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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

One day a week childcare?

15 replies

Alittlebitrestless · 14/08/2009 05:10

I am due to return to work for one day a week. (I am a teacher and just want to keep my hand in). A family member is able to look after my ds for the first few months and then I will need to find childcare.

We have looked into finding a child minder and found it difficult to find someone. I have been to see several nurseries and found one I like. However I am worrying that this will be hard for my ds to cope with for just one day a week?

Has anyone got any experience to share? What have other people done when they have needed child care for such a short amount of time per week? I wonder if any of the childminders have any of their mindees for just one day a week and if this works out well?

(I will post this in the nurseries section as well)

Many thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

badgerhead · 14/08/2009 06:58

I have had mindies for just one day a week in the past, but not at the moment. Although saying that I do have one who comes for 2 hours on two consecutive days 4 pm to 6 pm at the moment. I find it often takes longer for children who come less frequently to settle in & usually end up extending my settling in period to 6 weeks from 4 weeks to be able assess the situation more easily.
You might find a childminder who is willing to have your ds for extra settling in time to help with the transition, and also it will depend on whether the childminder is willing to have a child take up a space on one day only when they have either a full time or part time space available which could be filled by a child who does more hours. Having said that though hunt around there is probably just the right childminder out there for you.

Original poster

Alittlebitrestless · 14/08/2009 07:34

Thank you for the reply, badgerhead. It is good to have different perspectives.

OP posts:

twinkletoescare · 14/08/2009 07:50

I have a couple of children who do just one day a week,it works fine and im always happy to accomadate.
Keep looking and im sure the right person will come up.
what area are you in?

thirtypence · 14/08/2009 07:55

I am a teacher and ds went to preschool one day a week from around 20 months old. It worked well and he went for a reaaaaaaaaaaaally long day (am music teacher and so I packed in around 10 hours teaching on his nursery day - he was there 7.30am until 5.15pm)

laurz75 · 14/08/2009 08:11

I'm also a teacher and I work 1.5 days a week which is absolutely perfect. I used a childminder last year and it worked perfectly. I do have two dc and that helped with settling in. My childminder was brilliant and took my ds to pre-school, picked up and both my two loved being there. I was gutted when (due to EYFS) she gave up.
I am sure you will find a childminder willing to do just 1 day a week.
Good luck back at school - it will be a whole diferent ball game working part-time!

nannynick · 14/08/2009 08:15

In my view either form of childcare could work. Children I feel need consistency, so as long as the day of the week your DS goes to childcare doesn't change, then there should not be too many problems.
When looking at nurseries and childminders, remember to ask about costs for Term Time Only care... as some providers will want you to pay all year round regardless of your DS actually attending, whereas other providers will do Term Time Only contracts.

danthe4th · 14/08/2009 09:45

I'm a childminder who offers term time only contracts for teachers and don't charge a retainer for the hols as it suits me, you may find one happy to do that. I am also happy to do one day a week but the nurseries near me won't they insist on a minimum of 2 days and charge 50 weeks of the year,have a hunt about, good luck, shame youre not near me!!

Original poster

Alittlebitrestless · 14/08/2009 09:51

Lots of reassuring replies. Thank you for taking the time to post. Was having awful panic but feel so much better.

twinkletoescare- I am in Hampshire

What great childminders there are!

OP posts:

Sheeta · 14/08/2009 09:52

DS goes to nursery one day a week, 7am - 5pm, so a long day. It did take take him a good three months to settle in there, and another three to stop crying in the mornings when I dropped him off. He now cries in the afternoon when I pick him up as he doesn't want to leave!

It was hard in the beginning as he was only little (13mo) but as he's got older and understanding more, he's absolutely loving it. How old will your DS be when he starts with a minder or at nursery?

Also, don't be too quick to not take him during school breaks - in the early months when DS had a week off it took him a long time to settle back in again, so I would say for the first six months to take him every week, even if you're not working.

HTH

Original poster

Alittlebitrestless · 14/08/2009 12:55

Thanks for the advice, Sheeta. I had already thought that about the holidays- it is good to hear I am thinking along the right lines. My ds will be 17 months when he goes into a nursery/ childminders.

Just out of interest when you say that he didn't settle for three months, was he sad during the day? It is great to hear that he loves it now.

OP posts:

Original poster

Alittlebitrestless · 14/08/2009 12:56

Oh, and just out of interest do you now take him out during the holidays?

OP posts:

Sheeta · 14/08/2009 15:19

Alittlebitrestless
They said he was a little bit sad some mornings but was fine after a sleep.
He's really happy there now

We've taken him out of nursery for 2 weeks at a time (for a holiday, I don't have time off out of term time unfortunately!!) and he's gone back and been absolutely fine with it He's been there about 8 months now.

17 months old should be fine I think, their memory is fairly well developed by that age, and you'll be able to explain that you're coming back later on.

Hope it all goes OK

thirtypence · 14/08/2009 19:50

I still sent him in the holidays - unless we went on holiday which was actually probably around 1/2 the time anyway. We would saunter in at 9.30 and I would go back and tidy the house, do my tax return have a lunch break for a change and then saunter back up there with his bike around 4pm and we would come home and watch a movie and drink hot chocolate. Lovely.

Consider what will happen if your childminder is sick on your one day. Also consider what will happen if your ds gets sick on your one day (which is probably more likely in nursery). I usually get dh to take the day off!

Sheeta · 14/08/2009 21:08

ah... don't forget the huge immune system building possibilities of nursery (this is a nice way of saying that your DS will get every bug going when he starts, it's like toddler fresher flu!)

DS almost never gets ill anymore now though!

thirtypence · 15/08/2009 09:45

It's not scientific I know but the one boy who went to a childminder in ds's class is off sick at least once a fortnight. The other boys all went to nursery/kindy and are much more robust.

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