returning to work

[EvaRose665]

Hi mums

I am returning to work full time in about 6 months and going through the pain of looking for a child minder or nursery and not wanting to do either just wanting to stay with my baby as long as possible but need two salaries. What's your opinion is a nursery better or a child minder and should I try to negotiate with work to get a full year off or will it make a difference as after the year he will have to go to a childminder or nursery anyway.

Well, you shouldn't have to negotiate with work on a full year as I think, by law, they have to give you that year, although you only get paid for 9 months.

And childminder versus nursery really depends on what you want. Do you want your child to be part of regular day to day routine? Then childminder.

Or do you want them to be in more of a 'classroom' setting from the outset? Then nursery.

I used a nursery and then a childminder and now a nursery again. I went back to a nursery after my childminder quit with very little notice just before Christmas and I had to scramble to find childcare after that. It was very very stressful. With a nursery, one worker quits, there's always another worker!

I agree with Tee - I have experience of all of the different types of childcare, and they each have their pros and cons.

I had a wonderful nanny, but it was expensive, and you have to factor in the extra cost of your heating running all day etc. You are also snookered if they leave. She left to start a family, and I got another nanny who left with no notice.

I was really stuck and sent them to day nursery. My DC hated nursery, and we stuck it out for a year, but they were always getting infections, getting hit by other kids, and I thought my youngest was becoming quite aggressive with other kids.

I found a fantastic childminder, and the homely setting suited my kids much better. The CM was more flexible, and would still take them if one of them had a bit of a sniffle. I think it is a relationship you have to work on though.

I think it depends on your kids, if you find someone good and reliable, and how much back up care you have in place if things go wrong - we don't really have much family support, so it makes it v stressful having to take time off work for sick children.

HTH

Ditto. My son started at nurseries, moved to childminder, then back :) tbh feel I was unlucky with cm as there was so little choice at the time I couldn't 'shop around' for a better cm.

Plus side to both cm & nurseries is that you may have less of a wrench when it comes to preschool. Or rather you might still have a wrench leaving them on first day but your dc will certainly be more confident :)

To the mum looking for childcare, depending where you live I know a WONDERFUL nursery where my grandchildren go!

Pauluka do you mind me asking what nursery it is?