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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

How far away from your child's school/nursery are you?

41 replies

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 20:42

Just curious right now...

How far away are you, during the day, from your child's nursery or school?

Currently I am 50-60 minutes drive away from DD's (2y 11m) nursery. DH works in same city though and can get there in 20 minutes, walking.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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mrsflowerpot · 03/03/2005 20:45

Walking on my own, five minutes walk from nursery (attached to the school ds will start at in Sept). Walking with ds, anything from 3 minutes (on his running days) to 20 minutes (on his stop-to-look-at-every-crack-in-the-pavement days). We are very lucky, it's really close, when the kids are out in the playground in the summer we can hear them.

maisystar · 03/03/2005 20:47

it takes us about 45mins-1 hour to get to ds's pre-school(bus & walking). we moved house and i didn't want to change his pre school.

we are about 3 mins walk from the primary school he will go to in sept.

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 20:47

And how comfortable wuld you feel if both of you were going to be approximately an hour's journey away from nursery/school?

I have to say that, now faced with this as a possibility (maybe???), I am very concerned and uncomfortable witht he idea. I don't like the idea of DD being so far away from both of us - what happens in an emergency?

OP posts:

Xena · 03/03/2005 20:55

2 mins round the corner. Or 10 when I have 7 children in tow

mrsflowerpot · 03/03/2005 21:01

I understand why you're feeling uncomfortable tbh. Not sure how happy I would be either. DH is away from home two days a week (well over two hours away) and i must admit I don't go far afield while ds is in nursery on those days if I can help it.

Is the nursery near home but not work, is that the problem?

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 21:01

Anyone else around who can answer? Am I right to feel uncomfortable at the potential situation of both me and Dh being an hour away from her during the way?

OP posts:

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 21:02

mrsflowerpot - yes. We actually only live a few minutes away from nursery. I work about an hour away. DH could potentially in the future be a similar distance away - but I really don't liek the idea.

OP posts:

hoxtonchick · 03/03/2005 21:03

our nursery is 5 minute walk from home. however ds only goes 2 days a week when i'm at work. it takes me an hour to get there by public transport, but i've been known to jump in a cab which takes about 20 minutes. dp works a 20 minute cycle ride away. i'm happy with these distances but wouldn't want them to be bigger.

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 21:04

We are talking an hour away by car (motorways and traffic involved).

OP posts:

mrsflowerpot · 03/03/2005 21:06

It's a tough one - if you find one nearer one of your workplaces then you have to put her in the car for all that time at each end of the day, quite apart from the upheaval of moving her.

Don't know what to say, really, except that I would feel the same, I think.

jamiesam · 03/03/2005 21:07

Sorry Hula, not really stalking!

As dh and I both work in Barnsley, we had similar dilemma to you. In the end, I thought that whatever the emergency, I wouldn't like to have to pick him up from nursery and then drive him an hour to get home - if he was poorly, he'd be better off in nursery while I was travelling, and if he needed hospital, they'd probably take him anyway.

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 21:08

That is what I used to do. We moved her closer to home last September. And we do love the ursery. Don't really want to move her now as she is so settled and we are so happy with the place.

OP posts:

Tetley · 03/03/2005 21:08

We live a 2 minute drive (10 minute walk) away from nursery. I work 4 miles away but go by bus so it takes between 30 - 60 minutes depending on time of day.

I've always felty that the nursery would be very capable if an emergency ever arose. When they've phoned me if one of my kids was ill they've been perfectly OK about it taking me a while to get there & have amanaged until then.

I chose a nursery close to home rather than work so that on those rare days that I had a day off (or was ill) I didn't have to go far to take the kids to nursery. I suppose I thought that this situation would happen more often that an emergency one would - IYKWIM

puddle · 03/03/2005 21:09

We have two days a week when dop and I are over an hour away from both kids DD at nursery DS`at school. It did worry me at first but actually nothing has ever happened in over 3 years. They are both v healthy and have never been called to pick them up ill. I have a network of friends locally who know them both well and if the worst happened (I guess this would be something like an accident where they would have to go to a and e) friends would hold the fort until we arrived. I worry less about dd as she has very close relationships with her carers at nursery - I can imagine ds wanting me more now he's at school IYKWIM (although obviously in that situation they wpuld both want me more than anyone else). It's in the back of my mind but I don't actively worry about it. I don't know if this helps at all!

maisystar · 03/03/2005 21:10

i have to say it doesn't worry me that ds is that far away.

can you have an emergency contact nearer to the nursery, maybe another mum, might that help?

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 21:10

Not really. Have no family in the city, all at least as far away.

OP posts:

puddle · 03/03/2005 21:15

Actually Hulababy have thought of one effect it does have. I am more cautious than a lot of the people I know re: sending the kids to school and nursery when they might be/ have been ill. Would rather keep them at home or I arrange to work at home so I am around if they need to come home. So try and avoid a situation when I might have to dash back for sick child.

sobernow · 03/03/2005 21:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

maisystar · 03/03/2005 21:24

i would agree with that puddle.

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 21:26

No worries sobernow. I feel just like you say. Sadly I don't think it is the response from me that DH was looking for. But I have to be honest, or could be left feeling horrid all day at work if this was to happen.

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sobernow · 03/03/2005 21:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sobernow · 03/03/2005 21:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

crumpet · 03/03/2005 21:28

Hulababy, in London it's pretty common for people to take about an hour to get to work - if both parents work a lot of people would be about an hour from the nursery (nurseries close to the office are few and far between in the City). Not much comfort to you I know, but it may help to think that there are plenty of other people in a similar position. I agree with Jamiesam - we preferred to have dd close to home than close to the office.

Original poster

Hulababy · 03/03/2005 21:30

He has that opportunity yes, and we are to spend the weekend considering it, after DH has spoken to his current firm tomorrow. It has other implications that just the distance - mainly concerning my own job/hours.

OP posts:

oooggs · 03/03/2005 21:33

2 min by car 10 min walking

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