How soon to start looking for childcare (London)

[Fairylight102]

I’m due November 2023 with my first baby and expecting to go back to work around Aug/Sept 2024.

How long in advance is it best to start looking into childcare places? I’ve heard some people advise looking while you’re still pregnant, but not sure if that’s an urban myth!

I’m based in London if that helps. Ideally would prefer a childminder type of setting but open to larger nurseries as well.

Thanks in advance 🙂

Definitely when you’re pregnant.

The good nurseries (and I think CMs) round me book up for babies to go at a year old shortly after 12 week scan time.

Not joking! This is nappy valley SE London.

I'd start putting feelers out now tbh, not in London but in my area all the Cms I know are booked until Aug 24 & many already know for next 2-3 yrs what spaces are likely to come up. Not sure of rules in England but in Scotland legally we can't take a deposit to secure a space until baby has been born. But I certainly get initial enquiries before baby is born & parents often visit to get a feel for my setting.

I would start looking when the baby is born - you’re in the fortunate position of starting in September when a new school year starts as they will have older ones move up to school creating more spaces; trying to start in March sort of time is a nightmare as usually everyone is booked from the September if that makes sense!!

I found it impossible to find a CM in London. DS was a few months old when we picked a nursery but we weren't able to have our preferred days for a few months.

I would get on it now. In my part of London there are very few day nurseries taking babies, only 2 within a 15 minute walk and one is a bright horizons with a bad rep. There are also very few childminders, I only know of 1 locally and she doesn’t advertise and works on word of mouth. Most people seem to do a nanny then preschool which there are loads of, but they don’t take under 2s.

Now. I’m in SE London and there are a few popular ones where you need to put your name down as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. One lady I spoke to didn’t have a confirmed place despite having a sibling priority with the nursery.

keep an eye out for new openings as well, that’s how I got my eldest’s place. Even then I was still pregnant when we paid the deposit. We had to confirm our youngest a place when I was 12 weeks pregnant!

Thank you so much for all the responses! I will definitely start looking sooner rather than later then 🙂

@Matilda1981 Good point about the advantages of a September start, hopefully that will help us out!

At the 12 week scan here

It's not a legal requirement in England but considered bad practice and frowned on by Pacey.

I can’t speak for childminders but with my 1st child the nursery opened a few weeks before he was born and I put his name down at 30 weeks.

pregnant with 2nd and I told them informally at 6 weeks and paid the deposit on the way hoke from the 12 week scan. other mothers do the same. There’s no point in waiting until the last minute.

IMHO if you were to wait until it’s born and a nursery has space, that’s a red flag

am in south east

This is very helpful advice thank you so much! Have been doing some research and will start reaching out to places over the next few weeks

Depends very much on the area, we were looking during COVID and found a place with an outstanding child minder straight away, which was lucky as we hadn't prepared before then. And I think you could still get a place now. East outer London.
But it doesn't hurt to be prepared and on the radar.