SE London nursery wait list

[SevenDegreesSouth]

Hi,

I am 26 week pregnant (due this Dec) and have started looking for nurseries around Crystal Palace (SE London area) for Sept 2024 intake. I am shocked to realise the waiting times go up till June 2026. I will need to go back to work next year and I am now starting to panic, as there is a probability that I may not find childcare. DH and me have viewed a couple of nurseries and have paid up to have our names in the waiting list. I find it ridiculous that some of these nurseries are not willing to provide timelines on the wait time nor willing to share the number of people on the list. How does one even make a decision without knowing this and how many waiting lists will I need to be on to ensure my child gets a place ?

Typo in the original post, meant to say September 2025 intake

It's a shame you have to worry about going back to work before you've even had the baby! You've done the right thing by getting on wait lists. The chances are you'll get a place as things change so much. You might be limited to certain days - Tuesdays and Thursdays seem to be the busiest. Are you and DH considering going back part time to begin with?

It's worth looking at childminders for the first year or two. It's a more homely setting for a baby.

@Jk987

I am honestly starting to regret not signing up at 12 weeks or sooner, but it is hard to say if it would have been any different. I expect other parents are doing the same and signing up at multiple nurseries, so hopefully someone will dropout and there would be a place.

DH and me have not considered part-time, but it is probably wise to have that conversation now. I don't know the policy around part time at work and will try to find that out.

The preference was a nursery as they offer more flexibility and we wouldn't need to rely on a single person. But given the situation, I will ring a couple of them to check on their availability.

You'll accumulate leave while on mat leave and can use it to book 1-2 days off per week for a few weeks. That way you'll have time to adjust while still being on a FT wage. Then you can think about options for a PT work request.