When is the right time to start looking for childcare?

[GHAL82]

Hiya

I am 3 months pregnant and due in Sept, I will need to go back after 6 months (March 20).

I am still undecided whether a nursery or childminder is best but I am swaying towards a childminder who maybe a bit more flexible.

When is the best time to look? I had been told for a nursery you should look a year in advance! Is this correct?
Does anyone have guidance on the timeframes for a childminder?

Thank you :)

The nursery I chose had a waiting list. I was 19 weeks pregnant when I put our name down for a place. No harm in sorting things early!

Depends where you are really - in my bit of London a year is normal. No harm in signing up early, especially if they don’t take a deposit.

I'm a childminder and have had several people come to me while pregnant. I would start looking in the next few months.

As a childminder I wouldn’t be able to tell you my spaces 13 months in advance. I’d start once baby is born.

It depends where you are. Call a couple of nurseries you like the look of and see what they advise.

Personally I prefer a childminder for little ones but they may not know what their ratios will be this far in advance as they gain and lose pupils around September time. I think I've started looking for childminders around 3-4 months before needed.

Really the sooner the better ... all childcare providers will be able to predict their future vacancies to some extent and people will have started to pre-book / be added to waiting lists as you’ve found from the first person to comment. You may actually need a while to find what you are looking for so having some time can help. When you say though that a childminder would be more flexible what do you mean?

Thank you everyone. All very helpful

We asked our cm at 3 months pregnant. Bit mad, but she was full at that time but had room 1 year later so all worked out.

Others left it until 3 months before going back to work and really struggled to get sorted

I'm a childminder and won't see people unless they want a space within 3 months.

Another cm here, and often get enquiries by pregnant women (particularly if it's the sibling of an existing mindee)

We have a rough idea of when our current children are moving on to nursery/school so can often book the yet to be baby in

Never to early to ask

*yet to be born baby in

Start looking now, because it’s better to have the information too soon than too late.

Availability varies enormously across the country. It won’t hurt to make enquires now, even if you then find there’s sufficient availability to suspend the search until a later date. But if you put it off and then find you’re in an area with less availability, then you’ll regret it.

The recommendation for childcare providers is not to sign up an unborn child, but you should be able to register an interest or go on a waiting list.

My area has a general shortage of good childcare. There are a couple of nurseries where vacancies arise regularly due to high turnover: that is to say, parents can’t wait to leave. You don’t want to be in that sort of stressful position where you take the only thing on offer and immediately start looking for somewhere better.

The sooner the better really. It took me a few months to find a childcare provider. I started emailing the local nurseries in the area and asking questions.
After touring the nurseries within a 10 mile radius of my apartment I decided to try another line of enquiry. I started looking at independent childcare providers. I registered with a website. Eventually I found one. You have to be prepared to do a lot of research and legwork.
Start now.
I live in Surrey. Personally I prefer a childcare provider. There are websites that have details of all local childcare providers. Good luck with your search.

It's the time of year you'd be starting that will be the tricky bit. Most childcare providers have spaces in September, when children leave for school.

I am seeing people now for my September spaces. I don't sign contracts until after the baby is born.