childcare in Edinburgh for working mum - nursery vs childminder?

[pizzanoodle]

Hi everyone!

We are newbie parents to a now 8 months old baby girl and we are trying to figure out childcare in Edinburgh. Key question is should I go for nursery OR should I find a childminder? Any thoughts very much appreciated!!!

My questions are:

1. Do babies going to nurseries for the first time get sick very frequently? How bad is it? :(((

2. Would it be worth it to wait until the summer to send our baby to the nursery for the first time to avoid catching cold as much?

3. How easy is it to find ad hoc babysitters / emergency nannies in central Edinburgh for when the baby is sick?

4. Any good nurseries to recommend in central Edinburgh? (I haven't found a flat yet so location flexible!)

5. How are childminders compared to nurseries in terms of quality of childcare?

6. Should I use the ratings as a guide when judging the childminders?

7. Do kids generally get sick less frequently when with a childminders compared to when at a nursery?

8. What are the downsides to going for a childminder?

9. Any recommendations for good childminders in central Edinburgh?

For anyone interested, my situation is as follows:

I am starting a new job in November in Edinburgh. I did my undergrad in Edinburgh and love the city but have since worked in London. I will be moving back up for the new job. My husband will be in London working full-time and will be able to visit every other weekend. So during the week I need someone to take care of our baby girl.
The long-term plan is to have my husband move his job to Edinburgh too.
We heard about babies going to nurseries and catching colds especially at the beginning, also during winter. The result is that working parents need to take turn taking annual leave to care for the sick baby. There will be only me to take care of her so my annual leave might not be enough. I can try to find help (emergency childcare?) but as a new parent I am not sure how feasible that is.
We can also find childminders but it seems difficult to find the right one in terms of availability and location. I heard that it is better to go with childminders because there are fewer kids and therefore less chance of catching a virus.
I don't know if my assumptions are correct. Please feel free to correct me!!! Any suggestions are very welcome!

Hi,
Sorry I just saw this, so you are probably already settled. However for what it’s worth I can thoroughly recommend Arcadia nursery, part of Edinburgh University, but open to all. It’s located in the Kings Buildings. A superb bunch of staff, magnificent garden, great activities. It’s quite large, but the upside of that is that there are lots of staff, and lots of things for your kid to do. (From cycling to gardening to tree climbing, Lego, reading etc). If a kid wants to do an activity there is always someone available to facilitate it and other kids who want to join in. They even have a kid led choice of snack times served in their lovely dining room. None of your worries listed above were a problem (excellent hygiene and great wee ones toilet facilities means little to no bugs). Neither of my children caught any bugs there over a 5 year period!

I found that extra help is sort of readily available, depending on how flexible you can be. Childcare.co.Uk is a good source. My experience is that I had a rubbish girl who touted lots of childminding qualifications (lasted 2 weeks, which for me was mostly training her), followed by 2 brilliant university students, both who have become good family friends.
University students need a bit of flexibility around their exams and holidays, so are scared off by full on timetables, but are great for general support, babysitting and sometimes last minute call outs. They are young (obviously!), so go for smarts rather than experience.

I mixed and matched the student nanny/nursery when my kids were really small, then went full on nursery when the youngest was 2.

Hope you are settling in ok - Edinburgh is a great city for kids!