When do we need to start looking at nurseries?

[PK1975]

Hi. I'm not going back to work for another 6 months but I have no idea when we should get the ball rolling on a nursery placement. Do you need to get their names down in plenty of time so you don't miss out on a place? When did you start looking?

Thanks

Depends on your area and how busy the nurseries are - ds1's nursery had a 2 yr waiting list for the baby room (6mths-2yrs), ds2's nursery has a 6-12mth waiting list. We're in London and pressure on childcare spaces is high, only rubbish nurseries don't have long waiting lists here.

I'd definitely go and view a few and put your name down at any you like, they'll be able to tell you what their waiting lists are like.

Ps forgot to say I started looking when ds1 was 2mths old and I was due to go back to work at 12mths.

Where I am some nurseries (especially the better ones - eg. in children's centres) you need to look about 12 months before you want a place. Some private nurseries had bigger rooms and shorter waiting lists.

The sooner the better though.

It completely depends on your area and what the availability of nursery places is like.

In my area there is one really excellent and popular nursery, several pretty good decent ones and a couple of OK ones. I got on the waiting list for the popular one when I was about 5 months pregnant, and we get to the top of the waiting list just as my baby reached 1yo and I was heading back to work - if I'd waiting till my baby was born it would have been too late. The other good ones have a waiting list of around 6-9 months, the OK ones usually have a place or two available - so you just have to find the nursery you are interested in and ask whether their waiting list is long or short. In some parts of the country there will be oversupply and a lot of really good places will have space available. Elsewhere even relatively low quality places may be oversubscribed if there's not a lot of choice.

Ermm after the 12 week scan! DC1 has been to nursery, so I know there are waiting lists around here.

Go and see a few. They all felt different.

Good luck.

Where we were didn't have long waiting lists, but time of year does have an impact. DD started in mid-August when many of those starting school in September have stopped nursery. So most nurseries have a "clear out" in Aug/Sept and children then shuffle up the rooms leaving spaces in the baby room. I guess that starting in May/June would be the least likely to find spaces. It also depends on what days you want. Some days are more popular than others and our current nursery was very keen to have DD as she is virtually FT.

Thanks for your responses. I'll get on it straight away

We have just sorted 7m DS nursery out and thankfully have got him into the one I really wanted.
However, of 8 I originally spoke to, 5 have no space in the baby room and 1 of those told me they're fully booked until November next year.

The one I have chosen is a bit further away (closer to the school I work in rather than the other 7 which are closer to home) and is a village location which is one of the reasons they have availability.

Honestly, if you want some choice, i'd get looking.

I was lucky, I got back to work in 6 weeks and only started looking 3 weeks ago. My preferred nursery said they were full. I nearly cried. But when I explained it was for 3 days a week they managed to juggle some babies going into the bigger room and made a space for me.

Had to pay a deposit there and then to secure her place. Other friends who have had babies are struggling too.

Thanks. I've emailed the nursery I like the look of and they have space. I need to make a list of alternatives to look into too

Yeah defo look at more than one - you might like the look of it online, or on paper etc but if you don't get the 'feeling' when you visit, you won't send DC