Child care setting with a newborn

[Ada117]

Hello,
I am a bit confused on what to do for childcare options when our second newborn arrives in September.

As both me and husband work full time our our daughter (4years in September) she goes to the childminder 2x a week (mon-tues) and 3 days at the nursery (wed-fri).

I will soon go on maternity leave from August for low risk pregnancy and we were thinking to keep the current childcare settings. However we’re not sure about September: I am considering to cancel contract with childminder and am only send my daughter to nursery 3days a week. My husband, on the other side, thinks that it’s better to keep the current childcare setting (childminder and nursery to cover the full week of 5days) as he thinks it will not be easy to manage a toddler of 4y old at home and a new born alone.

If anyone of you was in a similar situation with 2 children, can you please advise if I should consider my husband option to keep our eldest on a 5 days childcare setting and if so, for how long would you recommend? I am conscious t that it’s difficult to keep the eldest entertained while I am recovering at home, exhausted, lack of sleep etc, but maybe I am too optimistic to think that when 2nd baby will be ~2 months old I should be able to manage both of them at home alone?

Childcare costs are exorbitant and It means using our savings. But as our families live abroad we can’t rely much on their help and I struggled a bit with 1st baby during Covid, anxiety etc.

Thank you 🙂

I think it really comes down to will your eldest be at school by the time you go back to work. And secondly what is the plan for before and after school. If there is a school before and after school club that works and you eldest will be in school I would reduce the childcare. But after are going to need the childminder after maternity leave are you going to lose the space?

Doesn't the childminder take funding? I've had children stay with me on reduced hours just to keep them active and in a familiar routine and take pressure off of mum.

Keep your older daughter's routine going. She will have enough change to contend with as it is.

It really does depend on the setting we meet up with 4 other childminders so 15 children going to library story time, run forest school, and once a week 7 childminders ....we have a lunch club where they eat together....going in line to wash hands. Music, story, activities, the children know each other once they start reception and already have a group of friends.