How do people find weekend childcare?

[Cakedoesntjudge]

For the millionth time ex has given me next to no notice about being busy at the weekend.

I am contracted to work on Saturdays and usually my parents are fab at covering the weekends exdp can't do. But this time that isn't an option.

DS goes to an after school club run by a nursery but I've checked with them and none of the ladies work out of hours as babysitters.

If I can't find a friend free to help out (which is unlikely at such short notice) I'm going to have to miss work. This isn't the first time and I'm beyond fed up with it. I don't like letting work down and ideally I'd like to find some sort of paid childcare so I don't have to rely on anyone else.

But it just seems like there's nothing set up for that - everything seems aimed at weekdays. Has anyone had any success finding anything for weekends in case there's something I haven't considered yet?

Quite honestly, you can't, unless you get an au pair or nanny.

Sitters website?

Is it his agreed upon time to have the DC? If so, why on earth isn't he sorting out and paying for childcare to cover his own day?!?

Have you looked at childcare.co.UK ?

Sitters or see if any local childminders do weekend care.

Bewareofdragons he sets his own schedule. He works shifts so just picks 2 nights a week he has him. In theory he's meant to give me a minimum of 4 weeks' notice, but in practice he gives me a 2 month block but waits to give me the next one until a week before the previous one runs out which is incredibly unhelpful!

I had a look on the childcare site but the only ones local to me are starting out and seem to be doing it on an informal basis - none of them are ofsted registered or dbs checked

DP has just pointed out that even those ones are charging £6/hour and I only make £7.50/hour so it's barely worthwhile even if I could find someone. It's so frustrating! Luckily I'm in the last year of my degree so hopefully after that I'll be able to find Monday-Friday work and not be reliant on exdp to help out so much.

Also luckily, on this occasion a friend (and colleague) who I was ranting about ex speaking to about it all tonight has said she's off this weekend with her DS who is friends with my DS and she has offered to have him so I'm sorted for this week which gives me slightly longer to sort the next two which is a relief.

So you have a DP as well as an ex-DP, is that right? Can he not help out?

DP works the same shifts as me plus a couple of extras otherwise he would happily do so - one of the cons of meeting at work

That's a bugger!

I'd just like to point out though:

DP has just pointed out that even those ones are charging £6/hour and I only make £7.50/hour so it's barely worthwhile even if I could find someone

... that if you're now a partnership, it's not just about your money, is it? Surely it's a joint thing?!

I'd definitely research babysitting agencies though.

Well I'm using the phrase DP loosely because saying boyfriend makes me cringe 😂 we don't live together or share finances, we've only been together since early on this year (he has met DS as we'd been in the same friendship group for a few years prior to getting together, I feel like I have to point this out in case people think I'd just leave DS with someone he barely knows ).

I'm not very good at letting people help money wise - exdp was very controlling financially which caused a lot of difficulties for me when he left so it's important to me to be as financially independent as I can be but I take your point.

Ah. Yes, I see - that is a bit different!

What about a sixth former-have you any teacher friends who could recommend?

You could call the local college and ask about 3rd year students in childcare who have their dbs and would like to earn some money plus get a reference in prep for becoming a nanny. Worth a try.

Honestly? Many don't I'm afraid although the ideas upthread are worth a try.