7pm bedtime

HSMMaCM · 18/05/2015 18:12

Near home for all the reasons above. Also ... If you book a day off for Christmas shopping (or whatever), it's easy to drop the DC off with the cm on the way.

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 18/05/2015 22:26

Or just a day shopping/ duvet/spa Day off work for Christmas shopping ..... Urgh! Anyway... Derails thread but you get the idea. Training course/funeral/day surgery/day wfh for lunchtime medical apt etc Unless you live v close to home or have grandparents on tap near home it's often a pain.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 18/05/2015 22:34

Near home. If you're worried about being on time then be upfront about this when choosing a cm. Agree what you'll do. Is she happy to charge you at normal rate for the first 30 minutes or agree to have your contracted hours slightly over what you need. As long as you've worked it out then it should be clear, you don't get stressed and the cm doesn't feel put upon.

Jinxxx · 19/05/2015 07:01

On balance I agree with the others who have suggested near home is better, though in practice I made the opposite choice for my eldest son. I had a long drive to work and was keen that I should be able to get to him quickly if he were unwell, so he stayed literally next door to my office. I could often hear him playing in the garden. I also visited him sometimes in my own lunch hour, or took him out for lunch when he got older. We had several years of hour long chats on the way to and from work and I got to see him awake which I would otherwise would not have done much on a working day. Also when a bit older, he loved the days when we took the train instead of the car, and chatted with a lot of our fellow passengers. So there are a lot of pros for close to work too.

DinosaursRoar · 19/05/2015 07:12

Agree with near home, additional reasons include your dc is more likely to socialise with local children at groups etc so know other children when you send them to pre-school, the childminder is more likely to be able to do pre-school pick up, making everything a bit more manageable.

MinesAPintOfTea · 19/05/2015 08:59

Near work only if you never work from q different site and your dh isn't planning to ever do drop off or pick up. Otherwise you lose a load of flexibility.

DinosaursRoar · 19/05/2015 09:24

See, if you go with near work, you'll have to either use a pre-school near your work, or change childminder when your DC starts pre-school. If you then change to a childminder near your home for pre-school, you will only have about a year and a half before you have to do that - but most importantly, your boss and colleagues will have got used to you being flexible about leaving for pick ups a bit later.

I would start as you mean to go on, long term you're not going to be able to be flexible about drop offs and pick ups, and having the childminder near your work rather than both yours and DH's home means that childcare will be officially your job - not something that's easy for your DH to do too.

HSMMaCM · 19/05/2015 12:45

Don't worry too much about pre school, as pre schools and CMs both follow the same EYFS curriculum. Your DC don't have to go to pre school, unless you particularly want them too.

Jinxxx · 19/05/2015 13:02

My ds only did one term of preschool, and that was plenty of time to make new local friends and get into school:type routines. I agree that two years of preschool is unnecessary.

Blondeshavemorefun · 19/05/2015 18:29

Always home for reasons people listed

Main one being you will always being doing the drop off /pick up and if you have day off and use your cm it's no benefit if not close

Whattonamemyselfnow · 21/05/2015 08:38

I do near work.
Pros- they spend less time there so a bit cheaper and means I can work later if I wish. So you are there fast if they are ill.

Cons- currently on 2nd mat leave and keeping oldest in nursery so travelling is a pain although I only work 20 mins away from home

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