not a great impression

[my2cherubs]

I've recently been offered a job which financially we could really do with. I've been at home with my 2 dd's from the start. The eldest is 4 and has just started school. dd2 has just turned 2. The job I've been offered fits in with school times but would mean I would have to leave dd2 from mon -friday from about 8.30 - 3.30. She has never been left with anyone before. I've been to see four nurseries, having never been in one before, and hated all of them. Why are there no staff above the age of about 19?? Every time I've walked in one I've just felt like crying. Looking after children has got to be one of the most important jobs in the country so why isn't it well paid to attract more mature people? I know that there must be plenty of great nurseries, maybe i've just seen some bad ones but I'm left with no doubt that I will never leave dd in any of them. From what I could see none of the children were getting great attention. The staff looked bored and uninterested and in one the children were running riot and throwing things and dd looked terrified.

I've decided I'm not ready to go back to work (hubby's agreed to work away during the week to earn more) and I'm going to wait a year and then look at choosing a childminder.

Maybe I expected too much from nurseries but it's left me quite

Some nurseries are like this but not all of them. Ds is at a community nursery with a number of older (30s, 40s) experienced staff.

Looking for childcare can be very hard. I hope you find what you need when you look again.

I worked in nurseries for 17 years in nurseries before having ds, when i left i was at junior management level but there was no way i could afford to have ds in any sort of childcare and go back to work. The wages are so piss poor. Even with a management discount on childcare we worked it out i would have a 'wage' of less than £100 a month working 40 hour weeks!! Also I have seen that it really can be just a matter of luck whether you get good staff looking after your dc and I for one wasnt prepared to take that chance.DS is now 3.5 and has just started pre school 3 mornings a week and is off to nursery in the new year. We have decided that its better to struggle for a few years (obviously only if you can and i know we are lucky) Come Jan 2009 when ds is in reception i will be looking for work again

Have you thought about a childminder?

i am sorry you had some bad experiences
there are good nurseries - my son is in one with a great mix of staff (all ages) and low staff turnover

I must admit that after years of using a wonderful CM because I wanted a homely atmos and one-to-one (or nearly) for my DC's, I had to find alternative childcare for my youngest's last year before school. We went to see the local children's centre and found it amazing! I thought it would just be a stopgap until he went to school but it was a fantastic experience although many of the staff were quite young. So keep looking - there are great ones. Or try a CM.

My dd didn't see the inside of a nursery until she was 25 months old - other than the odd trial sessions. She's now 34 months old and attends 16.5 hours at nursery. As far as I'm concerned it was the best set-up for our dd. Having said this, I visited 17 (yep, you read right) nurseries before I found one that I was happy with, which then went downhill so had to move dd to another one. Not easy but I'm sure you've made the right decision.