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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Quality crèche cafes for young parents?

22 replies

tammysmom83 · 01/04/2018 15:41

Is it just me or is it hard to find somewhere where me and my DH can go for a relaxing coffee/snack while our DD is taken care of by a childminder? Just an hour of alone time, without breaking the bank would be good...

OP posts:
Callamia · 02/04/2018 08:03

I’ve never heard of this... is it a thing?
why for ‘young parents’ btw?

SavoyCabbage · 02/04/2018 08:08

I’ve never heard of anything like that either. I suppose gyms manage to have crèches where you leave your child for an hour and a half or whatever it is so the opposite of that is eating cake!

I just took mine with me wherever I went, like the generations of parents before me.

fuzzyduck33 · 02/04/2018 08:12

IKEA?

Teenytinyvoice · 02/04/2018 08:15

This is not a thing, that’s why!

Lilonetwo · 02/04/2018 08:17

I've never heard of one, but it's a fab idea I would pay for!
Anyone know of any?

Kidssendingmenuts · 02/04/2018 08:18

It's called softplay! Though there is nothing calming about it to be honest but your daughter would be playing and you and your husband could have a brew and cake.
Never heard of a cafe where you could palm your kids off on a free childminder?! It's called being a parent! You can't even pee in peace! Don't expect it to change anytime soon unless you find a friend or family to watch them for an hour or two

insancerre · 02/04/2018 08:19

Just take them with you
You're parents now you don't get alone time 😂

Loandbeholdagain · 02/04/2018 08:20

Do it!

NerrSnerr · 02/04/2018 08:20

I have never heard of this, I'm not a young parent though so maybe I'm excluded from such places?

StealthPolarBear · 02/04/2018 08:21

Start one! I bet it would be popular

SD1978 · 02/04/2018 08:21

I think it may depend on what country you’re in. There is one here (Melbourne) coffee place with daycare, but it’s sodding expensive and I would t bother. You need to charge a lot to be able to pay for the daycare workers.

Lonecatwithkitten · 02/04/2018 08:24

I'm with Fuzzyduck. Ikea is your answer kids get to play supervised for up to 2 hours, you get to browse and drink coffee during that time.

JessieMcJessie · 02/04/2018 08:28

Why is this on the Higher Education board? Confused

In my London suburb we had a pay by the hour crèche that was not affiliated to any other business, so you could put your child in then go shopping or for a meal, haircut etc. It was great but they have just had to close as something happened to a child there and their licence was suspended by OFSTED. I genuinely think that whatever happened was an unfortunate accident as the staff were super professional and the premises lovely, but they haven’t been able to come back from it.

BloodyWorried · 02/04/2018 08:33

Ikea is only for over 3’s.

TeachesOfPeaches · 02/04/2018 08:39

I remember when supermarkets used to have crèches. Also I have heard of ad hoc drop in childcare services but they are expensive.

LynetteScavo · 02/04/2018 08:44

Didn't they used to have these in shopping centres? Or do they still?

No way would my DC happily go off with someone they didn't know...leaving them at the gym crèche was hard enough, so I never used them.

NapQueen · 02/04/2018 08:47

I would imagine its very hard to find as they dont exist.

Makingworkwork · 02/04/2018 08:49

Would your child be happy being looked after by a stranger? Mine would not be.

Notproudofthisone · 02/04/2018 08:53

I think it’s called a baby sitter.
Unfortunately you don’t get to go for quiet alone time with your partner unless you hire one of these magical sitters.

FancyNewBeesly · 02/04/2018 09:13

Hahaha! My twins are 18 months old and I don’t remember what time without them around looks like, and definitely not time alone with my husband! Sounds like a good idea though.

fuzzyduck33 · 02/04/2018 09:27

For a large family party a few years back we hired a portable sift play area which you could pay to be run by childcare staff. Parents could still see their little ones playing as it was in the corner of a large room. It just kept them busy so they had fun and the parents could relax a bit. It went down well and wasn't that expensive. I've often thought that a restaurant putting this sort of thing on, coupled with a special occasion meal (valentines??) would be quite popular.

LynetteScavo · 02/04/2018 11:51

The thing with kids is if they suspect you want to have a quiet chat and a coffee they refuse to leave you and demand your full attention by screaming. Or that could just be my DC.

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