Struggling with nursery costs – how did you manage the first years?

[CheekyGoldWriter]

Hi everyone,

I hope it’s okay to post this here. I’m looking for some advice and real experiences.
My family and I are trying to work out how to afford nursery for my nephew, who is almost two. We all live together. His dad and I work full-time, and his mum currently looks after him every day because full-time childcare hasn’t been financially possible so far.

With rent, bills and everyday costs, our budget is very tight, and nursery fees feel overwhelming. We know how important early years education is, not just for children’s development but also because it would allow his mum to return to work and help the family become more stable.

For those of you who’ve been through this, how did you manage the first months or year of nursery?
Did you start part-time?
Were there any schemes, support, or practical tips that really helped?

We’re trying to find the most realistic way forward and would really appreciate hearing what worked (or didn’t work) for others.

Thank you so much for reading and for any advice you’re willing to share.

It's of the biggest benefit to be with the primary carer (in this case mum) until they are three years old. Then it's only beneficial to be in childcare if it's really high quality.

If she gets a job and neither of his parents earn over £100k, they’d get 30 hours funded. When it would kick in depends on when his birthday is. How much that leaves to pay is very dependent - I still have to pay around £300 a month and he only attends two days a week, but some nurseries are cheaper.

If their income is low enough to be entitled to Universal Credit, they could get up to 85% of childcare costs back. If it’s not, they can use tax free childcare to pay 20%,

All of these will require her to be working unless she’s got a qualifying disability, though. The hours she works will also have to be proportionate to what she’s claiming, too.

You can check out all the schemes here: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/eligibility-checker/

Managing using the 30 hours free funding and working part time. Still have to pay additional fees though. If you find a nursery with less additional costs and the mother works part time, it will really reduce the amount you would all have to pay.