Overnight nursery care, Item on Radio 4 now

[Easy]

Would you leave your child in nursery for 15 hours a day?

I think you're right Uwila. The pressure already exists for seamless childcare. I work for very understanding people who know that I have a baby to consider, but I still feel I have to gloss over any family/childcare problems, so they feel confident that I'm focused on the job when I'm there.
I am the proverbial swan, paddling like mad to make sure that child and home are sorted, whilst gliding as calmly as possible for colleagues.
I have to say (and I'll probably offend wives of such people now), that I really resent all the puffed-up business men that I see swaggering about airports with their Blackberries. I just wonder how many of them had to get ready in between administering baby breakfast, keeping baby away from the bidet tap, changing nappies, making sure DP awake to take over (with added bile for good measure), etc. I know I sound like a put-upon martyr, but it really winds me up.

yes the pressure already exists. so this meets that need. but to whose benefit:
parents?
children?
or the employers?

Of course there's a benefit to the employer, but mainly I think to the employee, who can do the job they want/need to do with a bit more peace of mind.

and what benefit to the child?
(sorry not trying to be provocative, just interested in your point of view.)

Just reread your post HC - the child? Good question. I think probably not to the disadvantage of the child versus any other quality childcare.

I'd say it benefits the parents, the children, the family as a whole, and mostly it benefits the employee. I don't think it benefits the employer because the employer can just hire someone else to do the job. But, as an employee, it benefits my career to be availble for a ten hour day (which is what I currently work). This benefits my family because when the kids are in school and childcare costs are reduced my family and I can then enjoy the better life my career/income will have earned for us. If I quit work (or reduced it), then I would have to start over when I returned (if I returned). No thanks.

Weeeellll.... hmmm personally I wouldn't leave my kids in nursery for 15 hours. But as others as said thats not the general idea just greater flexibility of when the 9/10 hours are. I agree with a lot of what qoq has said.

In response to halloweenhorror's arguments about 6 hours being the maximum because thats what kids have at school I can say that IME it is not the same at all. My DS found the 9 hours at nursery much easier than 6.5 hours at school. School is really wearing him out but he managed nursery fine. This was really against my expectations. I thought that having been to nursery 3 days a week he would handle school OK. It has not been like that.

uwila,
fyi, re engineering vs nursing: engineers mostly dont have to work 12 hour shifts, the working environment is usually better (more money spent on the office) and you can easily choose a career where you dont have responsibility for people's lives.
pay was better than for nursing last time I checked. Or Id be a nurse!

Hmmm... let me ponder that comparison as I look round my office. Nicer than the NHS GP... possibly but not by much. How long many hours do I work each week? 50. My pay: mediocre (although it might be higher than a nurse... not sure what they make).

I'm not really a practicing engineer, bu tI used to be. I jumped ship for IT a few years ago.

Mykidsmum, I'm sorry if you took offence at my reference to 'holier than thou SAHMs' but some of the posts on here had been a bit harsh about how cruel it is to leave your child in nursery for more than five hours a day, implying that nursery is not a nice place for kids.

Let me just say that I have nothing but admiration for anyone who is a SAHM. I know that it is the toughest job in the world (having done it for the first nine months of my dd's life), but definitely rewarding. However, you cannot deny that some SAHMs are critical of those of us who have chosen to work (and for me it is a choice as I could afford to stay at home). I must be evil

uwila, time for a job change then??? I wouldnt put up with a regular 50 hour week!

an ex-nurse told me once just how crappy her working conditions had been (dirty and dangerous), that is why I included the benefit of working in a nice office. Though I must admit that I have worked in portakabins and a factory with no windows.

you can see that I am mrs intolerant where jobs are concerned. If its not the best I can get - I leave. fortunately I am well off at the moment

I think something's gone very wrong in society when people are saying that it's a good idea to leave children in nurseries overnight or for 15 hours a day, I really do.

to buy a house where I live it costs about £135,000 for a two bedroom house. The average wage locally is about £13000pa. Therefore most people commute into London so a long day is not unrealistic. Most couples I know have to work and would love a choice. It is a sign of the times and sad that many people dont have a choice but to work long days just to survive.

BTW, I don't ever want to put my kids into 15 hours of care every day. I just thinkit's a good thing to have flexible hours if we need it.

Job change... well, I'm not sure I'd found one that paid more witout getting another degree (which I definitely don't have time to do).

Actually I think that much of the problem is the cost of living in this country, especially in London. It just costs soooooo much to buy a house here that people struggle to get by, so they both work. And it isn't just houses, childcare is expensive, groceries are expense, clothes.... the list goes on and on. It turns into a viscious circle of high bils and high incomes to pay them. But, at the end of the month there's still nothing left over so we are still poor.

This will mean that nurseries are open for fifteen hours, as a nursery owner I cannot think of one of our current parents who would use fifteen hours of care a day. It does mean that parents have the option to book hours outside of the usual (in our nursery) 8am start and 6pm finish, whilst not necessarily booking a longer day, IYSWIM.

Yes, I can see what you are saying bubble, but it does open up the 15 hour possibility, and the thought that 15 hour nursery shifts for our toddlers might become just another thing we have to do to pay the mortgage is pretty alarming, and should be opposed, not just accepted. To me, that is a sign of a (nominally) civilised society breaking down.

I think the idea sounds unrealistic. Opening hours of 8-6 is just fine. I think the change has to come for parents to have more flexible hours and not the children.

uwila some people partially get round this by putting their children in nursery near the work place so the commute is already taken care of. I have a 35-40 minute commute and a colleague with similar had her children in a nursery just down the road from work. So she could drop the kids off and get into the office for 8.05.

Personally I didn't do this because most of the time my DH is able to do either drop off or pick up so we slightly stagger our hours. Also I don't think a 35/40 minute commute at each end of the day is doing the kids any favours. DD is 17 months and she would fall asleep in the car, get home at 5.30 or 6, have to be woken up, be grumpy and then not be ready for bed.

No good for me Bozza. My place of work changes periodically. In the past four years I have worked in Leatherhead, Colliers Wood, Sutton, and now Brentford. So if I used a nursery near work, I might have to change it on a moments notice every 6 months or so, which isn't possible with waiting lists and notice periods. Not to mention I wouldn't be doing my kids any favours yanking them from one nursery to the next.

BTW, I am not considering using a nursery. I'm just illustrating a point that there must be many other parents like me who can't realistically drop off at 8:00 and pick up by 6:00. For me to get to work on time, the nursery would have to take my kids at 6:45 and keep them until 6:00, sometimes 7:00.

Most nurseries are 8 - 6 and heavily penalise you if your late to collect. Which is fair enough, staff need to get home. My commute should be 50 minutes but if there is a delay on the train it can take much longer so really 8-6 is not long enough if you have an average commute via train/tube.

The only local nursery I approve of is 8.30 -6.00 (my DD is nearly 3 and had 'grown out of nanny/ child minder care'). I have no alternative but to have an au pair to do the drop offs/ collections.

My DP was rushed into hospital recently a nursery that offered 15 hours would have been a life saver at this time.

Uwila I realised that wouldn't work for you and didn't really for me but you can see how it is an option for some people. Lasvegas, funny that but my DS is 4 and has just started going to a childminder. Most of the CMs round here will take their charges to playgroups or nurserys as required.

Bozza, guess it depends on CM. Mine spends most of her day collecting/dropping her charges at school/ nursery / after school clubs etc. My DD was taken out 6 times a day to collect other kids from places. No time for CM to take DD to library etc. But she was cheap £25 a day inclusive (London). Also there was no longer any kids of similar age either 5 plus or babies so DD had no one to play with.

Yes I see what you mean (was slightly tongue in cheek really). Mine does the same but since DS is at school he is not affected really. Before that he was at nursery.

Uwila, opening hours depend on a few factors. Our planning permission document clearly states our operative hours as 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday.
We could apply for extended hours but our staff would then be working extra hours and we would then need to renegotiate contracts etc. (working time directive thingy.)