Nursery hrs please help

[Girlturnedmama]

Hello all,
I need to work out the best hours to send my soon to be 9 month old baby to nursery. I have to work 32 hrs when I return in March, my nursery is a 45min walk away from my work and I don’t drive, nursery opens at 8 and isn’t open the weekends. My mum can help look after my baby every other weekend. Just wondering hours that worked for mums in similar scenarios, to be honest I haven’t slept in 3 days so my brain cannot seem to come up with a schedule and I’m worrying I just want it sorted so I can have a clear head.

Please any suggestions on what has worked starting and finishing times for you all.
I also have to take into consideration times to leave work on time in order to make it before nursery pick up.

Any help greatly appreciated and sorry if this makes no sense!

Can you get a nursery nearer work? Or one on a better public transport route? Do you have any work from home flexibility? Where is babies dad in this?

I think you'll have to drop baby off at 8 to work 9-5 (7.5 hour days x 4 = 30 hours), pick baby up at 6pm, then work either an hour in evenings from home or work a 4hr day every other weekend to make up hours when your mum can watch. Means you work a 4 day week but long days for baby. But commute is so long I can't see working less hours over 5 days being any better.

What time does the nursery close?
What's the earliest/latest you can start and finish work?
Can you work remotely in your job?
Can you work weekends in your job or is it Mon-Fri only?
Do you have to take an unpaid break in the middle of the day? If so, how long?

If you have a partner, work out a schedule that has him doing 50 percent of the drop offs and pick ups and all weekend childcare. Assuming he doesn't work weekends.

If not, I'd go with 4 days, with some make up hours as suggested above.

Thanks for your response.
The nursery opens at 8am and closes at 5pm.
Earliest I can start is 7.30 ( I think) and latest is 10pm. I am a support worker but whilst I’ve been on MAT leave the company has changed over so unsure of new policies yet. I can work weekends but not remotely. We don’t exactly get a break as we eat when we can as we are responsible for the adults we support around the while on shift. My partner does not have a fixed rota and this won’t change anytime soon, it changes every week so I can’t rely on his days off or schedule.

Why not? First port of call can be your partner submitting a request for a fixed rota. Doesn't have to be same every week, could be a monthly rota. Anything so you can work your hours out.

Unfortunately this is the only nursery with space in my area. They’re no bus routes or other transports around the nursery so walking is the only option currently. Can’t work from home and babies dad can help but because of his work schedule being all over the place it would never be set in stone when he could or couldn’t so I can’t rely on him.

Yes I have tried to badger him about asking however he hasn’t given me much hope so far. I will keep on. I hope to learn to drive eventually and plan on moving jobs once I’ve paid off my MAT leave pay. If a space became available at the only other nursery within walking distance that would make a huge difference but I have to work with what I’ve got currently.

Can partner do drop offs or pick ups?

You really need your partner to do at least some drop offs and picks ups to lighten the burden on you.

Ideally I would do 4 days, and put baby in nursery, but you're going to need help with either drop off or pick up, otherwise there just isn't enough time for you to do both.
Unless you work 5x shorter days, but that's going to cost you even more money.

Yeah this, even if you worked 5 shorter days you’d need to pay for full days at nursery as its morning/afternoon/full day and a 6 hour working day + 2 hours of travelling to and from the nursery mean you’d have to pay for a full day every day

Have you looked at childminders too? They might be more flexible around your partner's shifts.

I'd work 4 days 9-4 so baby is in nursery 8-5ish. Then do an 8 hours shift every other weekend while your mum or partner has the baby.

You can use the funding at childminders who maybe nearer and more flexible

I'm your situation I would be looking for a childminder that is nearer home/work. But finding one that would cover weekends would be tough.

Just to add , the he funding won’t start until summer term (after Easter Holidays) as it is given the term after your baby turns nine months , and not from 9 months .
Sorry I know this is not what you asked , but you mention returning in March . Don’t want you to get caught out .

Do you cycle at all? Would that be an option to reduce the travel time between work and nursery.

Thank you I did not know this! Do you know the date it starts?

It depends on your local authority they all have different calendars unfortunately- in our area Summer term starts 21 April 2025

When does your baby turn 9 months?

Here is an example of when you can obtain funding

The funding cut offs are normally the 1st of September, January and April regardless of actual term dates.

I had a 30 minute walk to nursery: I invested in a bike seat for DC as it meant I saved so much time. Even now we cycle loads.

Surely you need to start with finding out if you can have set shift? Assuming you work every other weekend 15 hours? And if you can have set shifts in the week. If you are on an early shift will dad drop off/pick up.

Yes but funded hours only paid from 21st April. 1st to 21st is Easter holidays and so private hours fees would be payable . Our LA doesn’t offer stretched funding .

These are birthday cut offs. Funding is payable at a rate equivalent to 15/30 hours over 38 weeks so regardless of the actual term dates you still get the same number of funding hours over a year. It's not unusual to have settings that say term time only but very unusual for boroughs to say this especially since the roll out, have you checked recently?

Yes as a childcare provider I have weekly emails from our funding team and we have to imput data every month. Our LA does not offer stretched funding , why do you find that so difficult to understand.
Funding is to deliver early years education not childcare and is 38 weeks of the year only .I would advice a new parent to start with me after 21 April or they would have to pay privately if I was open from 1 - 21 . So for a mum going back to work in March that might mean dad taking a weeks holiday or grandparents. We would probably do some settling dates (settling can’t be funded) and then they would start full time days when funding starts . Of course they may prefer to just pay privately for non funded weeks but this may be difficult just after maternity leave for some families .